The City of Canada Bay has announced the recipients of its 2021 Citizen of the Year Awards.
“These awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the work of remarkable people across our community,” City of Canada Bay Mayor Angelo Tsirekas said.
“This year I was honoured to present the Citizen of the Year award to Ken Wright whose generosity has touched many families across the City of Canada Bay.”
Other residents honoured at the ceremony included Arts and Culture Citizen of the Year: Julie Peadon; Young Citizen of the Year: Aiza and Abdullah Khurram (joint award) and Sports Citizen of the Year: Sabrina Barutha.
“We had a wonderful ceremony welcoming our new citizens, celebrating our award winners, and enjoying a moving address by Australia Day Ambassador, Nicholas Gleeson,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
Nicholas Gleeson is an athlete, accessibility advocate and global adventurer. Nick has that rare gift of being able to convey a serious message – that of overcoming the challenges of living with blindness – with warmth, humour and honesty. Nick has crossed the finish line in the New York City Marathon three times, climbed Everest basecamp and Kilimanjaro, carried the Sydney Olympic Torch and represented Australia in the Paralympics.
Citizen of the Year 2021 Ken Wright
Ken Wright has dedicated many years of his life to community work while also running a busy accounting business in Concord. Many young nurses in the early 80s would remember Ken giving up his time to run Toastmasters classes at Concord Hospital to help the young charges develop their self confidence in public speaking.
Ken has also dedicated many decades to the Rotary movement. He has given countless hours of his time managing the books and can be seen at the Rotary Farmers Markets setting up at the crack of dawn twice monthly without fail.
The board of the Kokoda Track Memorial is also indebted to Ken for providing his professional expertise to the Memorial pro-bono over the last 15 years. His outstanding dedication to the general and veteran community delivered in his usual quiet, humble and unassuming manner makes him truly deserving of the City of Canada Bay 2021 Citizen of the Year award.
Arts and Culture Citizen of the Year Julie Peadon
Julie Peadon established her small business after working as a volunteer with the Drummoyne Art Society. She bravely took a leap from a career in banking to pursue a career in visual arts and is now the owner and director of Julie Peadon Art.
Julie’s focus is creating a fun fine art experience through an engaging teaching style and interesting curriculum. She often provides free art classes across many sectors of the community, including schools where she delivers a targeted after school program.
Julie collaborates with other artists and provides space for local crafts people. She has hosted artists of varying abilities and ages and is extremely generous with her time. Even during lockdown she was able to maintain the momentum by delivering her classes via Zoom.
Young Citizen of the Year Aiza and Abdullah Khurram (joint award)
Sister and brother Aiza (17) and Abdullah (13) have contributed to the community enormously through their volunteer work with charity Little Helpers on the Run. Little Helpers on the Run builds connections between younger and older generations by delivering vital intergenerational projects at nursing homes.
Aiza and Abdullah have visited more than 80 different nursing homes over the past six years. During the COVID lockdowns they dropped off gifts and hand-made cards to many nursing home residents. They have also worked with the patients, nurses and doctors of the Mental Health Unit at Concord Hospital.
Aiza and Abdullah's passion for serving the community and have inspired many. They have shown no matter what your age is, you can still have a tremendous impact on the world around you.
Sports Citizen of the Year Sabrina Barutha
Sabrina began paddling at the age of 16 and has been competing with the Dragon Sports Association for more than six years. She has represented the club in local regattas, State Championships and National Championships throughout those years.
Sabrina has represented NSW on several occasions competing at the State vs State day at the Dragon Boat Federation National Championships. She currently holds the position of Prem (open age) Ladies Captain, is a qualified Level 3 sweep and regularly steers boats at training and regattas.
Sabrina has lived in Concord for most of her life and recently completed her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. Sabrina is a reliable, passionate, supportive member of the Dragon Sports Association and is always there to help fellow members when required.
