The winners of the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards – now in its 53rd year were announced on Saturday. The Awards acknowledge those who inspire us and make us proud to be Australian.
One of the 32 finalists this year was Queensland’s Sergeant Dimitrios Bellos – cross-cultural liaison officer for southern Brisbane. Win lose or draw, Jim told Neos Kosmos that whatever the result, just to be considered had been “a great honour and a privilege”.
Speaking from the ACT on the eve of the Awards’ ceremony, Jim described the experience of making it to the finals “a surreal experience”.
“It’s an amazing atmosphere down here in Canberra. We ran into Kate Ritchie and James Mathison from Australian Idol at the airport, and Geoffrey Rush is in a room next door. There’s a great buzz.
“I’m usually in the background, but when you’re one of 32 finalists it’s a bit hard to dodge the fame.”
Sergeant Bellos said that as a finalist he felt honoured to be part of the Queensland Police Service which he described as an organisation which “embraces the business of working with people from all walks of life – including people from so many different cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds.”
Jim’s ‘beat’ is home to 200 communities speaking 150 languages and practising more than 130 religions, and over the years he has built a relationship of trust, respect and understanding between these communities and the police.
Famous locally for his endless energy and enthusiasm, his work involves co-ordinating community consultative groups, organising multi-faith dinners, and often supporting people going through personal and family tragedy.
When the 2011 floods devastated a local sporting store, Jim returned from a vacation and gathered together 400 volunteers to clean up. On call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Jim’s voluntary work extends far beyond his core work responsibilities.
Most well-known is his involvement with the For the Love of the Game youth program. Through the shared enjoyment of sport, particularly soccer, the community program brings together more than 8,000 young people from diverse backgrounds in south Brisbane. A catalyst for breaking down barriers the program has resulted in a substantial decline in youth crime in the area.
Of the four categories in the Australian of the Year Awards, Jim was a finalist in the ‘Australia’s Local Hero’ category which acknowledges extraordinary contributions made by people in their local community.
Irrespective of the result, Jim told Neos Kosmos he was philosophical about the final result, and the possibility of realising such an accolade.
“Whichever way it goes, everything happens for a reason, so if it’s meant for me to win it, it’ll happen. If I don’t then it’s just back to business as usual.”