General News
25 January, 2026
Robyn and Oscar are shire's Citizens of the Year
FAMILY encouragement to give back to the community have defined a commitment to volunteering for the Loddon Shire’s 2026 citizens of the year.
Robyn Vella and Oscar Holt were yesterday announced recipients of the shire’s top Australia Day awards by Mayor Dan Straub.
They will be presented with the awards during Monday’s Australia Day ceremony in Wedderburn, one of seven events in Loddon communities for the national day.
“The award is an honour but for every person who’s recognised, there are so many more who could, and should, be nomination,” said citizen of the year Robyn.
“My mum and dad encouraged me to to begin volunteering from a young age. Giving back to the community has always been a passion. It has helped me grow as an individual, create lifelOng friendships and develop skills that have enriched both my personal and professional life.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up, lived, worked and volunteered in a community where helping one another is part of who we are.”
Robyn won numerous netball best-and-fairests at Wedderburn as a teenager and represented the North Central Netball Association at Country Week in Melbourne and while she had to stop playing aged 16, has for four decades continued to umpire the sport.
Robyn was a huge part of Wedderburn Neighbourhood House/Wedderburn Community House between 1996 and 2022 and a major player in obtaining the old school site for its current purposes.
She is still a member of the Wedderburn Tourism Committee and a key contributor to the annual Gold Jamboree and part of other committees and groups in Wedderburn.
Since 2019 Robyn’s been a member of the Wedderburn Lions Club and is currently senior vice-president and a member of the aged care sub-committee.
She has generously donated her time to many other activities as a volunteer, including the L2P Drivers Program, the MATES youth mentoring program and for WOW for Women.
Robyn was the founder of Loddon Discovery Tours and wrote and produced its book in 1999 and was part of the push to create bird murals in Wedderburn.
“Robyn is a prolific promoter and passionate advocate for Loddon Shire,” her citation says.
Young citizen of the year, Oscar says: “I’ve been brought up to help out ... to put the hand up and take some of the load off other people who also volunteer.”
The Logan farmer has been a big part of football and tennis in the Wedderburn community and coached the Redbacks’ under 17 side for six seasons.
“I want to give today to young people the opportunities others gave me when I was growing up,” he said.
“You don’t need to always go to bigger cities for opportunities.”
His citation says: “Oscar has been a big part of organising social events, brought in a shuttle to fill with bottles and cans to take to Bendigo to cash in, and when the season is over, he jumps on the header to continue to raise funds for the club.”
Oscar is also serving his second term as president of the Inglewood and District Tennis Association.