The Western Australian Citizen of the Year Awards were first presented in 1973 by the Western Australia Week Council, later renamed Celebrate WA, to provide the community with an opportunity to honour the achievements and contribution of their fellow citizens.
Each year, the State's most prestigious Awards acknowledge remarkable individuals and organisations that motivate and inspire others through their vision, leadership, talent, humility and spirit of community service.
Talented and dedicated recipients of all the awards are positive role models and exemplary Western Australians who have worked tirelessly for the community in which they live. Through their achievements they have reached their goals, inspired others and promoted pride and confidence in Western Australia.
Western Australian Citizen of the Year Awards are presented annually in the following categories:
- Arts, Culture and Entertainment
- Community Service
- Industry & Commerce
- Indigenous Leadership Award
- Gold Swan
- Governor's Award for Regional Development
- Professions
- Sport
- Youth Arts
- Youth
- Burswood Youth Scholarship (previous to 2011 known as Bendat Family Foundation Perpetual Youth Scholarship)
- Wesfarmers Indigenous Youth Scholarship
- Sir Ronald Wilson Leadership Award
- Children and Young People Lifetime Achievement Award
- Sir Charles Court Inspiring Leadership Award
Award recipients may choose to use the post-nominal CitWA after their name.
Past recipients include: Author Tim Winton, St John Ambulance, Sir Charles Court, burns specialist Dr. Fiona Wood, The Health Department of W.A, ericaamerica designer Lucas Bowers, sporting legend Wally Foreman and classical guitarist Mili Davies.
Famous quotes containing the words western, australian, citizen, year and/or award:
“One of the oddest features of western Christianized culture is its ready acceptance of the myth of the stable family and the happy marriage. We have been taught to accept the myth not as an heroic ideal, something good, brave, and nearly impossible to fulfil, but as the very fibre of normal life. Given most families and most marriages, the belief seems admirable but foolhardy.”
—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)
“Beyond the horizon, or even the knowledge, of the cities along the coast, a great, creative impulse is at work—the only thing, after all, that gives this continent meaning and a guarantee of the future. Every Australian ought to climb up here, once in a way, and glimpse the various, manifold life of which he is a part.”
—Vance Palmer (1885–1959)
“Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn’t stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband—it creeps up insidiously ... step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realises that it is gone.”
—Baron Lane (b. 1918)
“Listen, that’s the one that done it. The dusters. They started it anyways. Blowin’ like this year after year. Blowin’ the land away. Blowin’ the crops away. Blowin’ us away now.”
—Nunnally Johnson (1897–1977)
“The award of a pure gold medal for poetry would flatter the recipient unduly: no poem ever attains such carat purity.”
—Robert Graves (1895–1985)