Ian Walter has been named the Citizen of the Year, honouring his work with many organisations including the Christian Emergency Food Centre in Horsham, the Country Fire Authority, Horsham Agricultural Society, Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. 

READ MORE: WHAT’S ON ACROSS THE WIMMERA ON AUSTRALIA DAY?

Dustin Cross has earned the gong of Young Citizen of the Year. 

His accolades include being a state and national winner of the 2017 Apprentice of the Year, Longerenong College student leader, Horsham Agricultural Society member, an active member of Noradjuha-Quantong Football Club, various achievements at Horsham College and being a member of the Zion Lutheran Church at Vectis. 

Horsham’s hosting of the Tri-State Games in 2017 earned the event the award for Community Event of the Year. 

The annual week-long sporting event attracts about 340 athletes from disability organisations throughout Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

The awards will be presented during an Australia Day ceremony at Horsham’s Sawyer Park. 

Learn more about the winners below. 

IAN Walter is Horsham Rural City Council’s Citizen of the Year. 

The Horsham man has been involved in the Country Fire Authority for 62 years and received an Australian Fire Service Medal in 2010 – the highest recognition for Country Fire Authority members. 

His latest honour will be awarded during Horsham’s Australia Day ceremony.

Mr Walter said he was passionate about his involvement with the fire authority.

“I have been a captain of a brigade, a group officer, was on the Volunteer Fire Brigades (Victoria) and was the local representative for a number of years,” he said. 

Mr Walter said he had served on state-level committees and was currently lending his expertise through a state mapping committee. 

“It’s been an excellent organisation that, in the past two or three years, has been put under a lot of pressure,” he said. “Because of my date of birth I have to be a bit careful of what I do these days.” 

Mr Walter said his role with the Lutheran Church in Horsham and Edenhope had led to his involvement with the Christian Emergency Food Centre in Horsham. 

He has been chairman for the past 10 years. 

Mr Walter said the food centre was “one of the major success stories” of Horsham. 

He also has a long list of achievements stemming from his involvement with the Lutheran church. 

“I have been chairman at Edenhope and at Horsham, I’ve been an elder, I’m still a lay reader and a bit of a goof around the place. I have been a money steward for almost 30 years,” he said. 

Mr Walter was born in Horsham before moving to Goroke. He later got married and moved to Edenhope. 

He worked as a shearer in Edenhope before the Wimmera Wool Factory opened its doors in Horsham. He was the first employee there – as the stock and wool manager – and stayed for 26 years. 

“I left there when I was 68, I think, and for 10 years have been doing a couple days out at the saleyards,” he said. 

Mr Walter said his involvement with all his community activities allowed him to do what he enjoyed most – meeting new people and creating friendships. 

DUSTIN Cross has been named Horsham Rural City Council’s Young Citizen of the Year for 2017. 

He will receive the award at Horsham’s Australia Day ceremony next week. 

Mr Cross has had a busy two years in 2016 and 2017 and he said it was a great honour to be named the award recipient. 

“I feel humbled to be the recipient and to be viewed in the community as a leading young citizen,” Mr Cross said. 

“It’s also a bit of recognition for the volunteer work I have done in the past few years. As a volunteer, you never ask for the pat on the back or for recognition (so) to be recognised for what I have done is a good feeling.” 

Mr Cross finished his certificate four in agriculture at the beginning of 2017 and was awarded the farm manager award at his graduation. 

He has been involved at the Noradjuha-Quantong Football and Netball Club his entire life, playing football throughout his junior years. 

He was named the youngest captain for the senior side at 19.

After finishing his certificate four in agriculture, Mr Cross enrolled at Longerenong College and began an Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management. 

“I spent three months in America and worked on a dairy farm (in Oregon),” Mr Cross said. 

Mr Cross was also named the Victorian Apprentice of the Year and the Australian Apprentice of the Year to cap off an impressive two years. 

“I have two guys who I would like to thank – Bryce and Grant Hausler. I worked on their farm, they taught me everything I know,” he said. 

THE Tri-State Games in Horsham has earned the rural city’s gong for the community event of the year. 

Event organisers will receive the award at an Australia Day ceremony in Horsham next week. 

Host co-ordinator Jenny Reid said the week-long sporting event, with a likeness to the Olympics, attracted athletes from disability organisations throughout Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

She said the event had grown in both participation and support across the past three years. 

“Community support has always been exceptional, so once again that community support was forthcoming,” she said. 

“This year we did have more athletes compete for the first time. We were able to capture six new teams. This means the word is out there and spreading.” 

Mrs Reid said the event gave athletes a chance to catch up with friends and showcase their talents.

She said the support from the community had helped the event evolve.

“We are so dependent on the volunteers because we ask for no money from the government. There was never any questions asked, the support from the community was outstanding,” she said. 

“It was the same faces we saw again this year, which we saw last year and the year before.” 

Mrs Reid said it was a great honour to receive the award from the council. 

“Certainly, every volunteer from the Tri-State Games will tell you about a special moment for whatever their role was,” she said. 

“They all had special take homes from interacting with the athletes to participating as a field judge.” 

Horsham Mayor Pam Clarke said the 2017 event was the biggest Tri-State Games in Horsham to date. 

“It would not have been possible without the support of the many community volunteers that helped out,” Cr Clarke said.

“This was the third year Horsham hosted the Tri-State Games and we congratulate all involved in delivering this outstanding event.”