Lexton's Judy Martin named the Pyrenees Shire's 2023 citizen of the year

Lexton resident Judy Martin is known in the community for her work on a number of books, most recently documenting the horrific December 2019 fires in the region.

But she has also spent much of her time volunteering and helping out where needed in her community.

Ms Martin dedicated her speech on January 26, to her parents who raised her and three siblings in Barkly and who created a great example of "dedicated members of so many communities".

Her speech drew on the themes of the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" and highlighted how important community involvement is.

"I am concerned about our villages," she said.

"We are losing volunteers ... they need to be replaced."

Ms Martin said her avid involvement might come from a place of being bad at saying no.

But also said her background in teaching gave her lots of experience running around and organising.

"I see the benefit of being involved in giving back to the community," she told The Courier. "If we don't, our little communities will fail."

Also in the Pyrenees Shire, Beaufort highschooler Ella Kerr was named young citizen of the year.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Landsborough Public Hall Centenary celebration took out the event of the year, and winemaker Mark Summerfield was the recipient of the leadership award.

Ms Martin said it was a win for small communities across the shire.

When she initially found out about the award before Christmas, Ms Martin said she was hesitant to accept.

She said she felt like she had been "a bit in people's faces" with the book launch and other activities.

"But obviously, it's been appreciated by the wider community, and certainly by the person who nominated me," she said.

In the end she was glad she could use the opportunity to highlight the importance of community involvement and volunteerism.

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