Dubbo’s Ian Burns says he’s surprised but excited to be in the running for a 2018 NSW Australian of the Year Award.
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The busy volunteer spends his days giving to the community and it’s not gone unnoticed.
On Wednesday he was named as a nominee for the 2018 NSW Local Hero award.
The well-known community member who is also a Senior Constable is one of four people nominated.
“I do some volunteer work, but so do a lot of other people,” Mr Burns told the Daily Liberal.
“So I’m surprised but also excited.
“I can’t stress enough how humbled I am and grateful to be recognised, but there are a lot of other people in the community who do good work.”
Whether he’s cooking a fundraising barbecue, running water to football players, mentoring at-risk youth or helping people learn to drive, Mr Burns is always giving back to his community, his award nomination says.
The long-time member and president of the Dubbo Rhinos rugby team, Mr Burns fosters an inclusive environment that brings people together.
Each Saturday he travels with the players to the game, sets up the ground, straps the players, referees the games and puts on his boots when the team is short.
When he’s not helping the Rhinos, Ian volunteers for the Uniting 120 Learner Driver Program, teaching disadvantaged young people to drive.
As a mentor with the Children and Prison program, Mr Burns is helping to reduce the rate of incarceration of Aboriginal young people.
And having lost loved ones to cancer, he’s the first to dig deep to raise money for cancer research.
A much loved and respected member of the Dubbo community, he leads by example and inspires others to give their all to others.
The award recipients will be announced on November 13 in Sydney.
Indigenous community leader Alistair Ferguson of Bourke has been nominated for the same award.
The founder and executive director of Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Bourke, Alistair Ferguson has spent the last 20 years supporting vulnerable families and empowering the local Aboriginal community.
Leading Australia’s first major justice reinvestment project, Alistair is helping to reduce offending and make the community safer without locking people up.
While national discussions regarding constitutional recognition play out, Alistair works quietly and persistently at the community level with governments, philanthropic funders, not-for-profits, corporate organisations and academic institutions to gather evidence, design community-led solutions and develop new approaches to address some of Bourke’s most difficult issues.
Alistair also negotiated the first Aboriginal language program for the NSW high school curriculum, co-established the Bourke Alcohol Working Group to address alcohol misuse, has worked with Bourke’s schools to mentor students at risk of dropping out and was a driving force behind the national adult literacy campaign, ‘Yes I Can’.
With commitment, resilience and strength of character, Alistair continues to fight for human and Indigenous rights.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
