Congratulations to our 2026 Australia Day Award winners

Nancy Whittaker has worn many hats across the Mount Alexander Shire community.

She ran the Tarrangower Times for two years from 2002 to 2004; coordinated the Maldon Tourist Information Centre, coordinated the volunteer cleaning group called Mrs Mops at the Maldon Museum and Archive Association; established the group Maldon Golden Movies; hosted In Maldon Today on MainFM; was secretary of the Maldon Petanque Club and Sociable Petanque; ran a public lecture series called Maldon Focus; and joined the Maldon Court House Committee.

Nancy has been an art teacher across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Great Britain and Canada. She has worked as a commercial artist, has lectured at the University of Melbourne, has worked as an Arts Policy Officer and has provided education professional development.

Nancy expects and delivers the highest standard from herself in whatever activity she is involved with. In turn, this encourages excellence in others.

She demonstrates great flair and understanding in her work for the arts and artists.

Nancy is always approachable, encouraging and genial which encourages great team spirit amongst her fellow volunteers in every area.

Harper has made extensive contributions to Castlemaine and the Mount Alexander Shire community through active volunteering and leadership roles across multiple organisations, groups and committees.

Harper is committed to local emergency services. They attend SES training and respond to callouts, participate in CFA training and equipment checks, and are working towards their General Firefighter accreditation.

Harper supports local youth engagement and events with Amplify Committee, the Young Makers Market Committee, Mount Alexnader Shire Youth Advisory Group, and was an active member of the Over the Rainbow Committee.

They volunteered with the Mount Alexander Falcons Auskick program, mentoring young members.

They are also a dedicated advocate for children in care, serving as a Young Advisor for the Ministerial Youth Advisory Group and presented at the national Voices In Action conference in 2024.

They have played an active role in many areas across the shire, they:

• supported the development the Mount Alexander Shire Youth Plan, a four-year strategic vision for positive change for young people, including shaping the survey and helping facilitate a youth forum at the local high school.
• hosted a youth-focused radio show on MainFM called Messin with Mics
• were a member of Scouts, fostering leadership and community service
• work part-time at a local restaurant, demonstrating strong work ethic
• were awarded a position at the Alpine School for Student Leadership in 2022
• were named a Kwong Lee Dow Scholar through Melbourne University – a two-year leadership program for young scholars.

Harper consistently demonstrates excellence through their leadership and initiative, commitment and reliability, and community impact.

Bill has lived in Mount Alexander Shire for ten years and in that time has thrown himself into the life of the community, helping it to become a better place.

When Bill sees a problem, he also comes up with ways to solve it. Concerned about the increasing amount of graffiti in Castlemaine, he was determined to become part of the solution. Through generous donations and community grants, Bill purchased a trailer outfitted with cleaning gear and established The Graffiti Busters. As well as the satisfaction of helping the town look more attractive and cared for, the group is constantly heartened by the feedback of local businesses, Council and the police.

Bill has been an active member of Rural Australians for Refugees since its inception in 2001. His belief in the health, education and wellbeing of all residents within the shire (and beyond) is strong. As well as contributing to fundraising efforts to support residents with a refugee background, Bill steps up with particular cases. In 2018 Bill (and his wife) provided accommodation for a Tamil refugee family from Malaysia, who lived in Castlemaine for six months. Despite efforts to the contrary, a visa enabling them to stay in Australia was rejected, but the family felt welcomed and supported during their time in our shire.

 Bill is committed to increasing community understanding of the issues around asylum seekers and refugees, and as such has organised speakers of outstanding calibre to speak at local events in the annual Refugee Week calendar of events, and significantly spearheaded an online Covid campaign in 2020 which raised over $35,000 for the Refugee Council of Australia's project Operation #NotForgotten. This was all due to Bill's initiative, energy and organisational skills.

When Bill says he will do something, he does! He is meticulous in planning and is conscientious in considering all aspects of an issue when problem solving. He collaborates well with others and recognises the value of team efforts. Therefore. the results of these efforts are positive ones.

The drop in graffiti shows this impact, but his quieter work supporting vulnerable people, though harder to measure, is just as important and highlights his excellence.

The Fringe Thing Inc. is the organisation that produces the biennial Castlemaine Fringe Festival.

Fringe encourages alternative and local musical and performing and visual arts in the Central Victorian Region. It provides community access to a diverse range of cultural and artistic experiences.

It promotes opportunities for musicians, performers and artists to perform or exhibit. This enhances the health, welfare and wellbeing of our community through engagement in cultural and artistic experiences.

The Castlemaine Fringe Festival has significantly enriched the region by expanding access to diverse, innovative arts experiences and elevating local creative talent. It has strengthened community pride through inclusive programming, supported emerging artists with open-access opportunities and fostered partnerships.

Its commitment to sustainability, cultural diversity and First Nations representation has enhanced social wellbeing and cultural connection. The festival has become a part of Castlemaine’s rich heritage, an event that inspires creativity and strengthens the region’s cultural identity.

The festival exemplifies excellence by enriching community life and elevating regional arts practice to a national standard.

The Fringe Thing Inc. demonstrates excellence in all its offerings and processes, primarily through the open-access programming that champions artistic experimentation and inclusivity.