The park was a hive of activity throughout the day, with locals and tourists alike enjoying the food and entertainment on offer.

Formalities were taken care of in the morning this year, with Australian citizenships handed to Deena West (United Kingdom) and the Viljoen family (South Africa), before the Premier’s Australia Day Awards were given out.

Dr Wally Byrne was named Esperance Citizen of the Year, while Esperance Relay for Life took home the Community Event of the Year and Ruth Kirchner claimed the Natural Resource Management Citizen of the Year.

No nominations were made for Young Citizen of the Year.

Dr Byrne said it was an honour to be given the award.

“I had no idea I was nominated,” he said.

“I was meant to be doing a caesarean at 9am, but it had to be brought forward so I could go to the awards!”

While reading his nomination at the ceremony, Shire president Ian Mickel said Dr Byrne had given his life to Esperance as a GP.

“He is now 75-years-old and still sees 40 patients each day, often starting the day at 7am at the hospital and not finishing until late in the evening visiting patients,” he said.

“Even when he himself was a patient, he was known to be following up results on behalf of other patients.

“Dr Byrne has a wonderful sense of humour, is scrupulously honest, never discriminates or judges people and has a ‘Fred Hollows’ type of philosophy in that he sees every person as important.”

Dr Byrne came to Esperance as a locum for Dr John Fenwick in 1980, with his wife and three children.

Now in his 30th year of practicing in Esperance, Dr Byrne said working as a country GP was a great privilege.

“You get to work with people from the cradle to the grave,” he said.

“It’s very stimulating and challenging – I never get bored.”

He said Esperance was a remarkable place.

“It’s wonderful,” Dr Byrne said.

“Progressive, vibrant, innovative … Esperance is such an alive town.