Achievements recognised at Shepparton Australia Day awards

At the event, the awards for Shepparton and Greater Shepparton were announced, with the nominees in attendance keen to learn who would take home the top awards.

The first award of the day was the Shepparton Citizen of the Year, with Shane O’Sullivan receiving the award.

Mr O’Sullivan, a prostate cancer survivor, was described as the driving force behind Greater Shepparton’s most successful annual fundraiser, the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch, which raises awareness for men’s health.

“I’m absolutely mind-blown... I didn’t expect anything like this, I thought we might have one event of the year or something like that, but personally this is unbelievable,” he said.

Mr O’Sullivan also received the Greater Shepparton Citizen of the Year award, which he said was an unexpected surprise.

The next award was the Shepparton Senior Citizen of the Year, which went to Jeanette Doherty.

Ms Doherty was awarded for her outstanding contributions to volunteering across many aspects of sport, community and charity, helping many people across Shepparton.

“I’m rather stunned... I feel very humble that I’ve even been nominated because I do know that within our community, we have many people who are doing a lot of things to make the community better,” she said.

The Greater Shepparton Senior Citizen of the Year was awarded to Tatura’s Vince Vincitorio.

Mr Vincitorio was recognised for his multiple achievements within the Tatura community, including his work with the Italian community, his decade-long service at Tatura Fire Brigade and Tatura RSL.

He said he wasn’t expecting to take home the overall Greater Shepparton Senior Citizen of the Year award, but said he couldn’t have done it all without his wife.

Emme Cole received the Young Citizen of the Year award for Shepparton and Greater Shepparton, which left her speechless.

The 16-year-old is a standout hockey player, known for her skill, stamina and passion for the game. She has played at the highest junior levels in the state and for senior Victorian League teams.

The Senior Sports Award for Shepparton and Greater Shepparton was awarded to Myles Higgins, who is a multi-discipline cyclist.

Mr Higgins’ sport accolades are outstanding, with multiple gold medals under his belt.

In his speech, he said he would like to thank his wife for always getting him to the next race.

The Junior Sports Award for Shepparton went to badminton player Elwin Biju.

Mr Biju, alongside his father, started the Badminton Shepparton Academy, where they coach players of all ages, with 25 current students training under Mr Biju.

The final award was for the Community Event of the Year for Shepparton and Greater Shepparton, which went to Shepparton Parkrun.

Every week, runners, joggers and walkers do a lap around Victoria Park Lake, which is all made possible through organiser Chelsea Nicholson and a dedicated team of volunteers.

Ms Nicholson when accepting the award said this event couldn’t be run every weekend without the dedicated support of the volunteers.

City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali congratulated all the winners at the ceremony, and recognised all the contributions they had made to the region.

“We are lucky to have so many residents who continue to make meaningful and important changes to Shepparton,” he said.

“It is great to be able to acknowledge their achievements through the Australia Day Shepparton awards for 2025.

“A big congratulations to the five winners of the overall Greater Shepparton Citizens of the Year awards.

“These residents have each made a huge impact to our region in their own unique ways.”