2023 Loddon Shire Australia Day awards
Published on 27 January 2023
An Inglewood local who has a deep love for his town and district, and a young person with a long history contributing to, and leading his community, have been recognised with 2023 Loddon Shire Australia Day awards.
This year’s Citizen of the Year has been awarded to Inglewood’s Howard Rochester, with Jake Murphy from Wedderburn receiving the Young Citizen of the Year award.
The dedication of local community members has also been recognised through the Community Service Awards, as well as the Community Event of the Year.
Loddon Shire Australia Day 2023 Awardees
Citizen of the Year: Howard Rochester (Inglewood)
Young Citizen of the Year: Jake Murphy (Wedderburn)
Community Service Awards (by Ward):
- Boort: Murray and Cheryl Chalmers
- Inglewood: Don Wilson
- Tarnagulla: Susan Horsley
- Terrick: Robyn Spowart
- Wedderburn: Ian Hall
Community Event of the Year: 8th National Tractor Trek (Wedderburn)
Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub congratulated all the award winners.
“This year has again seen an amazing group of Australia Day award winners, and I’d like to thank everyone who put forward nominees for this year’s Australia Day awards,” Cr Straub said.
“I’d also like to congratulate Howard on his Citizen of the Year Award and Jake on his Young Citizen of the Year award.
“Both Howard and Jake have contributed enormously to their communities and are very worthy award recipients,” Cr Straub said.
Australia Day 2023 in Loddon Shire saw communities from across the region come together to celebrate the country.
Celebrations took place at Boort, Bridgewater, Eddington, Inglewood, Jarklin, Newbridge, Pyramid Hill, Tarnagulla and Wedderburn.
Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year – Awardee Biographies
Citizen of the Year: Howard Rochester (Inglewood)
Howard has always worked hard for his community and his love for Inglewood is well-known to many.
His love for the area is shown in his role in helping promote Inglewood and Districts – including as a member of the Inglewood Development and Tourism Committee for over 36 years.
He was also on the Shire of Korong Tourism Committee for more than 10 years and the Kingower Development and Tourism Committee for 10 years.
Howard helped in further promoting the area as the Inglewood radio correspondent for ABC Central Victoria for 15 years.
Howard is always available to show groups around Inglewood and district, having a wealthy knowledge of the town and bush, including Aboriginal and goldfield sites.
He is a current member of the Inglewood historical re-enactment group since 2003, and a foundation member of the Inglewood and District Historical Society of which he is also a life member. Howard’s time as part of the Inglewood and District Historical Society includes four years as a secretary and 19 years as president.
Howard has produced several books on Inglewood history, family history and military history – all of which are still very relevant today.
He has spoken to dozens of schools on the history of the district’s Aboriginal land and the settlers of the gold rush.
Howard has volunteered on numerous other committees over the years – including Back to Inglewood for multiple years, Loddon Shire Anzac Centenary Organising Committee for five years, and was a foundation member of the Inglewood Apex Club.
He was also a volunteer community bus driver for 12 years for the Inglewood Community Hub and neighbourhood house. This was a regular bus route to Bendigo Hospital, special needs schools and many more. Howard would also wait in Bendigo for the return trips home. Additionally, he was a volunteer bus driver for BUPA for five years.
Howard was a CFA member for 18 years and was awarded Inglewood Citizen of the Year in 2000 as part of the Back to Inglewood celebrations.
He has a long history of contribution to local sport in the district, including with the Inglewood Football Netball Club since 1959. This was firstly as a junior and a reserves player, but you were more likely to see Howard volunteering behind the bar or on the barbeque.
He was also a long-term committee man, including four terms as club secretary and for many years was a team manager, a club chef, and spent a couple of years on the gate.
However, Howard’s main contribution is as senior time keeper for 16 years and continuing.
A life member of the football club, Howard was also the bus driver for away games, picking up players who couldn’t get to a game and others who just wanted a return trip to enjoy the day.
