For the first time in many years Cootamundra’s Clarrie Power didn’t know what to say when his name was read out as the town’s Citizen of the Year.
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Joining Mr Power was Oliver Litchfield as Young Citizen of the Year and Michaela Webb as Sportsperson of the Year.
Mr Power is well known for his volunteering efforts, sporting prowess and as an author – his Fair Dink column ran in the Cootamundra Herald for 20 years.
That column grew into the Collection of Fair Dink joke books with $18,000 of proceeds donated back to the community.
“I knew I’d been nominated, but I knew they were people who had done things just as good, if not better than me,” Mr Power said.
“There’s plenty of others who haven’t been recongised for what they do.”
Mr Power said he’d arrived in Cootamundra at the age of 10 and he’d enjoyed sport, a career and raised a family.
“Why not give something back,” he said.
Cootamundra High School captain Oliver Litchfield is Young Citizen of the Year for 2018.
Mr Litchfield was selected as an Anzac Ambassador for the state and the only one chosen from country NSW.
He travelled to Greece and Israel last year and visited several World War I battlegrounds including where the Battle of Beersheeba was held.
He said he’d never dreamed he’d be able to visit those places as a student from Cootamundra.
“In Beersheeba I saw a Litchfield buried, I’m not sure I'm related but you start the understand the struggle,” he said.
Meanwhile, Michaela Webb might only be 16-years-old but she’s got a long list of sporting achievements so far.
She’s been age champion at Cootamundra High, as well as district, regional and state representative for swimming, cross-country and high-jump.
She also broke the Riverina record for high-jump which had stood for 29 years.
“I didn’t even know I was nominated, I’m only 16 but to be recognised in Cootamundra is great,” Miss Webb said.
Miss Webb is aiming to become a professional sports woman and said the award would be a bit of extra motivation to achieve that dream.
Whole her biggest achievements have been in high-jump so far, Miss Webb said she still hadn’t chosen what sport she’d like to do in future.
It was the the first visit to Cootamundra for Australia Day Ambassador Sandra Bates.
Even after arriving in town on Thursday, she said understood what community meant to people.
“It’s long since gone in the cities,” Ms Bates said.
“Everyone sort of averts their eyes in the city but in Coota, everyone knows everyone.”
After hearing of Councillor Charlie Sheahan’s dad who always wanted to help out on the farm at 92 and another man who took himself to China at 88, Ms Bates said there was something different in the country.
“I think that resilience, it’s fresh air good living, you can’t beat it.”