Karratha’s Robert Graham named 2023 Citizen of the Year at annual Australia Day ceremony

Karratha’s local heroes have been honoured during the annual 2022 City of Karratha Australia Day Awards. The winners were selected from 15 nominations and celebrated in a community ceremony hosted by the City of Karratha. The big prize went to active community member Robert Graham, who was recently deployed with the DFES to assist during severe weather events in NSW. Mr Graham also logged more than 4200 hours of volunteer service with the Karratha SES. A coach of AusKick and volunteer for the Port Walcott and Dampier Surf Life Saving Club, Mr Graham was a well-deserving recipient after 13 years of service to his community. Brenton Johannsen took home the Active Citizenship Aware for being a well-known advocate for community well-being. Mr Johannsen offers free lifts to those in needs, holds free sport sessions for the Roebourne community and removes weeds in public areas. He also runs an annual suicide prevent campaign from November to December. The Young Citizen of the Year award went to Emer O’Brien, a Cultural Captain at St. Luke’s and an active volunteer. Ms O’Brien is a Youth Ambassador, volunteering at Dampier Primary School and has been a member of the City of Karratha Youth Advisory Group for the past three years. The teenager has also established a soft plastics recycling program at her school, hoping to raise awareness across the school community of the environmental need for change. City of Karratha Mayer Peter Long said the awards celebrate community spirit across the city. “I would like to personally congratulate and thank all our nominees and award winners. Your unwavering commitment to the community is inspiring and helps improve the livability of our towns,” he said. “These awards are an opportunity for us to shine a light on our unsung heroes in the community who sacrifice their own time to help others.” The event was supported by Rio Tinto, the Pilbara Ports Authority and Woodside.