Ballarat 2024 Australia Day Community Awards winners announced

Ballarat horticulturist and nurseryman, Kevin Moneghetti was named Ballarat Citizen of the Year for 2024 at the City of Ballarat Australia Day Community Awards on Thursday night.  
 
The Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year were also announced at the private ceremony at Ballarat Town Hall.  
 

Citizen of the Year – Kevin Moneghetti 

Kevin Moneghetti is a renowned horticulturist and nurseryman who has a long association with the City of Ballarat and its various communities. Kevin grows and maintains many of the plants that are used in Christmas decorations along Sturt Street, which are greatly enjoyed by visitors and locals alike during the busy festive season.  Kevin is an active member and judge for many local gardening groups and is a great local supporter of the Ballarat Floral Art Group.  

Over many years, Kevin has been a strong supporter of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show by growing and transporting the plants and flowers used by florists in their displays, in addition to involvement in both arranging and judging various displays. He is also a major supplier of begonias for the ever-popular annual Begonia Festival, which supports tourism within the city and attracts so many visitors from all over the state and beyond.  

 
Young Citizen of the Year – Jacob Osenaris 

Jacob Osenaris is a Youth Ambassador for Ballarat, and is passionate about social justice and fighting for the things he believes in. He has organised a number of projects within the community for youth mental health and bullying, and domestic violence awareness, and is part of the Y Ballarat team, having won a Parliament Prize for his skills proposing, writing and debating legislative bills in the YMCA's Youth Parliament program. Jacob has worked with the Infrastructure Victoria committee and is studying to be a politician.  

Community Event of the Year – Mega Ganesh Festival 2023 

The Mega Ganesh Festival is the first of its kind in a regional city and last year attracted more than 7,000 people from a range of cultures and locations right across the state. The event was also widely covered in the media with many state and federal politicians and City of Ballarat Councillors attending and participating in Hindu rituals and wearing traditional attire. Entry to the festival was free for all to ensure everybody within the community could join the celebrations. Several schools attended interactive sessions to develop cultural understanding, and sports competitions were held for school children prior to the festival day to provide the opportunity for children to interact and understand the diverse cultures in an interactive way. The event provided a boost to Ballarat’s tourism economy and showcased how well Ballarat promotes, supports and appreciates our cultural diversity.  

Recognising our unsung heroes 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson OAM said these Awards represented an opportunity to honour unsung heroes in our community who are making a difference in the region who often went unseen.  

“I wish to congratulate Kevin Moneghetti, Jacob Osenaris and all the volunteers involved in the Mega Ganesh Festival — without their incredible contributions to Ballarat, our community would not be what it is today. Their talent and determination have immeasurably improved the quality of life and wellbeing of our community.”