It is an opportunity to acknowledge and reward the special people in the community that make it such a great place to live.

The Australia Day Awards recognise outstanding achievement and service to the community during the past year or over a number of years with the NSW Local Citizen of the Year Awards run in conjunction with the Australia Day Council of NSW.

Next year will be an extra special year for the Citizen of the Year, thanks to the generous support of Australia Post, the recipient of this award will also receive a unique memento – an exclusive personalised Commerative Stamp Sheet featuring their photograph.

Mayor of Cessnock, Cr. Alison Davey, said: “Most of us know someone who has contributed knowledge, time and talent to benefit our community and in recognising those people, we can publicly thank them for their community spirit and at the same time, inspire others.”

Nominations are invited for the following categories: Citizen of the Year; Young Citizen of the Year; Community Event; Sportsperson Award; Environment Award; Heritage Award; Achievement Award; and, Appreciation Award.

The Award winners will be announced on January 26, 2010 at the Australia Day celebrations.

Nominations close on November 30. To obtain a nomination form or further information on Australia Day, contact the Mayor’s office on 4993 4210, visit Customer Service at Cessnock City Council, or log on to Council’s website www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au