Mandurah community worker Reg Lambert has been nominated for a 2018 Western Australian of the Year Award in the Local Hero category.
Mr Lambert, who visits the homeless at night to bring them food and blankets and founded non-profit Peel Connect, was recognised as a “pillar of the Peel community” and as embodying “the values of sacrifice, mateship and service”.
But Mr Lambert said he hoped the nomination would highlight the plight of the homeless he is trying to help.
“All I’m hoping for is that the emphasis will be on those people, you can sidestep me,” he said
“It’s an opportunity to talk about the people on the street.
“I feel that they’re getting a lot of publicity but a lot of it is negative. But the people I’ve met are positive people who have copped bad luck.”
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He said he hoped the nomination would give him a platform to convince people to start focusing on the causes of homelessness rather than just its effects.
“I don’t want to sound too critical, but I’d like people to look at the problem and not just the man,” he said.
“I’ve been doing this since 1984 and I’ve been educated by what I’ve seen and it’s not getting better.
“I’m concerned about our mental health system. We’re talking about the effects of all this but we’re not looking deep enough about causes.”
A statement issued by the National Australia Day Council described Mr Lambert as “a catalyst for change across his entire community”.
“For most of his 93 years, Reg has helped others,” the statement read.
“For the last 25 years, Reg has been a night carer for people sleeping rough in Perth’s Peel region, and still conducts weekly patrols.
“Reg continues to offer guidance, assistance and friendship to others, whether that's someone struggling to put a roof over their head, tackling addiction, or grappling with grief.”
Australia Day Council chief executive Jenny Barbour said the Western Australia nominees were among 130 Australians recognised at the state level in the Australian of the Year Awards.
“The Australian of the Year Awards allow us to recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding Australians – people making extraordinary contributions to our society,” she said.
“Through perseverance and commitment, the Western Australia Award nominees provide inspiration for us all.”
The Western Australia Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero Award recipients will be announced on November 22, 2017, at Government House in Perth.
The Western Australia Award recipients will then join a cohort of 32 State and Territory recipients from around Australia in the national Awards, which will be held in Canberra on Australia Day, 2018.
- Fairfax Media is a media partner of the Australian of the Year awards.