Ross Knight named citizen of the year for 15 years of work with prisoners in Manilla Australia Day ceremony

But despite his gong, the Manilla Heritage Museum volunteer remained modest.

He said the honour means "a lot, but I wish someone else would have got it because there's other people more deserving than me".

"If you look around there would probably be other people in this town doing just as much as I do; it might even be more."

The museum often uses labour from correctional services, typically people convicted of low-level crimes like drunk driving and assault. For 15 years, he has helped mentor the prisoners at the museum.

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Mr Knight said he was "just trying to help them so they don't go back inside again and play up again".

"Everyone deserve a chance, I think."

Ironically, he was just metres away from the museum when the prize was announced.

Manilla and Barraba Australia Day ambassador Anupam Sharma handed him the award at a ceremony in Pioneer Park in the town's main street, just next door to the museum.

For the Sydney-based film producer and director, his trip to the North West brought back old memories.

After finishing the morning's Manilla ceremony, he headed to Barraba to name Amie Middlemiss 2021 Barraba citizen of the year for her work in the town's sporting community.

Mr Sharma shot a 1999 music video at Gostwick Chapel, near Uralla.

He joked that he took the ambassador's role partly out of "selfish interest" - "you never know where you might find something [a good place to shoot a film]."

"I love regional towns, because the community spirit, which is so devoid in the big towns, is still there. People know each other by their first name. Everyone knows everyone," he said.

"As a filmmaker, I have for the last twenty years, always filmed in regional areas in Australia."

After finishing school in India, Mr Sharma emigrated to Australia to get a tertiary education at film school.

He said Australia day is about celebrating everything Australia has to offer, from barbeque, Waltzing Matilda and regional towns, to the diversity of a multicultural society.

"For me, it means it is a day - it could be any day, it doesn't matter - but it's a day when we celebrate how far Australia has moved on from a white Australia policy,

"And what the bright future looks like. People from 170 countries, as someone else said in a speech today, people look at each other as Australians rather than races or colours."

Manilla Matters Committee chairperson Jane Martin said the group had decided to shift the ceremony from its traditional place at the town's swimming pool, in the interests of convenience.

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The typical 11am service clashes with the town's traditional cricket match, she said.

Committee member David Ridgewell said the day is important to every Australian.

"It signifies our uniqueness, I think, against every other country," David said.

"There's 160 different nationalities that live in Australia now, and we all come together as one to celebrate probably the best country in the world."

Raya Fletcher won Manilla's 2021 young citizen of the year, and the Manilla fire and rescue annual Christmas run was named the community event of the year.

Manilla achiever of the year was Jake Davies, awarded for excellence in rifle shooting.

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Christine Hartman won adult best decorated hat and Georgia Abra best hat for a child.

Lou-anne Overton cooked the best Australia day damper.

Barraba's 2021 Frank Darlington Young Achiever of the Year was to Zahlie Cabot, who topped her class in five subjects at the New England Girls School in Armidale and competed in touch football and rugby union at a representative level.

The 2021 Community Event of the Year was a tie between Nandewar Historical Society Museum for hosting the Annual Barraba Markets, and the Barraba Lions Club for hosting its Christmas Tree event.

Tamworth councillors Judy Coates and Steve Mears represented local government at both events.

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