By Peter Douglas
Respected Elder and active community member Dr Doseena Fergie has been awarded the Yarra Ranges Citizen of the Year.
At Yarra Ranges Council’s awards ceremony at Burrinja Cultural Centre on Australia Day, Dr Fergie was officially recognised for her dedication to her community.
Dr Fergie has been a leader within the local Indigenous community and a driving force behind the ongoing success of the Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA).
When honouring Dr Fergie, Cr Cliff said her efforts to create positive change needed to be recognised.
“Her role in assisting council to develop its reconciliation direction of ‘Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Cultural Strengthening’ has created a lasting legacy,” he said.
“Doseena’s focus on placing culture at the centre of health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people and ability to view situations through an Aboriginal lens has transformed the way council works.”
Meanwhile, many citizens in the Dandenong Ranges were also awarded at the ceremony.
The major award winners included: Upwey’s Neil McLeod (Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement), Kallista’s Alex Maisey (Environmental Achiever of the Year) and the Upwey Primary School (co-winner of Ken McIntosh Memorial Award; Young Environmental Achiever of the Year).
In addition, certificate recipients included Gareth Hart (Upwey), Sarah Tebbutt (The Patch) and Sally Rutzou (Monbulk).
Mr Maisey was awarded for his dedication to understanding and preserving the Dandenong Ranges and its forests.
He grew up on the edge of the Sherbrooke Forest, and works closely with the Friends of Sherbrooke Forest and the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Study Group.
Mr Maisey has studied conservation and land management at Swinburne University.
He is presently studying for a PhD with La Trobe University, through investigating ecological functions provided by lyrebird scratchings.
Upon announcing the award, Cr Mike Clarke was full of praise for Mr Maisey, saying the region needs to nurture and develop his knowledge.
Mr Maisey said it was a great honour and that being a present-day environmentalist had its challenges.
“It’s difficult being an environmentalist and hard to stay optimistic,” he said.
“Australia is one of the worst in the world for mammalian extinction.
“We have coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, bushfires, and Australia wants to build one of the biggest coal mines in the Southern Hemisphere.
“But I encourage people to think global, act local.
“I’ve seen great changes locally and we can stay positive about the future.”
Mr Maisey encouraged youth to follow his lead and look at how they can help their local environment.
Another to win high praise was Mr McLeod, who, nearly 20 years ago, began leasing half of the Burrinja building as an art gallery and Uncle Neil’s Cafe.
Mr McLeod is a local artist, photographer, adventurer, documentary maker and collector of Australian Aboriginal and Papua New Guinean Art.
Cr Cliff told the audience Mr McLeod has donated more than 600 items of Aboriginal and oceanic art and artefacts from Papua New Guinea, with an estimated value of $1 million to council.
Cr Cliff also spoke about the fantastic efforts of Upwey and Chum Creek primary schools, which were acknowledged for their efforts in the Platypus Education Group’s Elastic Band Challenge.
“The students had one month to collect as many hair ties, plastic rings around food products and plastic bands that threaten the platypus,” Cr Cliff said.
“They removed all elastic and plastic bands found and cut them up, so they were no longer a dangerous threat to wildlife.”
In the challenge, Upwey Primary School collected 6391 bands (76 per student) while Chum Creek Primary School collected 3759 bands (62 per student).
For Certificate of Recognition awards, Sarah Tebutt was recognised for her work in developing the Glenfern Bushland project, during which she and a team of volunteers converted bushland and weed-infested pasture into a dynamic ecosystem.
Sally Rutzou is an active member of the Monbulk Fire Brigade Auxiliary.
Her dedication to providing support to the brigade has been described as outstanding.
Gareth Hart is best known for producing HillsceneLIVE, an innovative and multi-faceted arts festival for local artists.
A packed house filled the theatre room at Burrinja, including councillors Fiona McAllister, Terry Avery and Mike Clarke.
Also in attendance were Member for Eastern Victoria Region Daniel Mulino and Eildon MP Cindy McLeish.
Mr Mulino spoke of his pride for his country and the opportunities it can bring.
He told the story of his father’s journey to Australia to start a new life, when Daniel was just one year old.
Mr Mulino said his father spoke only a little English at the time.
But, through hard work, he said his father had made a great life in Australia and enjoyed 35 years working as a psychiatric nurse.
The 2016 Yarra Ranges’ Australia Day award winners:
Citizen of the Year – Dr Doseena Fergie;
Young Citizen of the Year – Laura Johns;
Environmental Achiever of the Year – Alex Maisey;
Ken McIntosh Memorial Award (Young Environmental Achiever of the Year) – Upwey Primary School and Chum Creek Primary School;
Ian Del La Rue Award for Community Leadership – Ben and Ruth Aldridge;
Community Group of the Year – Kilsyth Community Action Group;
Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award – Neil McLeod.
Certificate recipients:
Sam Violi – Coldstream;
Colin Pierrehumbert – Healesville;
Tom Steele – Dixons Creek;
Gareth Hart – Upwey;
Sarah Tebbutt – The Patch;
Chris Dowling – Montrose;
Sally Rutzou – Monbulk;
Treasured Babies Program – Mooroolbark.
