The City of Victor Harbor has named those in the community who will be honoured on Australia Day, the council endorsing the 2025 Citizens of the Year Awards at its December 16 meeting. 

Mayor Moira Jenkins says she is very impressed with the calibre of awards recipients. “Each year, I am consistently awed by our Citizens of the Year and their ethics, values and care they pour into our Victor Harbor community,” she says.

“Our 2025 recipients are no different, being highly engaged and active citizens working tirelessly to improve their corner of the world.”

The City of Victor Harbor 2025 Citizen of the Year Awards recipients are:

• Citizen of the Year – Dennis Williams..
• Active Citizen of the Year – Ann Wright
• Young Citizen of the Year – Zahrna Manley.
• Community Event of the Year – Victor Harbor Rock n Roll Festival 2024.

Dennis Williams is an active member and former chairperson of the Victor Harbor Men’s Shed, demonstrating his strong commitment to men’s men health and combatting social isolation for men of retirement age and beyond.

He is a talented bowler and leader at the Victor Harbor Bowling Club, where he currently serves as Vice President.

As a founder of the Friends of Hindmarsh River Estuary, Active Citizen of the Year Ann Wright has been instrumental in improving the health of the river estuary.

She is an important conduit between the group, the City of Victor Harbor’s Open Space team and other stakeholders, showing leadership and initiative.

Young Citizen of the Year Zahrna Manley is Victor Harbor High School’s school chaplain, providing mentorship and facilitating social and emotional support to students, and promoting school engagement and involvement across the campus.

She is also volunteer Youth Coordinator at Exalt Church, where she leads a small team that runs a weekly Friday night program.

The iconic Victor Harbor Rock n Roll Festival celebrated its 15th year in 2024 and is the recipient of the 2025 Community Event of the Year.

One of Victor Harbor’s premier events, the festival draws visitors from far and wide to the region, providing significant social and economic value to Victor Harbor.

Mayor Moira Jenkins has congratulated recipients looks forward to the formal awardsceremony to be held at the Soldiers Memorial Gardens as part of the City of Victor Harbor’s Australia Day celebrations.

For more details on Citizen of the Year Awards or Australia Day visit the council website.