Rosemary Isaac has been named Warrnambool citizen of the year in recognition of her volunteering efforts with south-west organisations.

"There are some very illustrious people who have won before me," she said.

The former primary school teacher said that she was "very surprised, but very grateful" upon hearing the news of taking out the award.

Ms Isaac has been a member of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society's committee since 2009 and has been the secretary since 2011. She is also the head of the collection management team which records, stores and maintains the invaluable collection of Warrnambool artefacts.

Since joining the Warrnambool Family History Group, she has been an enthusiastic contributor and was minute secretary from 2002-2011. For many years Ms Isaac has researched old Warrnambool newspapers and summarised them for members and researchers.

Ms Isaac was appointed to the Warrnambool Cemetery Trust in 2012 and has been an active participant and advocate for the new Tooram Memorial Park on Hopkins Point Road.

In 1989 she joined the south-west branch of the Embroiderers Guild of Victoria and has held various leadership positions.

On top of all this, Ms Isaac still finds time to volunteer as a tour guide at Cheese World.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the committed volunteer continued her research at home for the organisations she is a member of.

"It was only the Warrnambool Cemetery Trust that kept going using Zoom. Everything else closed off," she said. "You could still do things at home. You can go and get something and bring it home and do some work, so the work hasn't stopped.

"There weren't those interactions anymore. It was very individualised where normally it's quite a collective thing.

"I've been retired for 19 years and volunteering is a good way to make links and meet people. I've got lasting friendships out of it."

Warrnambool's young citizen of the year Andrew Pritchard was surprised to learn he'd won the honour after his mother Karen kept her nomination a secret.

The 19-year-old has been actively involved in the city's youth council since 2017 where he has worked with fellow councillors to advocate for mental health and the environment.

"We did a survey for young people in lockdown and made brochures that went out to almost every school student in Warrnambool about how to have good mental health," he said. "Some results were what I expected but there were all these different ways people had helped out each other and been creative.

"The environment is a big passion of mine. At the start of year I moved to Melbourne and was living at St Mary's College and was on their environment committee. We couldn't do as much as we'd hoped, but we did a lot of online advocacy pointing out ways to be sustainable in lockdown.

"I wasn't planning to be a part of youth council this year but moving back, seeing the same faces and talking about issues gives the feeling of knowing you're contributing.

Mr Pritchard is also a carer and a participant in ANZAC Day services and is currently studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne.

Ms Isaac and Mr Pritchard will be recognised alongside local achiever award recipient Friends of Warrnambool Botanic Gardens and the community event of the year winner the Warrnambool bushfire appeal, Coast Aid at the city's official Australia Day event on the Civic Green from 10.30am on January 26.

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