Manningham Council and the local community celebrated Australia Day with a traditional Citizenship Ceremony, including honouring two outstanding citizens for their contributions to our City.
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 Ms Samantha Lane.
The Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year awards are administered by the Manningham City Council, with the actual awards supplied by the Australia Day Committee of Victoria.
Manningham Mayor Cr Kleinert said that the awards recognise the real unsung heroes of the Manningham community, the people who go above and beyond to demonstrate service to others and achieve fantastic results.
“Manningham Council is very proud to present Ronald and Samantha with these honours and we look forward to their continued contributions to improve the lives of so many.
“We are very fortunate to have this level of commitment within our community, which reflects and embraces the spirit of Manningham and Australia Day.
“On behalf of Council I congratulate Ronald and Samantha for these exemplary achievements and being wonderful role models for us,” she said.
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, Ms 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.
