Two of our prominent community members were presented with the Premier’s Australia Day Active Citizenship Award last month, in a ceremony at City of Perth’s Council House.
The awards are administered throughout Australia by Local Government Authorities on behalf of the Australia Day Council and recognize the contribution of outstanding individuals and groups have made to our community.
Ivan King was honored for his many years of service in the WA arts community including the setting up, ongoing curatorship and management of His Majesty’s Costume and History Museum.
Describing himself as a ‘fourth generation sandgroper from Midland’, Mr King said he was genuinely touched to have been awarded such an honor in his home state.
‘It is a heartwarming compliment that I value highly,’ he said.
Mr King is an active supporter of heritage and planning issues in Perth and has lived on Adelaide Terrace for many years.
‘The city is my patch, my backyard and I just love it.’
‘It infuriates me the way people confuse the city with the beautiful setting it is in and it is our job as citizens to make the city match the setting,’ said Mr King.
‘Perth must try to be more than just a King’s Park photo opportunity.’
Sean Morrison, who received the Premier’s Australia Day Active Citizenship Award for a person under the age of 25 years, is also passionate about our city and its future.
‘Perth has so much untapped potential,’ he said. ‘The urban setting of the city doesn’t match the beauty of its natural setting.’
Mr Morrison co-founded Future Perth, a collective of people who aim to provide a voice for progressive thinking in regards to planning issues.
‘We hold meetings once a month at the Urban Design Centre in Forrest Place, make submissions and meet with ministers about certain issues.’
A third-year Town Planning student at Curtin University, Mr Morrison decided to start the group after meeting like-minded people at university and in online development forums who also had strong views about the face of Perth.
‘Future Perth has been well received,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if we’re making a difference yet, but the minister made time to meet with us so we are definitely being heard.’
Attended by the Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi, Governor of WA, Dr Ken Michael and John Hyde MLA, the ceremony was held on Australia Day and both Mr Morrison and Mr King said they enjoyed it greatly.
‘There was a beautiful function after the ceremony with Chardonay and prawns- very classy,’ said Mr King. ‘I just adored it.’
Each award recipient received a certificate and a jarrah box engraved with their name and the City of Perth logo.
Photos courtesy of The City of Perth
