Australia Day Awards 2019
Last modified on 26 January 2019
The Willoughby Citizen of the Year Award has been presented to Anne Iuliano for her outstanding contribution to the Willoughby community.
Anne Iuliano is the president of the Willoughby Ministers Association and the first female to hold this role. She has been one of the senior pastors at LifeSource Church in Chatswood for 23 years, providing pastoral care and support to thousands of people dealing with crises, deaths or major health issues. Passionate about the development of female leaders, Anne has established effective programs and mentors a group of about 15 women leaders in our community annually.
Anne’s significant achievements include establishing the LifeSource building as a Red Cross Evacuation Centre in case of an emergency and launching Chaplaincy Australia in 1998 which trains and provides chaplains for disasters, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and gaols.
The 2019 Cultural and Community Building Award was presented to David and Jann Hulme. For the past 32 years, David has volunteered at events and has been part of local groups including the Castle Cove Public School P&C, Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and Choir and 1st East Roseville Scouts. He is currently the treasurer of the Castle Cove Progress Association. Jann has volunteered with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and Choir for almost 25 years and serves on Willoughby City Council’s Companion Animal Committee.
The 2019 Young Citizen of the Year is Sophia Skarparis who, as a Year 10 student, collected 12,000 handwritten signatures to campaign for a ban on plastic bags, which was debated in the NSW Parliament. She was named the 2018 Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year.
The awards recognise community members who live and/or work in Willoughby, and contribute significantly to the betterment of the community.
“Congratulations to all our 2019 award winners for their incredible contribution to the Willoughby community,” Willoughby Mayor, Gail Giles-Gidney said. “Their strong involvement and commitment to the betterment of the community is inspirational and gives us role models to aspire to,” she said.
The awards were presented at Willoughby Council’s Australia Day celebrations at The Concourse, Chatswood, which included a citizenship ceremony and address by Australia Day Ambassador, Dale Cleaver, CEO of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.