Council congratulates the Citizen of the Year nominees for the Golden Plains Shire Council Community Awards 2020.
The Golden Plains Shire Council (GPSC) Community Awards 2020 are an opportunity to formally acknowledge extraordinary individuals and community groups who make an outstanding contribution to Golden Plains Shire.
This year, an impressive field of local residents and community groups have been nominated by their fellow community members for awards in four categories: Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, and Community Impact Award.
Congratulations to the 11 nominees for the GPSC Citizen of the Year 2020:
Sharon Boyd
Sharon Boyd of Lethbridge is the Secretary of the Lethbridge Recreation Reserves Committee of Management and the Lethbridge Junior Football Club. She has been pivotal in working with Council, State and Federal Governments to secure the upgrade of lighting and oval surface at the Lethbridge Recreation Reserve. The new lighting will provide participation opportunities for local students and adults in both structured and unstructured active recreation. Congratulations Sharon!
Cathy Bushell
Cathy Bushell of Ross Creek is a Ross Creek/Smythes Creek community coordinator, a member of the Ross Creek Recreation Reserve Committee of Management and a representative for the local Landcare group. Cathy is an active community member who is willing to initiate and take part in developing her community, including her selection as a 'This Girl Can' local champion. Congratulations Cathy!
Lynette (Lyn) Galtry
Lynette (Lyn) Galtry of Teesdale is the secretary of the Teesdale CFA, an entirely volunteer organisation. A passionate advocate for fire safety, she credits the thousands of CFA volunteers for their dedicated community work. The volunteer tasks of Lyn and the Teesdale CFA team include opening fire access tracks on hot days, trimming trees for better fire truck access, running a sausage sizzle for CFA fundraising and feeding the troops at long prolonged fires. Congratulations Lyn!
Brendan Johnston
Brendan Johnston of Smythes Creek was nominated for his work and commitment to cleaning up litter. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, Brendan began picking up trash on outside walks and one year, he collected more than 30 cubic metres of general rubbish, plastic bottles, glass and aluminium cans. Congratulations Brendan!
Belinda Koenig
Belinda Koenig of the Scarsdale General Store was nominated for her support to local Scarsdale residents who were isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. An example of Belinda’s contribution was providing food and care for the dog of a neighbour who was hospitalised and then cleaning his home and delivering groceries when he returned home. This nomination reflects the positive stories of community support and neighbourly support in Golden Plains communities during COVID. Congratulations Belinda!
Adam Liversage
Adam Liversage of Haddon is a committed community volunteer who has for several years given his time and energy to help activate local sporting facilities and encourage residents to get out and active. Adam is the current Chairperson of the Haddon Recreation Centre CoM Inc., President of the recently established Woady Yaloak Warriors Junior Football Netball Club, and is heavily involved in the Haddon Badminton Club and Smythesdale Tennis Club. In the last 12 months, Adam has supported Council to deliver the Haddon Recreation Centre Indoor Court Upgrade, a $220,000 State Government funded project, and led the development of the Woady Yaloak Warriors Junior Football Club. Adam has also volunteered his time, knowledge and experience to the development of Council’s Active Sport and Recreation Strategy 2020-2030, participating in the Stakeholder Reference Group consultation process. Congratulations Adam!
Brad McKenzie
Brad McKenzie of Bannockburn has worked closely with mental health charity Black Dog Institute over a number of years as both a fundraiser and Volunteer Community Presenter. In 2014, Brad walked from Mildura to Bannockburn raising more than $13,000 and he has since travelled Australia as a volunteer, speaking to schools, community groups, sporting clubs and medical professionals about the Black Dog Institute, mental health, and his own personal story of living with depression and anxiety. The institute selected Brad as an ambassador for its recent One Foot Forward walking challenge campaign that raised more than $6 million in 2020. Brad has also undertaken fundraising walks at the Great Wall of China in 2019 and will complete the Larapinta Trail in 2021. Congratulations Brad!
Hayley Quach
Hayley Quach of Grenville serves on the Grenville Hall Committee and in this role, she has organised improvements and awareness of the local hall and facilities. Hayley helped establish and run the Dereel/Enfield Scouts and continues to support their fundraising and regular activities. Hayley is also part of the Buninyong Wholefoods Collective, sourcing and providing wholesale food at wholesale prices. She has also been an avid supporter of boomerang bags at the local Buninyong IGA, providing advertising, support and making of the bags. Hayley has also organised junior tennis teams in the Buninyong and District Tennis competitions for the past three years and also organised the Buninyong Short Story Writing Competition to help students combat boredom at home during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Congratulations Hayley!
Catherine Schurmann
Catherine Schurmann of Maude is a committed volunteer and in her support of the Maude Recreation Reserve Committee, she has been integral in getting several important projects completed in Maude. From the Bunjil eagle to the new Maude water connection and many community grants, she has committed an extraordinary amount of time to bettering her community. Congratulations Catherine!
Kylie Turville
Kylie Turville of Linton is the Vice President of the Linton and District Progress Association, a valuable local community group. She also organises the Linton Community Food Pantry, which during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic was integral to supporting vulnerable and isolated community members. Kylie is a dedicated volunteer, who always finds time to help her neighbours and fellow Linton residents. Congratulations Kylie!
Linda Wong
Through her registered charity, Hands of Change Ltd, and in partnership with the Geelong Community Foundation and Golden Plains Youth, Linda Wong of Meredith has developed a unique and innovative youth leadership program for young people aged 10 to 14 years in Golden Plains Shire. The Equine Youth Leadership Program uses horses to teach young people valuable skills in self-awareness, teamwork, leadership and communication. The program has recently evolved into the Nurturing Young Minds for Their Future program which sees students from Meredith Primary School research, plan, implement and assist with the development of a community garden in Meredith. Congratulations Linda!
The GPSC Community Awards 2020 nominees will be recognised, and the award-winners will be named, at Council’s Australia Day event on Tuesday 26 January, along with the Citizenship Ceremony. Due to COVID guidelines, event attendance is limited and by invitation, however the event will be livestreamed on Council’s YouTube channel. A link will be provided the day prior to the event at Council’s website: goldenplains.vic.gov.au.
For more information on the GPSC Community Awards 2020 nominees, visit goldenplains.vic.gov.au