Keno's KISS with WA Citizen of the Year Award honour
The Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) Gascoyne's Indigenous Sports Development Officer (ISDO) and KISS fanatic Keno Phillips was recently a finalist in the 'Sport' category of the WA Citizen of the Year Awards, which were announced at a gala celebration at Burswood Resort on 29 May 2010.
25 August 2010
Keno was a finalist in 'Sport' category among the likes of Justin Langer, Trevor Nisbett Robert (Bob) Welch, and Gerard Neesham who won the award for his roles in football and water polo.
Although Keno did not come away the winner, his contribution to communities in the Gascoyne region cannot be underestimated.
Recognised for his contribution to the community through both his work as an ISDO and his other love – his voluntary work as arguably the region’s most popular DJ – for the past 15 years, Keno has become one of the more recognisable and respected faces in the region.
According to Keno’s DSR Gascoyne colleague Patricia Ouellette, events and programs are ‘livened up’ by Keno’s very presence.
“Whenever we have an event or run a program, people always want to know if Keno is coming, he is just someone who the community looks up to,” Patricia said.
According to Keno, one of his proudest achievements is establishing a football pathway for young players under the Gascoyne Football Association.
“There wasn’t anything formal for our junior footballers and colts prior to that. Thankfully it’s been something that has worked, and I think the proof of that is the fact that we have been able to develop some top level players,” he said.
A passionate believer in the ability of sport and recreation to bring people together, Keno said that while being nominated for awards such as the WA Citizen of the Year was a an honour, the real reward was seeing the positive effect his work had on the community.
“Over the past few years, the crime rate has dropped dramatically and I believe that has a lot to do with the programs we run. Parents and the community at large have become increasingly involved and that’s been a real positive,” Keno said.
“When I first started (as an ISDO) we had issues relating to high rates of obesity and diabetes but I think we have started to address that.”
As a DJ, Keno’s services are high in demand. A self-confessed, die-hard KISS fan, Keno prefers to provide the soundtrack to 40th and 50th birthday parties, but he isn’t entirely opposed to the new stuff.
“Look, it’s not really my thing to be honest – I prefer music from the 70s and 80s – but sometimes, you just have to give the people what they want,” Keno joked.
“Thankfully, I’ve started training a replacement, so when people want to hear hip hop or dance music, I just hand the controls over to him and make sure everything runs smoothly.”
The lifelong St Kilda supporter said he looked forward to making a contribution to the Gascoyne community for many years to come.
“People say to me all the time ‘jeez you must love your job’,” Keno said. “They’re right. I do. I think I’ll be here until I retire.”
From your friends and fellow team members at DSR, congratulations Keno, we are all so proud of your achievement!
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