Manningham Council and the local community celebrated Australia Day at the Civic Offices with the traditional Citizenship Ceremony, singing of the national anthem and entertainment.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the annual Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year Awards to citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the local community.
Manningham Mayor, Cr Michelle Kleinert, announced that the 2017 Citizen of the Year is Mr Ronald Twining and the Young Citizen of the Year is Samantha Lane.
Citizen of the Year, Mr Ronald Twining
A Templestowe resident for more than 28 years, Ronald has served as Justice of the Peace in Manningham since 1983 and has attended to the needs of local residents for more than three decades.
A former Criminal Investigation Branch Fraud Squad Detective with Victoria Police, Ronald is currently President of Templestowe RSL and has conducted Anzac and Remembrance Day services for the past 12 years. A much loved neighbour and member of the local community, Ronald’s commitment to Manningham in many areas has been outstanding.
Ronald spent 13 years with the Victorian Police as a senior detective and also made great contributions to commerce for 20 years as National General Manager in Australia’s biggest transport company.
Ronald has been a proud recipient of the Victorian Police Service Medal, Australian National Service and Australian Defence Medal.
Young Citizen of the Year is Samantha Lane.
Samantha has volunteered for the last six years with Doncaster All Abilities Basketball, an organisation and competitive event catering to people with intellectual or physical disabilities.
It is the largest competition of its type in Australia and Samantha has been integral to its organisation, due to her passion for helping those with special needs. She is also a committee member and basketball coach, assisting those with disabilities where possible to improve their physical and social skills.
In addition, Samantha has organised self-development workshops to provide employment guidance to senior players – giving up her weekends, paid work and personal time to take on this mentoring role.
These community achievements were all carried out while pursuing a Bachelor of Education and part-time job, demonstrating her outstanding commitment towards improving the lives of others.
The Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year awards are administered by Manningham Council, with the awards supplied by the Australia Day Committee (Victoria).
