Ivan Wellington once came to Campbelltown from Kiama to help a family member who needed his guidance.
Thirty three years later, Uncle Ivan, as most local people know him, is still here.
But he’s not just here; Uncle Ivan is conscious of his place in an increasingly tougher world where young people need mentoring and support more than ever.
He has just been named 2021 Campbelltown Australia Day citizen of the year in recognition of his dedication in educating the community, particularly young people, about local Aboriginal culture.
Uncle Ivan was also instrumental in the creation of the Yarning Circle at Koshigaya Park and performs smoking ceremonies at events across the region on a regular basis.
He is an elder very much in demand and rarely says no, but he always has one eye on how young Aboriginal kids are getting along.
A humble man, he does what he does because he knows the important role elders must play in a community.
But still the honours have come in a regular fashion over the year, including the naming of Uncle Ivan Wellington Lounge at Campbelltown Hospital in 2013
There was a community service award from Campbelltown Council in 2015, and in 2018 he was elected by the Indigenous community to serve as the official Aboriginal elder for 12 months.
Born in 1946 in Kiama, Uncle Ivan is a living legend of Campbelltown, and the feeling is mutual.
“I Love Campbelltown, there are so many cultures here,’’ he told the South West Voice in a feature article in 2018.
Unfortunately, this year’s presentation of the six local Australia Day awards was conducted remotely online at 11am.
Young Citizen of the Year was awarded to Mount Carmel Catholic College student Jaden Legaspi.
Jaden attended the school each day during the Covid lockdown to help guide junior students .
He is also involved with ActivateFire youth ministry program, Marist youth forum, Marist Connect and Revelation team, and is a youth ministry leader.
Seventeen-year-old multiclass swimmer Kaden Smith was named Sportsperson of the Year following his success in achieving medals at numerous national competitions.
Kaden will soon attend his first Olympic trials to try and gain a position on the Australian Paralympic team.
Disability Community Contribution of the Year was awarded to Caroline Norman for her work in helping people with severe psychosocial disabilities to access the NDIS and for advocating for their rights to access services and support.
Campbelltown East Public School assistant principal Martin Wallace has been awarded Environmental Citizen of the Year for his work in implementing a range of initiatives, including creating vegetable patches, bush tucker gardens and the recent installation of 1,000 plants on school grounds as part of council’s Koalatown Certified Schools program.
Youth Solutions – Macarthur Drug and Alcohol Services Committee were the winners of the Community Group Initiative of the Year in recognition of their work to encourage young people to engage in healthy decision making, connecting them with services and encouraging them to seek help when needed.
Mayor George Brticevic congratulated the award winners for their contributions to the community.
“After a difficult and challenging year, it was wonderful to hear about some of the fantastic work being done by local residents to contribute to our community and enhance the lives of people around them,” Cr Brticevic said.
“Our selection committee had a difficult task to select the winners from a fantastic field of nominees,” he said.
“Congratulations to all our award winners and thank you for your contributions to our city.”
