Mateship, compassion and community are some of the key Brisbane values embodied by the 25 recipients of the Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Awards.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said this year’s nominees and winners have all made a real difference in the community to help make Brisbane a better place to live.

“From a global pandemic to a devastating flood and now a global inflation crisis, the past year has certainly had plenty of challenges,” Cr Schrinner said.

“That’s why it is so important to take the time to recognise ordinary people doing extraordinary things in our community.

This year we celebrate 25 unsung heroes who embody Brisbane’s values and our nation’s famed Aussie spirit.”

The award winners were acknowledged at an awards ceremony at City Hall, while the city prepares to welcome more than 600 new citizens at this year’s Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.

Cr Schinner said we didn’t have to look any further than this year’s Citizen of the Year recipient to get a sense of the calibre of this year’s award winners.

“George Rowlinson is a selfless and dedicated volunteer who has played a pivotal role in running and assisting the Everton Park Scouts Group for several decades,” he said.

“His resourcefulness and dedication to leadership has ensured the Scouts strived to keep their community connected and informed throughout the pandemic.

Our Senior Citizen of the Year Jan Kennedy has played a vital role in several community groups over the past 20 years, including organising social outings for seniors that live independently in the area.

This year we recognise two Young Citizens of the Year in Chantelle Giles and Tom Price, whose ability to drive change for their communities and passion to help those in need is inspiring to us all.”

For more information visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au, or call Council on 3403 8888.

2023 Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Award Winners

  • Citizen of the Year – George Rowlinson
  • Senior Citizen of the Year – Jan Kennedy
  • Joint Young Citizen of the Year – Chantelle Giles
  • Joint Young Citizen of the Year – Tom Price
  • Australia Day Cultural/Arts Award – Paul Jones
  • Australia Day Sports Award – Sathish Rajendran
  • Corporate Citizen of the Year – Carmela Baxter
  • Community Event of the Year – Brisbane Craft and Gift Fair (Quota International of Carindale Inc.)
  • Joint Green Heart Award – Marion Goward
  • Joint Green Heart Award – Aidan Ameer
  • Australia Day Achievement Awards
    • George Hulse
    • Guillermo Capati PSM
    • Mark Kerle
    • Shaune Watts
    • Matthew Crossley
    • Janette Taylor
    • Mary-Ann Strelow
    • Kerry Burns
    • Robyn Porter
    • Helen Beech
    • Elizabeth Aston
    • Norm Jeffries
    • Greg Stegman
    • Sophie Julian
    • Shelby Robinson