Citizen of the Year

Honouring our local heroes

The Inner West Council Citizen, Senior Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year Awards aim to recognize outstanding contributions from individuals within the inner west community.

One award is offered in each category and awarded at the Council's Australia Day event. Each of these awards will be given in recognition of people who have provided outstanding service for the welfare of the general community.

Inner West Council Citizen of the Year Award 2018

Newtown’s Sarah Midgley, NSW Co-Convenor of Australian Marriage Equality, is Inner West Council’s 2018 Citizen of the Year.

Since moving to the inner west six years ago, Sarah has spent vast amounts of time volunteering to help LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and questioning) people achieve social inclusion. Her roles include committee member of the world's largest soccer club, the Flying Bats, and committee member of Sydney's Pride History Group.

As NSW Co-Convenor and Director of Australian Marriage Equality, Sarah spent many hours helping at early morning market stalls, running community forums after work and on weekends, rostering, and managing other volunteers.

Inner West Council Young Citizen of the Year Award 2018

Young Citizen of the Year is mental health awareness advocate Anne Maree Hoang.

Anne Maree has openly and honestly shared her mental health journey with those she has come into contact with - whether family, friends, peers or the public. Her volunteer work with the national youth mental health foundation ‘headspace’ has assisted in raising awareness of mental health generally, and among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in particular.

Inner West Council Senior Citizen of the Year Award 2018

Bundjalung-Munajali woman Euphemia Bostock is the Inner West Council's Senior Citizen of the Year.

As a founding member of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative (she designed the Boomalli logo), Euphemia has worked across a variety of media including textile, sculpture and printmaking, and tirelessly promoted the work and improved the lifestyle of Aboriginal artists across Australia for more than 50 years.

Euphemia - and her brothers Lester and Gerald - were founding members of Sydney’s Aboriginal Black Theatre in 1972.