Mayor Tsirekas also announced Melissa McKeon from Domremy College as Young Citizen of the Year; Yuehan Zhang from the Rhodes Multicultural Community Association as Arts and Cultural Citizen of the Year and Olympic boss John Coates as Sports Citizen of the Year.
“This is a well-deserved accolade for all of our winners and it was a great pleasure to acknowledge their efforts and contribution to the City of Canada Bay on Australia Day,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
In addition to the Citizen of the Year announcements, Mayor Tsirekas welcomed 30 new citizens from Canada, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Mauritius, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korean, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam at the Australia Day event at Cabarita Park. He was joined on the day by Australia Day Ambassador, and former Olympic cyclist Katherine Bates.
“Australia Day is a chance to come together and celebrate community spirit. Congratulations to all of our winners and to our newest citizens,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
Marie Piccin is the driving force behind Concord restaurant Angelo’s on the Bay, which has been a fixture in the area since 1986. Marie is an avid supporter of the community and has been involved with a range of events and fundraisers for many years. Marie is an active member of the Majors Bay Chamber of Commerce and has been committed to developing Concord as a thriving area.
Our Young Citizen of the Year, Melissa McKeon was Domremy College’s Environmental Prefect in 2014. Melissa has been an active part of our Sustainable Schools Network and organised her school’s participation in Clean Up Australia activities, as well as participating in National Tree Day and our Water Watch program.
Yuehan Zhang is an active member of the newly formed Rhodes Multicultural Community Association. Yuehan works with the community to build friendships and support networks and was instrumental in organising the inaugural 2014 Rhodes Moon Festival. She works closely with the City of Canada Bay and the community on other events such as Chinese New Year.
John Coates has been a fixture at the Summer Olympics more than 30 years on the Australian Olympic Committee and now the International Olympic Committee. He was a key figure in Sydney being chosen as the host city for the 2000 Summer Olympics and has also been heavily involved in rowing in Australia. He has been inducted in the Sports Australia Hall of Fame and has also received an Order of Australia.