Altona North’s Geoff Mitchelmore has been named Hobsons Bay’s Australia Day citizen of the year for his contribution to arts and culture, community services and the local environment over 50 years.
Mayor Colleen Gates said Mr Mitchelmore was “a truly worthy recipient and true champion of our community”.
“He’s been involved with the Altona City Theatre for 20 years and served as a member of the Altona North High School council for 13 years … he has been the driving force behind Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek and in more recent years an active member of the Brooklyn Residents Action Group,” she said.
Mr Mitchelmore cited the opening of the Altona theatre as one of his proudest moments.
“It was eight years of my life that I spent just chasing [the former Altona] council to get that theatre there and that was terrific,” he said.
Another highlight was being involved in building a replica of the schooner
Enterprize, the ship that carried the first European settlers to Melbourne in 1835.
“I sailed it for another five years and one of the greatest moments was when we took it across Bass Strait,” he said.
The Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek president said the birth of his environmental group and seeing the Barnes Road Bridge built were two more of his proudest moments.
“To see that weed-infested hell hole, that I wouldn’t allow my kids to go anywhere near, change into a corridor of green was just an amazing transformation,” he said.
The young citizen of the year award has gone to Hue Man Dang, 17, a Bayside College student, who was described as devoting herself to “selflessly bettering our community”.
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