The 27-year-old left leg amputee from Victoria claimed his two podium finishes in the men's slalom and super combined events in Canada to make a large contribution to the Australian team's overall haul of one silver and three bronze.

Rahles-Rahbula was presented with the award at a gala ceremony at Sydney Olympic Park which was hosted by the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) and attended by the organisation's President Greg Hartung and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) chief executive Xavier Gonzalez.

The prestigious award, which has previously been afforded to Paralympic legends including wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage, skier Michael Milton and swimmer Matthew Cowdrey, is Australian Paralympic sport's highest accolade and Hartung said Rahles-Rahbula is fully deserving of the title.

"Cameron is an outstanding athlete and one of the best winter Paralympians Australia has ever produced," said Hartung.

"To win two bronze medals at a Winter Paralympics is a huge feat and is a testament to Cameron's skill, passion and ability, particularly after he endured back and ankle injuries in the months leading up to the Games."

Australia finished the Games 13th in the medal tally, ahead of many traditional winter sport powerhouse nations including Switzerland and Sweden.

The night was a special occasion for Australian Paralympic sport, with the ceremony also marking the 10th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and the 50th Anniversary of the first Paralympic Games, held in 1960 in Rome.

The Australian Paralympic Committee flag flew atop Sydney Harbour Bridge while seven of the eight living members of the 1960 Australian Team - including Australia's first Indigenous Paralympian Kevin Coombs and Australia's first female Paralympian Daphne Hilton - were in attendance.

They were joined by scores of Paralympians from Games that have followed.

Rahles-Rahbula was also recognised as the Australian Male Athlete of the Year while fellow Geelong skier Jessica Gallagher was named Female Athlete of the Year.

Gallagher made history as Australia's first female to medal at a Paralympic Winter Games, claiming bronze in the women's vision-impaired slalom.

The 24-year-old is now aiming for selection in the Australian athletics team for the London Paralympics in 2012 and will compete at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch early next year in both track and field events.

Australian Winter Paralympic Team head coach Steve Graham was named Coach of the Year while the other major award on the night - the APC President's Award for Excellence in Sportsmanship - was presented to Toby Kane.

Meanwhile, special guest Gonzalez is now heading to New Zealand for a two-day meeting in Christchurch to discuss the final preparations for next January's 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships following a major earthquake in the region last month.

Gonzalez said: "With less than 100 days to go to the World Championships, we are now in the final stages of preparations for what promises to be an outstanding event involving some of the world's best athletes.

"I am looking forward to seeing how the city of Christchurch has pulled together after the major earthquake in early September and how that has affected the city and preparations for January.

"To stage such a prestigious international event so soon after the earthquake is testament to the New Zealand people and during my visit I'll be working with the organising committee to ensure they deliver the best championships possible under these challenging circumstances."

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