Congratulations to two of Playford's very own who have made the shortlist of nominees for the 2022 South Australia Australia of the Year Awards.

Bianca Nilsson - Nominee for South Australia Young Australian of the Year

Bianca Nilsson, Founder of Renegade Records, has been nominated for South Australia Young Australian of the Year.

At just 18-years-old Bianca launched Renegade Records after being inspired by her favourite band during high school, Cimorelli.

“They were my biggest inspiration because they were signed to a major label and were mistreated,” she said. “They came out with a song called Renegade basically saying I am not going to let the industry shape me into something I’m not.”

Now that is exactly how Bianca supports independent artists by being a positive influence in the music industry.

But it’s been a lot of hard work and perseverance, from working five days a week, 12 hours a day, in a potato factory and coming home to continue to grow her business. Bianca now works full-time focusing on her passion and building her empire.

Raelene Wlochowicz - Nominee for South Australia of Local Heroes

Raelene Wlochowicz, Founder of The Playford Women's Shed, has been nominated for South Australia Local Hero.

After retiring from a 28 year career in youth justice, Raelene Wlochowicz has been the driving force behind the establishment and ongoing management of the Playford Women’s Shed.

“I immediately started looking for options to fill my time and found that there weren’t many choices that suited me,” said Raelene. “I noticed that a lot of retired women were meeting in malls for coffee and lunch, which isn’t an affordable option for everyone and it didn’t look comfortable. “Blokes had the Men’s Shed to go, they had a dedicated space, and I thought why isn’t there a Women’s Shed?”

From here the inspiration for the Playford Women’s Shed was born. With over 28 years’ experience working in State Government Raelene had an understanding of what would be involved in opening a women’s shed and importantly, she had the passion necessary to make it happen.

They are among 16 South Australians in the running to be named the state’s Local Hero, Young Australian, Senior Australian or Australian of the Year.

The nominees are among 128 people being recognised across all states and territories as part of the program.

The four award recipients from South Australia will be announced on the evening of on 21 October.

It’s time to recognise the outstanding achievements of our local unsung heroes through the City of Playford’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards.

This year, we’re launching two exciting new categories which will open the awards to non-Playford residents and non-Australian citizens for the first time – giving us the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions that all people make to our community.

The Award for Active Citizenship and Award for Young Active Citizenship will recognise an individual or group delivering outstanding work for an event or cause staged in the community during the past year.

The awards recognise and reward the valued work and commitment of community members who give their time generously to help others and make a significant contribution to the City.

Playford’s Australia Day Awards are an opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of a Playford community member, group or initiative and sporting club.

Being recognised for an Australia Day Award is a great honour, paying tribute to someone who makes you proud to be Australian.

Nominations must be received before 5pm Friday 19 November. For further information, nominate below.