The spotlight was on two remarkable individuals today as they were jointly honored with South Australia’s Senior Australian of the Year award, following an unusual mix-up during the awards ceremony.

Last Friday, an unexpected turn of events occurred when meteorologist Malcolm Benoy was first announced as the award recipient. However, moments later, the accolade was mistakenly attributed to James Currie. After further review, Benoy was once again recognized as the winner.

This confusion was attributed to a human error involving two separate IT systems, leading to the initial uncertainty.

In a historic move, both Benoy and Currie have now been confirmed as the state’s inaugural joint recipients of this prestigious title.

State Governor Frances Adamson highlighted the significance of this outcome, stating, “Having two winners in the same category showcases the remarkable caliber of South Australia’s nominees.”

Benoy said he was concerned for Currie following Friday’s confusion.

“I came away from the podium and once I had my thoughts gathered the person I was really concerned about was James because he was the one who was called up and sat down,” he said.

“It was just unfortunate it happened in public.”

Currie, though, wasn’t fussed by the mix-up.

“Didn’t bother me at all,” he said.

“I come from the film industry, they even get the Academy Awards wrong!”

Benoy and Currie will now represent South Australia as finalists for the national award in Canberra. 

“I just hope that the other states don’t think it’s South Australia ganging up on them by sending two instead of one,” Currie said.

The Australia Day Council has initiated a review to prevent similar errors in future events. 

The council said its judging panel did select both men as the joint winners.