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PETER Burke’s 40 years’ dedication to athletics, both on and off the track, has been recognised with his naming as Wyndham City’s 2013 Citizen of the Year.
The award, which is Wyndham’s highest individual honour, recognises a resident whose achievements have had a significant influence on the community. It was presented at the Wyndham Community Volunteer Awards at the Wyndham City Civic Centre in Werribee on June 28.
Mr Burke was nominated for his tireless commitment to athletics in Wyndham and across the western suburbs in both administration and coaching roles, and his work in developing athletes and the sport of athletics.
The 72-year-old Werribee resident said he was humbled to receive such a prestigious honour.
“I’m still shocked and overwhelmed, to be honest,” Mr Burke said.
“My father was an athletics coach at Essendon and I started running at the age of about 13 or 14 and I’ve been involved in the sport ever since – it’s in my blood.”
During the 1950s, Mr Burke was a member of the Essendon Amateur Athletic Club, where he competing in running, walking and triple jump events. In 1972, he joined the committee of the Werribee Amateur Athletic Club and over the next 40 years served a variety of roles, including executive officer, secretary and president, while continuing to coach.
“Volunteering is an integral part of Australian society and when you’re a volunteer you get back so much more than you put in. Without volunteers lending their time to sporting clubs, charities and organisations, our country wouldn’t function.”
Wyndham mayor Heather Marcus said Mr Burke was a deserving citizen of the year.
“Although he’s now aged in his seventies, Peter continues to volunteer his time to coach more than 50 athletes and is a mentor to many other athletes, coaches and past athletes,” Cr Marcus said.
“Peter was instrumental in the formation of Western Athletics, which is now one of Victoria’s largest athletics clubs. He has helped hundreds of athletes of all ages to realise their talents on the track, but also develop their leadership skills and give back to the sport and the community.”
“I would like to congratulate Peter on this fantastic honour and thank him for his invaluable contribution to our city.”
The citizen of the year was selected from the six category winners for this year’s awards. They were presented with their trophies at last Friday night’s ceremony. Mr Burke won the Sports and Recreation Award.
The other five category winners were:
Community Engagement Award – Kathryn Saunders
A past president and current treasurer of Little Buddies Toy Library – the only community-run toy library in Australia. Ms Saunders increased membership of the library and use throughout the wider community and oversaw its relocation to the Wyndham Vale Community Learning Centre. A second branch was established at Point Cook. She has raised three children while holding a full-time job.
Community Health and Wellbeing Award – Christine Williams
Confined to a wheelchair after contracting polio as a child, Ms Williams has dedicated her life to raising awareness of disability issues. She is vice-president of the National Ethnic Disability Alliance, a member of Disability Connection Victoria, and plays a major role in the annual Salvation Army Red Cross appeal. She is also one of the founders of the Wyndham Disability Action Group (WYNDAG).
Culture, Arts and Tourism Award – Barry Hopkins
For more than 12 years, Barry Hopkins has been a tireless contributor to the promotion of Wyndham Cultural Centre. Despite battling illness over the years, Mr Hopkins has never failed in his commitment to support and be an ambassador for the Wyndham Cultural Centre.
Environment and Sustainability Award – John Forrester
Mr Forrester is the chair of Litter Watch, which was established to tackle the issue of litter within Wyndham. One of its major activities is working with schools around Wyndham on an education and river monitoring program.
Young Volunteer of the Year category winner – Korban Flowers
Mr Flowers is a dedicated volunteer at Saffron Kitchen – a community enterprise aimed at providing employment pathways to newly arrived residents in Wyndham. The 17-year-old student prepares a large number of meals, carries out accounting and cleaning duties and is an invaluable member of the team, given the language barriers many other volunteers face.
