And the Young Citizen will be Jennifer Mackenzie or Travis O’Brien (or perhaps both if the committee have opted for a joint winner).

The Emergency Service Volunteer of the Year is Richard Ott and the Community Event winner is Chill N Glen.

The Australia Day Committee have also announced the list for Voluntary Community Organisation. They are: Deepwater RFS, Glen Innes Community Transport, Glen Innes Highland Dancers, Glen Innes Opportunity Shop.

Jan Lemon who chairs the committee said that it had been tough selecting the nominees because the field was so strong: “It’s a huge honour to be nominated.”

The nominees represent a wide range of activity – fund-raising, business (Moira Munro and Cathy Spry), music (Paul Hanson is a piper), dance (Lindy Alt is the creative force behind some of the most spectacular productions to come out of the town).

For the young citizen of the year award, two musicians compete. Jennifer Mackenzie has appeared in numerous dance and show spectaculars, both in Glen Innes and beyond. She dances but she also sings, for example, the national anthem at the recent Armistice Ceremony.

And Travis O’Brien is an accomplished piper with the Glen Innes Pipe Band. He and they perform frequently throughout the area. They were particularly busy before Christmas at a host of events from the carol concert at the Public School to a St Andrews Day concert at an old people’s home.

The winners of all the categories will be announced in the Australia Day ceremony at the Town hall in two weeks’ time.

In making their choices, the committee could only go on the material in front of them on the nomination forms and not use whatever wider knowledge they might have had.

Jan Lemon, the chair of the committee, said she sees the day as a celebration of Australia.

She recognised that some Aboriginal people viewed it as the marking of an invasion which destroyed their culture, but she said it was an “unfortunate controversy”.

“It should be a day when all Australians – all creeds and colours –  get to celebrate Australia’, she said.

The main event will be at the Town Hall where there will be some formality with the presentation of awards but also entertainment, all from 11 am.

There will also be a free breakfast in the morning at Glencoe Hall.