Dedicated … Amina Balagic won the Brimbank Young Citizen of the Year award on Australia Day for her tireless community work. 59278 Picture:SARAHMATRAY
By Belinda Nolan
WHEN she saw her mother crying tears of joy, Amina Balagic knew she’d achieved something special.
The Cairnlea resident made her family proud last week when she was named Brimbank’s Young Citizen of the Year during an awards ceremony on Australia Day.
At just 22, Amina has already chalked up countless hours of community service and shows no sign of slowing down.
Despite her tender years, a keen sense of history has always been a strong driving force for the young woman.
Inspired by a trip to her Bosnian birthplace, Amina established a cultural dance group to help keep her heritage alive.
Dubbed Kud Dukat, the group teaches Bosnian culture and tradition to Brimbank children from the ages of 3 – 11.
“I’ve found that a lot of the little kids have been born here, so they don’t know much about our culture,” Amina said.
“I think it’s important for them to understand the heritage, to learn the traditions of where they came from so that they can pass it on to their own children one day.”
Since starting the group two years ago, Amina has had to learn to juggle the volunteer role with work and university studies.
