13 vie for top honours

THIRTEEN people are in the running to win top honours at the annual Casey Citizens of the Year Awards on Australia Day.
The categories include Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Casey Senior Citizen of the Year. Nominees were announced on Friday.
City of Casey mayor Geoff Ablett said the awards provided an opportunity for the community to recognise and thank those citizens who made a significant contribution to the local community.
“The City of Casey is very fortunate to have so many residents who demonstrate such dedication to enhancing the community. On behalf of the city, I would like to congratulate all the nominees for the valuable work that earned them award nominations this year,” Cr Ablett said.
“Each of the nominees has won the admiration and appreciation of their community.”
All nominees will be presented with certificates and the winner of each category will be announced at a special awards ceremony on Australia Day.
The nominees for the Citizen of the Year are:
Jesse James, from Hallam, has been an active member of the Endeavour Hills Lions Club for 30 years and also assists at Lions Village Licola Inc, where he helps to provide holiday activities for children.
Roman Nowak, from Cannons Creek, volunteers with the Salvation Army in Cranbourne and has cared for children as a foster parent with Menzies Inc. for 28 years. He volunteers with the Devon Meadows CFA and the Independent Persons Program, supporting young people.
Steven Silestean, from Hampton Park, established the Hampton Park Secondary College Navy Cadets and devotes many hours to this program, including weeknight meetings and weekend and school holiday cadet camps.
The nominees for Young Citizen of the Year are:
Danielle Di Carlo, from Narre Warren, is a member of Girl Guides and regularly volunteers with the Berwick Seniors Meals Program. She is a peer mediator at her school and has volunteered in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the McKean Leprosy Hospital and Agape Orphanage.
Matthew Greenwood, from Junction Village, is the Year 10 leader at his school and represented his school at the 2008 Framing the Future leadership conference. He also mentors young children at his former primary school.
Ahmed Ibrahim, from Endeavour Hills, supports and mentors many students at his school and acts as a role model for other refugee students. He is a Casey youth ambassador and has volunteered in leadership roles at a number of Casey council events.
The nominees for Casey Senior Citizen of the Year are:
Bert Ainge, from Berwick, is a member of the Berwick and District Benevolent Society and has been a member of Rotary for 39 years. He was a community member of the Sister Cities Forum, foundation member of the Combined Probus Club of Berwick and established Neighbourhood Watch in Berwick.
Keith Buck, from Blind Bight, produces the Coastal Communities newsletter as well as other publications for the local community. He is a member of the Blind Bight Community Centre Committee of Management and the Tooradin Coastal Villages Community Bank Steering Committee.
Sue Hughes, from Berwick, runs and co-ordinates playgroups and undertakes work for the Berwick Callisthenics Club. She conducts cooking classes for older men and caters for functions at her church. She is a fundraiser for Cord Blood Research and the Cancer Blood Research and the Cancer Council and is a member of the Inner Wheel Club of Berwick.
Brenda Miller, of Berwick, is a teacher and set up libraries at school in Hallam and Cranbourne and was instrumental in establishing a program of English as a second language for students. She is a member of the Oxfam Australia Berwick Branch and convenor for Clean Up Australia Day.
Eileen O’Connell, from Doveton, is a volunteer with the Doveton Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC), caretaker for both the Doveton NLC and The Dove community facility, and a driver for the Doveton NLC community bus.
John Schmode, from Narre Warren, is active in his local primary school where he voluntarily assists children in their day-to-day activities. John is involved in the Bridges program that helps children develop their reading skills and was instrumental is setting up the school’s animal program.
John Taylor, from Narre Warren, is an area leader within Casey and has been a committed member of Legacy since 1956, offering support to more than 2000 war widows, their dependants and children. He also has been heavily involved with the scouting movements, and was Chief Commissioner of Dandenong and District Scouts.