A local school teacher, leaders of community support groups, and a water rescue service have been recognised in the 2023 Community Citizen of the Year Awards during Mandurah’s Australia Day ceremony last week.
The annual awards recognise individuals and groups that have made notable contributions to their communities during the year, and those who have given outstanding service over several years.
Mayor Rhys Williams said this year’s winners had shown immense community spirit by making Mandurah a better place and providing a helping hand to many people around them.
“I’m proud to announce the winners of this year’s Community Citizen of the Year Awards are Natasha Upcott, Baylee Freitag, Kaye Seeber and the Marine Rescue Mandurah group – congratulations to you all,” Mayor Williams said.
“These people have all been dedicated to helping and uplifting others within our community over many years, and that is a true testament of community spirit. They are all very deserving of these awards. It never ceases to amaze me what a strong, connected and supportive community we have in Mandurah, and its people like this who are essential in holding these bonds together.
The Community Citizen of the Year Awards are organised by Auspire – the Australia Day Council of Western Australia and have been running since 2003.
The 2023 Community Citizen of the Year Award winners are:
Community Citizen of the Year: Natasha Upcott
Natasha has been a teacher in Mandurah for 20 years, and Principal at Mandurah Primary School since 2011. During this time, she’s been involved in countless community projects and programs all aimed at supporting others and making Mandurah’s future strong. Following the sad loss of two local students due to road accidents, she was instrumental in working with community groups to bring about road safety awareness initiatives, including the ‘Being Safe, Being Seen’ campaign, which is now delivered at all schools in Mandurah.
Natasha is a passionate advocate against family violence and has been involved in coordinating special backpacks for families experiencing issues to make it easier for their children to attend school. She served on the board of Pat Thomas House and is on the Peel Says No To Violence committee, participating in Silent Marches and leading the Schools Say No To Violence campaign. Natasha is involved in the Dudley Park Child and Parent Centre, the Koolbardies women’s yarning group, and other non-profit boards.
Community Citizen of the Year – Youth: Baylee Freitag
Sixteen-year-old Baylee is the junior CEO of local organisation Halo Team Mandurah and has been involved in the charity since it was established in 2014 by her mother, Dee Freitag. Baylee is extremely passionate about helping others and providing support to the local community. She started volunteering with Halo when she was 15 years old, and she continues to volunteer while also studying community services and completing business skill training. She works six days a week and spends her weekends helping in the Halo Community Kitchen providing meals and support.
Community Citizen of the Year – Senior: Kaye Seeber
Kaye Seeber established the WA Mums Cottage in Mandurah in 2017 after securing funding through community donations and grants. WA Mums Cottage is a non-profit charitable organisation based on empowering and improving the lives of mothers and their families experiencing distress or domestic abuse. Kaye led the project to ensure the focus of the organisation was to provide a safe place where women and children in crisis can find a strong network of support, companionship, encouragement and growth.
Active Citizenship Award – group or event: Marine Rescue Mandurah
Marine Rescue Mandurah is a local volunteer group that has been operating for 61 years and is the longest established marine rescue group on the WA Coast. The group has close to 100 volunteer members. In 2022, the group attended more than 160 marine incidents in the estuary and out at sea, as well as assisting in 150 recoveries and 15 distresses totalling close to 20,000 volunteer hours. Marine Rescue Mandurah manages four vessels, 16 crews and are on duty 24/7, 365 day a year. They also run a Cadet program which provides structured learning and personal development opportunities to young people in an emergency services environment.
