The 2024 Blue Mountains Local Citizen of the Year awards, presented last Friday at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, found worthy achievements by locals including the innovative new Hotel Etico.
The awards are a chance to recognise and honour efforts made by locals for their contributions to the community.
Community members have the opportunity to nominate locals across three categories: Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, and Community Achievement of the Year.
This year there were 19 nominations across all categories.
Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill hosted the event, recognising the achievements of all who were nominated as inspirational.
In his thanks, he also recognised the challenge the nominees put to all local citizens in bettering their community.
“I genuinely mean it when I say every nominee we celebrate is deserving of being declared Citizen of the Year. Each of them has made an indelible mark on our community. Their contributions make our community extraordinary, and they are all exceptional,” he said.
This year the winners were:
- Christopher Smith – Citizen of the Year
- Jackie Mayers – Senior Citizen of the Year
- Hotel Etico – Community Achievement of the Year
Smith was nominated for his continued work through Shared Reading NSW, which he created to help prevent loneliness and increase community connection, and Ms Mayers, co-founder of the Youth Shoebox Project, was nominated for her decade-long contribution in coordinating donations to refugee and asylum-seeking children across Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
Hotel Etico, established in 2021, is the first not-for-profit social enterprise hotel in Australia. It offers paid 1-year traineeships to those with intellectual disabilities. These traineeships enable participants to transition to other employment within the industry.
The 2024 nominees were:
Citizen of the Year Award Nominees (for people 64 years and younger)
- WINNER – Christopher Smith – Shared Reading NSW
- Ashe Webb – Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre (BANC)
- Dr Melinda Hardy – Upper Mountains Medical Centre
- Caroline Payne – Katoomba North Primary School
- Brendan Davies – UP Coaching
- Debbie Laird – FunKids Mount Riverview
- Michael Garwood – Blue Mountains Futsal and Football
- Michelle Swan – Katoomba Neurodiversity Hub
- Simon Lyne – various football teams
- Karen Stevenson – Blue Mountains Women’s Shed
Senior Citizen of the Year Award (for citizens 65 years and older)
- WINNER – Jackie Mayers – Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group
- Barbara Davidson – various nursing homes
- Robin Bracken –Springwood Neighbourhood Centre
- Anneke Erich – Buckland Aged Care, Springwood
- Peter Genellos – Little Wings
- Rod Stowe – various inc. Blue Mountains Branch National Trust
Community Achievement of the Year Award:
- WINNER – Hotel Etico
- Resilient Villages Blue Mountains
- Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre
