Dorset Australia Day Awards
Each year as part of our Australia Day celebrations, Dorset Council recognises the achievements of community members by presenting Dorset Australia Day Awards.
2025 Dorset Australia Day Awards
On Thursday, 23 January 2025, Council held their annual awards reception to celebrate those within our community who have made a significant contribution to Dorset at the Mechanics Hall, Scottsdale.
A 100+ strong crowd attended the Dorset Awards Ceremony and listened to why Dorset is great - our fantastic community members and volunteers. The Ceremony, facilitated by Rachel Williams, saw Australia Day Ambassador Rosie Martin address those present and impart on them her background and why she is passionate about speech pathology and strong communication. The Ambassador then assisted the General Manager present the following awards.
Congratulations to all award recipients and thank you for your contribution to Dorset - hearing everyone’s achievements from their nominations at the Ceremony cemented why Dorset is so great - all of you!
2025 Citizen of the Year | Karen Rainbow
Karen is a quiet achiever who never wants recognition for anything and even hesitated about accepting this nomination! Karen made it very clear on accepting it that what she does is also assisted by others and is always a team effort, not a solo one, and if it wasn’t for the support crew around her she couldn’t do what she does without them – family, friends, community members…the lot! Karen does things not because she has been asked or because she belongs to an organisation, but because she is a kindhearted person.
Karen is the founder of Red Dirt Café which is a food and friendship group where the entire Dorset Community are invited to go once a week and have a free meal and a social catchup. For quite some time, Karen has had a vision of being able to have a safe place for people to go, socialise and have a meal without having the worry of cooking for it or having to pay, and with the initial assistance from very generous community groups and residents of Dorset, Karen was able to see her dream become reality, and 18 months on it is going stronger than ever! Karen is known to commonly say “Come say hi. No judgement” and true to her words everyone is made feel welcome and goes home with full tummies.
Karen has a very long list of committees to her name that she has volunteered for and been involved with over the years, and in 2021 Karen was recognised being the recipient of the Dorset Australia Day Volunteer of the Year Award.
As mentioned by the nominee “Karen Rainbow has a special soul. She treats people equitably and compassionately. She puts others needs as top priority. She connects people, helps anyone in need and truly cares”. A referee said, “Her dedication towards helping the vulnerable and public through various organisations over a stretch of her lifetime in Dorset, has been inspirational but Karen must be accredited for her latest project the Red Dirt Café” and “In addition to her volunteer work, Karen has also demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. She has the unique ability to bring people together and inspire others to take action. Her vision for a better community motivates those around her and encourages collaboration among residents, local businesses, and organisations."
2025 Young Citizen of the Year | Tori Hall
The selection criteria for the Dorset Young Citizen of the Year include having positive and inspiring personal attributes showing qualities such as versatility, flexibility and perseverance in service to the community, and for personal effort and initiative to have made a significant difference to the quality of life of the community.
Tori shows outstanding leadership skills as a young citizen in our community and is actively involved in Dorset with various sports, employment, and through her school network to which she has recently completed year 10 at Scottsdale High School.
If there is someone that needs help, or a volunteer role that needs filling, you can count on Tori to put her hand up to assist and whatever it is she is tackling, you know it will be done with pride and a smile from ear to ear!
While attending Scottsdale High School from year 7 to 10, Tori contributed in a positive way to the schools culture. During Tori’s time at High School, she was an outstanding role model to her peers and those that she crossed paths with on the many journeys she had. Included in those journeys was the success Tori had with being one of the winners of the Frank MacDonald memorial prize where 6 students from across Tasmania were recipients of the award after writing an essay and attending a formal interview. This was a once in a lifetime experience for Tori as she travelled overseas as part of her prize to the Western Front in Belgium and France.
As mentioned by the nominee “One of Tori’s key attributes is her ability to relate to people of all ages and gain their admiration and that has certainly been a quality that has endured her to our club”. A referee said “I have always found Tori to be dedicated, hardworking, trustworthy, and polite individual. She is helpful to her peers and the school teaching staff”.
2025 Volunteer of the Year | Mary Brown and Elizabeth Somerville
This year, Dorset awarded joint Volunteer of the Year recipients:
Mary Brown
Mary is a valued member of the Dorset community and especially the Legerwood Catering Group where she is a volunteer and spends countless hours cooking, selling raffle tickets and doing anything else that is asked of her.
Mary is always willing to lend a helping hand and in addition to her volunteering for the Legerwood Catering Group, she is one of the first to put her hand up when there is a local raffle and organisers are in need of someone to sit up the street and sell tickets. If ever Mary hears of someone in need of cooking, gardening, shopping, she is always there to volunteer her time and help out - this is a reflection of Mary and her selflessness.
As mentioned by a referee, “Mary is a very kind lady and is always there at any time to help others” and “Mary needs to be recognised for everything she does, not just for the Legerwood Catering Group but for the Community because she does everything with compassion and puts the community first”.
Elizabeth Somerville
Elizabeth has been involved with the Scottsdale Military Museum since its inception and was appointed to the management committee when it was opened in 2015. From 2015 until recently, Elizabeth held the position of Treasurer. Elizabeth has spent many hours assisting the Sub Branch Museum Committee to get finance approvals, the museum being built, organising the display items and sourcing new exhibits. Elizabeth is still very involved, coordinating the volunteers and overseeing the day to day running of the museum are just some of the tasks she still volunteers her time for.
As mentioned by the nominee “The Scottsdale RSL Sub Branch and the veteran community along with the many Dorset veteran family members owe Elizabeth our enduring thanks for her many tireless volunteer hours she has contributed for over the past ten years in this role“.
2025 Certificate of Appreciation
All nominees for Australia Day Awards are considered for a Certificate of Appreciation. Certificates of Appreciation celebrate the rich diversity of our vibrant community. They are awarded to recognise individuals and groups who continuously strive to make our community a better place for those who live, work and visit our special part of the world.
Kellie Jackson
Kellie moved to Ringarooma from Melbourne 4 years ago with her family and opened a coffee shop and store in Ringarooma called “Tulip and Oak” which is now a well-known business in Dorset. Prior to Tulip and Oak opening in Ringarooma, it was mentioned by a resident that it was nearly a ghost town and this has brought life back in to the town and involves the community more.
In the small amount of time that Kellie has lived in Ringarooma, she has earnt the respect of the town always looking for ways she can help improve it and get the community involved. Kellie always has a project on the go or is thinking of what she is going to do next, never sitting still for long and always with the heart of her community in mind.
Kellie is a country music loving, straight talking woman with a passion for hospitality and a new found love…the town of Ringarooma and the people in it! Kellie has plans to stay put in Ringarooma and feels totally at home in her new community.
As mentioned by the nominee “Kellie is passionate about our local community and goes above and beyond to help our elderly and disabled customers” and “She really is an asset to our town”. A referee said “Kell is always positive, always thinking what she can do for the people in Ringarooma, Legerwood, and the general Dorset area. Kellie Jackson brings a high degree of value, in business, social and wellbeing to Ringarooma and the North East Tassie”
2025 Dorset Sports Award
Unfortunately, there were no nominations for this award in 2025.
This award is for recognition of a noteworthy record or achievement in a sporting field or recognition of a significant contribution to sport as a coach, official, administrator or volunteer. There is some major talent in Dorset in the sporting field so lets make sure these worthy sports people are given the praise they deserve next year and that you get those nominations in when they open later in the year.
2025 Community Event of the Year
Unfortunately, there were no nominations for this award in 2025.
If you hear about or attended an outstanding event or are part of an organising committee of an event held in Dorset, please ensure you nominate them so they receive the recognition they deserve.