To this day, Howard’s house gets many knocks at his door from strangers who have been pointed in his direction for his knowledge of the area. He is the go-to-man of Inglewood for his local knowledge and will drop everything to help people out.
Young Citizen of the Year: Jake Murphy (Wedderburn)
Jake is a young man who has always stood out as exceptional in all aspects of his life. It seems hard to believe when listing his accomplishments that he has achieved all of them in his young lifetime.
With a humble confidence and the natural ability to engage in conversation with all ages, Jake is involved in many community events. Be it as an entertainer, a volunteer, a musician, an employee, a sportsman, a singer, an organist, a bugler, a lobbyist, an academic, a photographer, a journalist, a debater, a junior politician, and a charismatic conversationalist.
Jake is admired by young and old in his community as a fabulous volunteer with a buoyant and jovial personality, and the gift of speech. His remarkable rapport with diverse age groups and cultural groups comes so easily and naturally to Jake.
His easy, caring nature and his breadth of knowledge means he will be supporting a young person to feel comfortable in a setting one minute, talking politics with adults the next, and then conducting a brass band made up of musicians five times his age.
Jake aspires to enter Federal politics after studying law at university. He went to Youth Parliament and was instrumental in the construction and delivery of a bill (which was subsequently passed) giving voice to young Victorians on a broad range of issues – an extraordinary achievement.
Jake is already in possession of the qualities that will make him an outstanding politician: organised, intellectual, passionate, empathetic, socially aware, an excellent orator, problem solver, great listener, resilient, confident, dedicated and disciplined.
As a youngster, Jake developed an interest in the playing of brass instruments, with a particular passion for the trumpet. At around age 10, Jake started playing the Last Post for school Anzac Day services. For the past few years, he has taken on the role as the official bugler on Anzac Day for the dawn and 11am services in Wedderburn, as well as the early morning service in Korong Vale.
Jake is a board member of the Wedderburn Community House and was President of Wedderburn College Student Representative Council (SRC) in 2022, and was an elected member of the SRC in preceding years. He was also student representative of the Wedderburn School Council in 2021 and 2022.
Jake would also routinely assist with the setting up and packing up of the PA system for school assemblies, debutante ball, school productions, athletics, and swimming sports. He would perform at assemblies and often conducted the assemblies. He also sets up the PA system for the Anzac Day services.
In addition to being a very successful public speaker at school, Jake was a regular and very popular entertainer and performer in school productions. He reliably attended all rehearsals and was extremely encouraging and supportive of peers, nurturing confidence in others.
He also encouraged others to participate in music by teaching younger students how to play during his own time – such as school lunchtimes.
Since he was 11, Jake has been a member of the Maryborough City Brass Band. He still attends band practice fortnightly in Maryborough and plays at all the band’s events, including local events such as Carols by Candlelight.
He regularly plays the foot-pedaled organ at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Wedderburn on Sunday services – despite not being a member. Jake has also composed some processional music for the church’s priest and supported local musicians during services.
He is the recipient of many school and community awards, and academic distinctions. This includes winner of the Infinity Award – La Trobe University Award for academic achievements, personal excellence and commitment to social and environmental responsibility in 2021.
In addition to his extensive community service, Jake has three paid jobs, and over the years has participated in all school sporting activities. While Jake’s passion is not sport, he is a wonderful role model – participating in everything offered and giving everything his very best effort. He invests his energy into all he does and never gives up.
Jake’s love for his family and support to his parents was shown when his mother donated her kidney to Jake’s father. While his parents eventually made wonderful recoveries, the experiences shaped Jake’s value of like, his love for his family and developed his deep understanding of empathy, which has transpired into a compassionate view of the wider world.
Jake’s resilience is extraordinary and his talents, enthusiasm and contribution to the community at local and state level illustrate why Jake stands out as an astonishing young man. Jake is truly making a positive difference to the lives of many.