Rewarding Jabiru's unsung heroes

West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC) Deputy Mayor Liz Williams and Cr Catherine Ralph led the Jabiru Citizen of the Year Awards ceremony at Jabiru Area School on Monday, 28 February.
It was an extra special occasion to hold this awards ceremony at the school for the first time in front of students, teachers and supporters. While the annual pool party and barbecue could not take place, it was great to be able to facilitate this important awards ceremony in front of community members.
The ‘Citizen of the Year’ awards are community-led awards which acknowledge a number of Jabiru community members who need a pat on the back - and more - for the incredible work that they do.
It is a pleasure for WARC to be able to facilitate these awards every year to celebrate and say thank you to the incredible people who help make Jabiru a great place to live.
Council wishes to once again congratulate the winners and thank you all for your contributions to the Jabiru community. 

COMMUNITY EVENT OF THE YEAR’ - Jabiru Fire Station

The 2022 ‘Community Event of the Year’ winner is not necessarily one single event – but rather a group of dedicated people who facilitate so many great activities for our community.
This group leads a number of weekly activities as well as annual events and are always the first people to volunteer to help at any community celebration.
One of these things is the Jabiru PT group, which provides free personal training for anyone in the community and is led completely by volunteers. This activity supports community wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and just as importantly, is fun for everyone. Some amazing fitness results happen because of this group, and there is a strong sense of comradery and community involvement as new people come together and leave as friends. Absolutely everyone is welcome to attend the Jabiru PT group and you will be greeted with open arms.
Another notable event led by this group is the annual Christmas lolly run, led by volunteers and their own budget to bring joy to the children of Jabiru. This is certainly one of the favourite Christmas events each year.
The list of volunteer-work this group provides is endless – they support the Kakadu Triathlon, ANZAC Day commemorations, the Children’s Christmas Party, our Australia Day events and more.
The winners of this award are truly the unsung heroes of Jabiru, and we thank you all for everything you do.

‘YOUNG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR’ – Letisha Lami Lami

Letisha is already known around the community as a standout young leader and a great role model for her peers.
In fact, you may recall she has received awards previously for the incredible work she performs every day.
A volunteer at heart, this young Jabiru Area School student regularly donates her time, organising and helping with community events for the Stars Academy, preschool and FaFT.
When she is not supporting her community directly, she is busy building a career in childcare. The young leader has completed Certificates in Family Wellbeing while working at the FaFT. Through this role, she works alongside families to help them support their children in early learning, and has demonstrated that she has made a difference too many families in Jabiru and surrounding outstations. She is absolutely great with the children and is a massive help to the bus drivers on the school run every day.
In 2020, this young leader was nominated in the prestigious Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards, and in 2021 she actually received this very award.
There is simply no one else who deserves it more. 

‘CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD’ – Manish Raju
Written within the multiple nominations we received for Manish, there were some powerful words used to describe our 2022 Citizen of the Year. These were: ‘Selfless, generous, serving and never asks for anything in return.’
Manish has served Jabiru for more than 12 years as an auxiliary fire firefighter, a dedicated volunteer and a devoted community member.
Over the years, he has been a valuable team member of the Jabiru Fire Station, donating hundreds of hours to emergency service training, drills and incidents to keep our community safe.
On top of this role, he has helped bring joy to hundreds of children and adults each year as the person behind the fire station Santa lolly run. 
Manish is a valued volunteer at nearly every single community event – setting up, packing down, cooking barbecues, driving the fire truck or spraying the kids down with the water hose.
When he is not volunteering at events, this person is the main man behind the Jabiru PT group. This includes facilitating free personal training sessions 3 times a week for the community. For some people, this is an outlet for health and wellbeing, and for others, it is a great opportunity to socialise and meet new people. The PT group continues to be an important facet for the community and is all driven by this incredible person.
Finally, anyone who knows him, understands the contribution he has made to our community. He is humble, gracious and incredibly kind and we all thank you for making Jabiru a great place to live.