IT was a morning of inspiration and culture as the City of Swan celebrated local champions and welcomed 73 new citizens from 28 countries at Weeip Park on Australia Day.

The ceremony started with a special performance from the Midn Marr Dreaming dancers, who had guests out of their seats and dancing to the the sounds of the didgeridoo.

Mayor Tanya Richardson spoke about the late Whadjuk Noongar leader Weeip, whose name lives on at Weeip Park.

She acknowledged the sensitivities around the date of Australia Day and paid tribute to the “resilience and enduring culture” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

City of Swan local champions

Mechelle Turvey Community Citizen of the Year

She may be a local champion in the City of Swan, but Mechelle Turvey’s message of unity and justice has touched people all over the world. She has shown incredible strength and grace after the death of her son, Cassius, in October 2022.

With tensions seemingly poised to boilover, Mrs Turvey sought to unite the community through shared values of love and respect. Her work with WA Police is improving support for victims of crime.

She is a powerful catalyst for change and her advocacy has already earned her widespread recognition, including the titles of Midland NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year and WA Australian of the Year for 2024.

Janice O’Shea Senior Community Citizen of the Year

Janice O’Shea’s development of the first memory café in the City of Swan continues to have profound positive impacts on the community. Mrs O’Shea founded the Swan Valley Memory Café on the back of her research and collaboration with Dementia Australia.

Her drive to tailor activities and support to individuals has made a marked difference to the lives of people with dementia in our community. The Swan Valley Memory Café provides a supportive and engaging space for those with dementia, as well as their carers and relatives.

Isaac Bhalsod Young Community Citizen of the Year

At just 16 years of age, Isaac Bhalsod has shown remarkable courage in the face of tragedy to advocate for life-saving change. Isaac’s father, Ashwin, died in 2022 after trying to save his two sons from the surf at Yallingup Beach.

There was a defibrillator at the beach, but it took emergency services seven minutes to provide the lockbox pin code. Isaac spoke out in the wake of his father’s death, putting pressure on WA authorities to improve defibrillator procedures. An investigation led to an overhaul of the procedures, with the generic lockbox pin code shared between WA emergency agencies.

Swan Family and Domestic Violence Network Active Citizenship

The Swan Family and Domestic Violence Network is a grassroots collective of organisations passionate about supporting survivors and breaking the cycle of abuse.

After the inaugural Midland March that Matters in 2013, a range of not-for-profit organisations decided to work together to increase the spread of their awareness and educational activities.