From here, the crowd made their way into the Civic Centre to the official ceremony to find out who would be getting the top gongs for 2017.

The announcement was not made until after fourth generation winemaker, and Australia Day guest, Lisa McGuigan, delivered an inspirational speech directed at the younger generation.

Her honest account of how she forged her own way in the world by learning what “it meant to stick something out” and thus, build resilience, was captivating.

After this Mayor, Sue Moore, and member for the Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon, welcomed eight new citizens to the country.

Then, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for –  Fiona Stalker was named Young Achiever of the Year, and Toni Watson is the 2017 Citizen of the Year.

Toni co-founded Bears of Hope Pregnancy&Infant Loss Support, and Singleton Hospital “was one of the first three where she began donating teddy bears”.

Among her notable achievements, Fiona, raised $8000 for the School of St Jude in Tanzania and travelled there to help the students.

Congratulations Toni and Fiona!