Celebrating the heroes in our community

Wednesday, 11 November 2020

Penrith City Council is encouraging the community to help shine a light on the dedicated, selfless and inspirational people in Penrith by nominating them in the inaugural Local Celebration Awards. 

The new award program aims to recognise people of all ages who go above and beyond, who volunteer their time to make Penrith a great place to live, or who work tirelessly for the benefit of others and for the community. 

Penrith Mayor Cr Karen McKeown OAM said after a difficult year of unprecedented challenges there’s never been a better time to celebrate Penrith’s can-do attitude and resilient spirit. 

“Over the past year our community has experienced bushfires, flooding and the social, emotional and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout it all, and despite it all, we know there are amazing people doing great things in Penrith,” Cr McKeown said. 

“These awards are an opportunity for us to highlight the people in our community who have shown us the best of themselves in some of the worst times and give them the recognition they deserve. “I encourage residents and our wider community to put forward a nomination - this is your chance to shine a light on the heroes who make us all proud to be part of this City,” Cr McKeown said. 

Nominations for the 2021 Local Celebration Awards are open until 30 April 2021. Submissions will be accepted in person, online, by mail and by video. There are four award categories to choose from:  

• Citizen of the Year (over 18 years old)
• Young Citizen of the Year (aged under 17 years old)
• Mayor’s Local Heroes Award (all ages) • Making a Difference – Community Service Award (all ages).  

The award recipients will be announced at Council’s Ordinary Meeting on 18 July 2021. This is an important date for Council and a significant date in Penrith’s history, as it marks the 150th anniversary of the very first meeting of Penrith Municipal Council held on 18 July 1871. 

Following the announcement in July, the Local Celebration Award winners will be formally recognised at an event held in August 2021. Find out more about the award program, the selection criteria and how to nominate at: penrith.city/local-celebration-awards  

Photo captions

Local Celebration Award: Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown OAM with volunteers from Mama Lanas Community Foundation who were recipients of the 2020 Penrith Community Group Award.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 11 November 2020.