Mooroopna Australia Day honours awarded

By Anna McGuinness

Jan 26, 2022

Let’s celebrate: Shepparton’s Sydney Harrison and Mooroopna’s Maddison Stanley getting involved in the celebrations. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

From cooking snags on the barbecue to walking on stage to accept a Citizen of the Year award, Mooroopna’s Peter Kelton was “pleasantly shocked” to be recognised on Australia Day.

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Mooroopna Kiwanis’ Murray Shields was the master of ceremonies for the town’s Australia Day event on a hot morning at Ferrari Park, with a chorus of cicadas providing the backing track to proceedings.

Grant Hicks got everyone in the spirit of the day, performing I Am Australian, Home Among The Gum Trees and Advance Australia Fair.

Recognition: Peter Kelton was named Mooroopna Citizen of the Year 2022. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

There was only the one award presented, to a “committed family and community man” who moved to Mooroopna in 2004.

Mr Kelton joined Mooroopna Rotary Club in 2006 and since then has served as club president, secretary and bulletin editor and has been the event co-ordinator for the annual New Year’s Eve Carnival from 2013.

He has volunteered for the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project and is a regular face at Mooroopna Football Netball Club, having held various roles across the club.

Flying high: Mooroopna Guides member River Sloper raises the flag. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

“This is a great town and the people make it — I love this community,” Mr Kelton said.

“It often gets a bad wrap — but doesn’t deserve it in my view.”

Mr Kelton said of his community involvement, “You’re either all in, or you’re not.”

Tradition: Four generations at the Australia Day celebrations at Mooroopna; Les, Justin, Glenn and Mycah Young, 6. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

“I’d like to acknowledge my family for letting me do these things,” he said.

“It is a team effort; it’s selfish to think I would give to others and not to my own family, so it’s with their consent.”

Mooroopna’s Australia Day ambassador Matthew Albert was the 2005 Young Australian of the Year and started his legal career working with the United Nations’ Refugee Agency as a legal protection officer in Kenya.

Family time: Australia Day ambassador Matthew Albert with his family Aneth, 2, Emily Forbes and Leo, 5. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

He was a founder of the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning Program and spoke about his involvement in helping South Sudanese families arriving in Australia from the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in the early 2000s.

“Those folks have now been in this country for 20 years,” he said.

“They are people who have taken every opportunity made available to them through the support of the wider community, such that they are now succeeding on an extraordinary scale.

Cool customer: Relaxing in the heat with her mum is Eliza Singleton, 6, from the 1st Mooroopna Scout Group. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

“Seven days ago there was a story on the ABC about a young man named Yong Deng — who was at Kakuma at the same time as me.

“Yong Deng came to Australia, he got educated as best he could, completed a pharmacy degree and has chosen Shepparton to come and complete his studies to become a medical doctor.

Waving the flag: Mycah Young, 6, from Mooroopna. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

“It is a tribute to him but can I suggest it is a tribute to this community and also wider Australia, because that’s what providing opportunities looks like.”