Congratulations to Viktor for winning Local Hero Award. Good luck to Viktor we will have our fingers crossed for him to win Australian of the Year.
5000 citizens all over Australia were nominated this year for this Award that has four categories:
1. Australian of the Year
2. Senior Australian of the Year
3. Young Australian of the Year
4. Australia's Local Hero
Each category had 4 nominations in each Australian state and ACT. Out of the 5000 original nominations there were 128 selected for the first round (4 categories x 4 candidates for each category x 8 states/territory). I was nominated in the 'Local Hero' category in Tasmania. That by itself was a welcome and unusual tribute to jazz. I was happy that through it, maybe, the status of jazz in Tasmania will be strengthened and, also, that the reputation of Devonport Jazz Festival will be further enhanced.
On 21 November with my wife Eva, we travelled to Hobart to attend the presentation of Tasmanian Australian of the Year Awards. Not expecting to win in that competition we were admiring the beautiful surrounding of the Meadowbank Estate, drank wine, talked to other people and enjoyed a warm Spring evening. When then Lara Giddings, Premier of Tasmania, read my name as being a winner of the 'Local Hero' category it drastically intruded into my pleasant wine mist.
From now it's getting tough though. By now there are only 32 candidates left (4 categories x 8 states/territory)
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On 24 January Eva and I will be flown to Canberra where on 25 January the final 4 winners will be announced by the Prime Minister in front of Parliament House. Just a presence of a jazz musician among the nominees at that ceremony looks rather eccentric, but this is simply Australia. Be it as it may, on 26 January, together with 20 million Australians all over the country, we will celebrate there our AUSTRALIA DAY.
