Armidale Regional Council honours leading citizens in Australia Day ceremony

Jack Rapley, an Armidale resident since 1997, was awarded Citizen of the Year for 2024. Jack has had a strong impact on the local community being a member of the Armidale Lions Club for more than 20 years, helping at every function and raising money for the community and community members in need.

Jack has been the regional coordinator for the Census four times and assists the community with employment opportunities and support through the process. Jack has also worked tirelessly as part of the Transport Museum committee to get the facility up and running.

Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland said Jack was a great example of a model citizen who worked tirelessly for the region and is incredibly deserving of the Citizen of the Year award.

"We want to honour these amazing people, who have been on a long journey to help our community," said Mayor Coupland. "Those people who have set out to make this world a better place through their generosity, expertise, sheer grit and tenacious spirit.

"As a Council we cheer on these citizens, celebrating their efforts and success, honouring them in public at Australia Day. This year we have several outstanding and well-known citizens who have been recognised in the Citizen of the Year awards and we are very proud of each of them for their amazing efforts on behalf of our community."

The Australia Day event also included a Citizenship Ceremony, celebrating 64 adults and children -from countries like Iraq, Brazil, Nauru and Kenya - who received their Australian citizenship. This included many from Armidale's Ezidi community.

Tiago Alves Correa Carvalho Da Silva, a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at UNE, earned a bachelor of Agronomic engineering from the University of Sao Paulo and has been living in Australia for around 12 years.

"I feel very honoured to receive the citizenship of Australia today. I have loved living here for the time I have been here and have been lucky to work in some amazing places with some amazing people all of who have been so warm and welcoming."

Tiago moved to Armidale in 2019 after working at Queensland DPI.

"I love the work I am doing here; I am so grateful for everything Australia has offered to me."

Salim Qaro was on hand to introduce and invite individuals from Armidale's Ezidi community onto the stage to receive their citizenship.

"On behalf of my community, the Ezidi community, I would like to thank the Australian people and the Australian government for allowing us to travel here to be in a safe space.

"Today is a very important day for us, and we are very, very proud to be a part of the Armidale community, some of us have been here for a few years, some of us have been here for a few months but others only a few weeks," Mr Quaro said.

Members of The Armidale and Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place (ACCKP) provided a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony as well as Indigenous dancers and a didgeridoo performance. Other cultural groups also performed.

Mayor Sam Coupland was joined at the Australia Day ceremony by Armidale's Australia Day Ambassador for 2024 - humanitarian and internationally known best-selling author Michael Crossland