Honours
Protecting our Corridor has led to three local residents being named in the Australia Day honours.
Among the recipients of the City of Cockburn Australia Day Community Citizen of the Year Award were:
- Community Citizen of the Year – Overall: Christine Cooper
- Active Citizenship Award – Community Group/Event: Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor Group
Christine Cooper worked tirelessly to research the remains of a WWII Australian Women’s Army Service Camp discovered in 2015 at Beeliar Regional Park in the Corridor.
The site has since been included on the City of Cockburn Local Government Inventory as a Category B heritage site, largely due to Ms Cooper’s hard work.
The Bibra Lake Residents Association President was committed to preserving the camp and her research uncovered many facts, stories and photographs of the camp.
She hopes to continue her work on the project and plans to develop the site for visitors and make information available online.
Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor Group, formed in 2016 to develop a park connecting Beeliar Wetlands with the Indian Ocean, has united 20 community stakeholders, representing 2,500 group members, to create an interactive map.
The map uses drone footage and high quality photography to create a virtual tour of the proposed bushland corridor. It is an asset to the local community and others wanting to know more about the area.
Project stakeholders included environmental groups, resident associations, cultural, sporting and children’s groups. The project strengthened connections between the groups to foster new community networks.
Mayor Logan Howlett said: “The awards recognise ordinary people who make an extraordinary difference to our community.”
Pictured with the other Australia Day winners are Christine Cooper, Felicity Bairstow and Kim Dravnieks.
