Australia Day Community Awards 2026

Published on Wednesday, 28 January 2026 at 1:46:24 PM

Following the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony, we held our annual Community Awards, celebrating some of the hundreds of volunteers we are blessed to have in the Shire of Capel.

Held at the Capel Community Centre, we were joined by some outstanding individuals and groups who contribute to making the Shire the community we know and love.


We congratulate all those who were nominated in their categories.
We are thrilled to announce the following award recipients:
๐Ÿฅ‡ Community Citizen of the Year: Don Wetherell
๐Ÿฅ‡ Community Citizen of the Year (Act Belong Commit) – Mark Bratby
๐Ÿฅ‡Young Citizen of the Year: Michaela Brankovic
๐Ÿฅ‡Young Citizen of the Year (Act Belong Commit) – Amberlee Brown
๐Ÿฅ‡Senior of the Year: Michael Tichbon
๐Ÿฅ‡Senior of the Year (Act Belong Commit) – Lesley Culleton
๐Ÿฅ‡Community Group of the Year: CWA – Capel Branch
๐Ÿฅ‡Community Group of the Year (Act Belong Commit) – Capel Horse and Pony Club

The Hon Don Punch MLA helped announce the recipients of the ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฉ๐—ผ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜‚๐—บ๐˜€ who were nominated for their dedication and service to the community.
Join us in congratulating –
Craig Bourne
Mark Bratby
Jennifer Thomson
Beverely Scott
Don Wetherell
Lyn McMahon
Bruce Thomson
Carole Walpole
Dan Depiazzi

Shire President John Fergusson presided over the ceremony, with assistance from The Hon Don Punch MLA, and Shire Deputy President Rosina Mogg, as well as Shire Councillor Terri Sharp. Also in attendance were Shire Honorary Freemans Margaret Smith and Chris Scott.

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