NEWCASTLE
Mark Hughes has received Newcastle’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year award for his work raising funds to fight brain cancer.
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Hughes, the tall, straight-running centre from the Knights’ 1997 and 2001 grand final-winning teams, paid tribute to the Mark Hughes Foundation’s volunteers and the Hunter community, the “heartbeat” of the organisation.
“It’s really special to live in a community jam-packed with amazing, great people,” he told Fairfax Media after receiving the award from lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
The 41-year-old father-of-three was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2013. He fought through surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
He and Kirralee set up the Mark Hughes Foundation. The charity has raised more than $5 million for research and a brain cancer support nurse at the John Hunter Hospital.
University of Newcastle student Irini Kassis was named the city’s Young Citizen of the Year after representing Australia at the International Model United Nation in London, leading the UN Equity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women committee.
For six months of last year she lived in Vietnam working with the UN as an intern.
“She is an international thought leader amongst young people when considering topics of social justice, women’s empowerment and equality,” Cr Nelmes said.
LAKE MACQUARIE
ANDREENA Kardamis has described being named Lake Macquarie’s Citizen of the Year as an “amazing feeling”.
The former Young Citizen of the Year, 23, couldn’t accept her award, as she is in Bangkok starting a six-month role as a youth advocate for the United Nations.
“Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel to everyone that has helped me along the way,” she told Fairfax Media.
“I really hope to do Lake Macquarie and my family proud while working in Bangkok.”
She will be part of a team organising three international conferences, jointly hosted by Humanitarian Affairs UK, Humanitarian Affairs Asia and the United Nations Development Programme.
Ms Kardamis has served on the Lake Macquarie Youth Advisory Council and the board of The Place Charlestown Community Centre and is a mentor to junior law students, among other things.
In 2014, Andreena was appointed as Justice of the Peace and she has also been elected by the Board of The Place Youth and Community Centre as Secretary
Teza Sankoorikal, 16, was named Young Citizen of the Year.
Southlake Marketplace won the inaugural award for Contribution to Lake Macquarie.
