Bush band Swag N Billy played for an hour before the ceremony, motivating the crowd to ignore their sweaty brows and dry throats to join a booming rendition of ‘I Am Australian.’ 

The award ceremony kicked off with a speech from ambassador and Active Farmers founder Ginny Stevens. 

“In the past few months I have been reflecting on Australia Day and what it means to be an Australian,” Mrs Stevens said. 

“My thoughts were strictly back to the country and farming communities, the people who live in these areas are some of the most down to earth people that I have ever met and some of the most resilient, when I think of Australia I think of all of you. 

“I really enjoyed hearing about the Murrumbidgee Council Community Farm,” Mrs Stevens said. 

The award ceremony saw Catherine DeMamiel named Citizen of the Year for her work on Project Go Riding for the Stars, Taste Coleambally Food and Farm Festival, the Coleambally Gala Night as well as Coleambally’s 50^th birthday.

The mother of three said her personal highlights in 2018 was Project Go, where she raised $50,000 for Bernie Star and his family after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. 

“With the Coleambally 50^th birthday, the amount of people that turned up made the amount of time and effort that every one put in well worthwhile,” Mrs Demaniel said. 

Thomas Breed was again awarded the title of young citizen of the year having won the award in 2017. 

Mr Breed was rewarded for his work with NSW Rural Fire Service, his volunteering in umpiring reserve grade football, and for having received the ADF Long Tan award for leadership and team work. 

“A lot of people have worked with me with what I have done, winning the award is a refection of how much help I have gotten along the way,” Mr Breed said. 

“The amount of work I have done with the fire service it’s what I want to do as a career, I am trying to get to get a job at the RAF base in Wagga, hopefully in a fire watchmen’s job.” 

Lynne Stuckings, also from Coleambally, won the lifetime achievement award. 

She was rewarded for innumerable hours of service to the community having been a chairwomen of Cypress View Lodge, Coleambally Community Bank, President of chamber of commerce and industry and chairwomen of the Coleambally 50^th birthday. 

‘I wasn’t expecting winning the award at all I am very humbled, I’m just wondering whether it means retirement for me or what they’re hinting at,” Mrs Stuckings said.

“(The 50^th birthday) just overwhelmed us, it was much bigger crowds than was every imagined but we were able to cope with that as well, we had a fantastic committee.”

And as for sport, Phoebe White won Junior Sportsperson of the Year for her achievements in high jump, long jump, triple jump, 100 meter sprinting and 200 metre sprinting, having won first place in 26 occasions. 

Alana Jones won Sub-Junior Sportsperson of the Year representing the Southern Inland Area at state level for swimming.

Sporting Team of the Year went to Coleambally Central School’s four-by-50 metre freestyle relay team. 

Swimming team member Thomas Fattore was named council’s Sportsperson of the Year having won the Colemabllay Central’s David McNeilly Memorial Trophy for participation in sport. 

Council’s Cultural Award went to the Country Education Foundation of Coleamablly and Darlington Point for their Coleambally Community Conversations oral history project while the Event of the Year Award went to the Coleambally 50^th Birthday. 

All readers are able to sign up for our breaking news updates, while subscribers to The Observer will have exclusive access to our weekly editor's wrap newsletter, sign up here.