Fed: Gilchrist spruiks Australian of the Year nominations

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2009
Fed: Gilchrist spruiks Australian of the Year nominations

CANBERRA, Aug 3 AAP - Australia's Ashes struggle is not the most important thing on
the mind of former test cricketing great Adam Gilchrist at the moment.

As chairman of the National Australia Day Council his first priority right now is spruiking
the Australian of the Year awards.

That's because nominations for the awards' four categories close on August 31.

Gilchrist was in Canberra on Monday spruiking for more than the 1,000 nominations already
submitted.

Some of the well-known names nominated for the 2010 awards are brain surgeon Charles
Teo, Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon,
rugby league footballer Hazem El Masri and film director Baz Luhrmann.

But the great majority of nominations are for the nation's quiet achievers.

"We see these awards as our gift to ourselves if you like, to acknowledge those people
around us who do amazing things in the community," Gilchrist said.

Pierre Johannessen, 26, from Canberra has been nominated in the Young Australian of
the Year category for developing Big Bang Ballers, a not-for-profit organisation using
basketball to tackle youth poverty and social disadvantage around the world. "I'm
completely shocked," he said of his nomination.

"I'm so awed and inspired and just humbled by the fact that somebody would nominate
me for something like this."

Johannessen, who has launched similar programs in places such as Bangladesh, Pakistan,
India and Nepal, said a nation-wide tour and program would begin next year.

The four award categories are: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian, , Young Australian
and Australia's Local Hero.

Nominations can be submitted online at www.australianoftheyear.org.au

AAP srj/rl/jfm

KEYWORD: AWARDS (PIX AVAILABLE)

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