New look at Oz Day

THE City of Greater Dandenong is revamping its Australia Day awards to recognise and develop civic pride.
Annual awards will now go to the Citizen, Young Leader, Volunteer, Sportsperson and Corporate Citizen of the Year, alongside leadership and multicultural awards.
Occasional awards will include Community and Sports Hall of Fame honours.
From next January, recipients will be formally invited to events throughout the year to share their experiences and inspire others.
A new interactive digital display will enable the public to read about previous recipients’ achievements, the council will publish biographies and interviews with winners and there’ll be an honour board that’s updated each year.
Councillor Matthew Kirwan requested the review that recommended the changes, which councillors unanimously endorsed last Monday night.
“(The changes) will all lead, in my view, to these awards being an enhanced mechanism for recognising and developing local civic pride,” he said.
What do you think about the changes to the awards? Email journal@starnewsgroup.com.au or visit www.facebook.com/DandenongJournal