Active citizenship ceremony celebrates outstanding contributions of Geraldton residents in community

A group of community-minded champions have been celebrated for their outstanding contributions to greater Geraldton in the 2024 Active Citizenship Awards.

The ceremony held on Australia Day morning at the QEII Centre showcased the hard work of 18 individuals and organisations who demonstrated active involvement in their communities, making a tangible difference to Geraldton.

Four categories included active citizenship for a group or event, community citizen of the year, senior community citizen of the year and young community citizens of the year.

Geraldton MP Lara Dalton acknowledged how hard it was to find people who were willing to volunteer their time, thanking the selfless individuals who had been nominated.

Community citizen of the year was Kiara Jones, the manager of Wandina Playgroup and Geraldton Toy Library, who also acts as the vice president of Toy Libraries Australia.

Ms Jones is an advocate for the importance of early childhood development, and the essential role of play in both children and parents’ lives.

“I feel really honoured to receive it, and I just want to acknowledge that this is about making Geraldton a place where you can raise a family and have a village around you. Play groups can be one of the most positively influential aspects for parents and kids,” Ms Jones said.

During the three years Ms Jones has been involved with the playgroup and toy library, she has secured more than $350,000 in grants which have been essential in forming a network for new mums and babies in Geraldton.

“During COVID we made toy packs for mums to come and pick up, as well as doing videos playschool style, and organising playgroup in the park so kids could have that socialisation which they really missed out on,” she said.

“The group starting kindy and pre-primary now are the babies that were born during COVID, and there are a few issues you can see as the byproduct of that seclusion, so having playgroup is one of those things that can really help kids.”

Chapman River Friends took home the active citizenship award for their work in raising awareness and educating the community about the cultural significance of the area and the importance of rehabilitating and caring for the environment.

Member of Chapman River Friends Gail Taylor accepted the award, and said they were greatly appreciative of the recognition.

“We don’t know who or how we were nominated but it’s nice to see that the community recognise the work we do, and good to get our name out there. The Chapman River is such a wonderful place to go,” she said.

Yvonne Lovedee from Geraldton Multicultural Association took home the award for senior community citizen of the year, helping establish the organisation which links together all cultures in the region.

Sabine Angelatos was the recipient of the young citizen of the year award, for her work with the Serpents Water Polo Club, which she runs as president, as well as extensive volunteer work with Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club.