Lachlan Shire Council’s strong sense of community was on full display on Monday 26 January, as locals gathered in Lake Cargelligo to celebrate the people and groups who quietly make a difference every day.

The Lachlan Shire Local Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony began with an early-morning breakfast hosted by the Lake Cargelligo Rotary Club at the War Memorial Hall, drawing a strong turnout of nominees, families and community members.

Mayor John Medcalf OAM officially welcomed guests to the ceremony, acknowledging honoured attendees before Cr Judith Bartholomew delivered the Welcome to Country.

This year’s nominated Australia Day Ambassador, Eren Incekara, was present to speak at the ceremony and present the awards.

Mr Incekara has achieved his lifelong dream of piloting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Qantas and, since 2021, has volunteered with Little Wings.

Through the charity, he helps provide free, safe air transport for seriously ill children and their families from rural and regional New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT.

In his opening address, Mayor Medcalf thanked those in attendance and congratulated all nominees, emphasising that every individual recognised had already made a meaningful contribution to the community.

Lachlan Shire Council is home to many people who, each and every day, inspire and motivate those in the further community - many of these were recognised at their Australia Day ceremony.

“No matter what the outcome may have been, each nominee’s contribution to the community has not gone unnoticed,” Mayor Medcalf said, adding that everyone nominated was a winner.

The 2026 Lachlan Shire Council Australia Day Awards were then presented.

• Citizen of the Year was awarded to Lyn Lancaster, with Michael Malouf also nominated.

• Both Ms Lancaster and Mr Malouf were additionally nominated for the Community Service Award.

• Young Citizen of the Year was awarded to Ashton Harris, with fellow nominee Quade Peterson recognised in another category.

• The Award for Community Service was presented to the Deadmans Point Volunteer Group, accepted on behalf of the group by member John Orr.

• Sportsperson of the Year was awarded to Quade Peterson, with Ashton Harris and the Lake Cargelligo Tigers Senior Australian Rules Football Team also nominated.

• Event of the Year went to Tottenham Horse Sports and Gymkhana.

Other nominees in this category included the Santa Pub Crawl Condobolin, Tottenham Trevor’s Trivia Night – Brainwash, and Condobolin Rugby Union Ladies Day.

Lachlan Shire Council congratulated all nominees and thanked those who took the time to nominate individuals and groups across the various categories, noting that community participation and effort are what make the annual awards ceremony such a meaningful event.