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Subscriber only We re at the halfway mark of Mackay s Australia Day Awards, with five community advocates recognised for their service to the region. Unveiled at a gala dinner at the MECC, people have been awarded the prestigious awards for their dedication to the arts, community and sports. Mayor Greg Williamson said all nominees and winners across all categories deserved the recognition they had been given this evening. We all know last year was a tough year, but there s an old saying about when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and we saw a lot of that in our region in 2020, he said.
Mackay s 2021 Citizen of the Year Mabel Quakawoot has been many things to many people - an active citizen, an educator, a mentor and volunteer. Her tireless efforts for the community were recognised at a gala dinner at the MECC on Monday night. Young Citizen of the Year went to Emmett Withers and the Lori Burgess Community Volunteer Award winner was Russell McLennan. Emmett Withers began his charity Emmett 4 Animals when he was five years old and has gone on to help thousands of stray animals across the region. Russell McLennan works tirelessly behind the scenes at Volunteer Marine Rescue Mackay, having been involved with the group since 1977.