Nominations are open for the 2026 Fergus Thomson OAM Heritage Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to the appreciation and preservation of Eurobodalla’s rich cultural heritage.
Established in 2020, the annual $1,500 award honours the late Fergus Thomson OAM, Eurobodalla’s first popularly elected mayor and a passionate advocate for cultural heritage and Aboriginal community engagement. Mr Thomson served as a councillor until his passing in 2015, leaving behind a legacy dedicated to the protection of culture and Country.
Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher is encouraging individuals, groups, and organisations to submit nominations.
“This award continues Fergus’s legacy by recognising those who actively promote and preserve our shire’s heritage,” Mayor Hatcher says.
“Whether through writing, restoration, music or digital media, we want to celebrate efforts that deepen our community’s connection with its history.”
Eligible projects must have been completed within the past two years, and can include initiatives such as historical publications, building restorations, educational programs or creative works highlighting Eurobodalla’s heritage. A range of projects have won the award in recent years, including:
- 2025 – Alastair Greig for his publication of The Road to Batemans Bay – Speculating on the South Coast during the 1840’s Depression.
- 2024 – Michelle Garcia and Lynne Thomas for their song Country Comes First, developed through Narooma Public School’s music and creative culture program. The project combined local Aboriginal history, language and music to teach students about environmental stewardship and cultural heritage.
- 2023 – Kevin Setter for his extensive research for and publication of Stage Coaches and Royal Mail Southern Eastern NSW 1841-1913, a comprehensive history of stagecoach travel in southeast NSW.
- 2022 – Gary Traynor for work highlighting Moruya’s role in World War II through the establishment of the Moruya Remembers Committee, annual bunker tours, and the When War Came to Moruya Facebook page.
- 2021 – Shirely Jurmann for her extensive documentation of the history of Moruya and its people, particularly through her involvement with the Moruya and District Historical Society.
