2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year winners announced
Wadalba's Graham Symes has been named the 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year in recognition of his dedication establishing and running the Traffic Offenders Program (TOPS) at a prestigious function held at Parliament House on Friday, 3 December 2010.
The annual Award program recognises the efforts and achievements of volunteers across NSW, with 48 Regional Individual, Youth and Senior Volunteer Winners, 19 Regional Volunteer Team Winners and six Employee Volunteers, gathering from across New South Wales for the announcement of the 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year winner by Minister for Volunteering, the Hon. Peter Primrose, and an additional six award winners, presented by the Hon. Michael Veitch, MLC.
Over the past 18 years, Graham has positively impacted thousands of lives through Seven Hills' Traffic Offenders Program (TOPS). Designed by Graham, TOPS is a seven week educational program that covers spinal injury awareness and drug and alcohol use.
Graham set up the Traffic Offenders Program in 1992 after a concern for the increasing fatalities and accidents on our roads. Graham was an ambulance officer and knew all to well the tragic reality of the situation and wanted to do something positive to impact that.
Fast forward eighteen years and over 11,000 people have completed the program and over forty courts regularly refer offenders to Graham's program.
Graham currently travels from the Central Coast's Wadalba to Seven Hills where the program is held, staying overnight every week at his own expense.
Each offender must submit an assignment for each lecture and Graham marks each individual one. In eighteen years Graham has marked over 77,000 assignments, which in itself is a worthy reason for receiving the 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year award.
"Graham was a deserving winner of the Award for his tireless dedication to the Traffic Offenders Program," event partner Westpac Social Sector Banking National Manager Julienne Price said
"Volunteers are the bedrock on which local communities sit, and these Awards provide a rare opportunity for us to thank the people who work day in and day out to better our communities".
Graham received a $1500 donation for the Traffic Offenders Program (in addition to the $300 donation he received as a Regional Winner), a trophy and a Men's Stainless Steel Sports Watch valued at $450 generously donated by Seiko Australia.
Timothy Bayl of Epping was named the 2010 NSW Youth Volunteer of the Year for his work with the Australian Red Cross where he holds a leadership position on the NSW Youth Advisory Committee and the post of NSW Youth Representative. Timothy has also volunteered with the Red Cross Emergency Services and the Migrant Youth Orientation Program. His commitment to the goals of the Red Cross, as well as his drive to make it more accessible to other young people, has marked him out as a very special volunteer within the organisation. Tim received a $1000 donation to the Red Cross, a trophy and a Men's Stainless Steel Sports Watch valued at $450 generously donated by Seiko Australia.
For the first time ever, two Highly Commended Awards were presented at the State level, one for Christaan Cartledge of Wollongong. Christaan was named the 2010 NSW Highly Commended Senior Volunteer of the Year in recognition of Chris' work with SCARF Inc (Strategic Community Assistance to Refugee Families), with whom he has volunteered for five years. Chris developed a program that recycles IT software for refugee families with limited means that provides essential computer skills, as well as free access to the internet for a limited time. Chris received a donation of $500 for SCARF Inc and a trophy.
Bill Phippen of Picton was named the 2010 NSW Senior Volunteer of the Year Award. Bill has volunteered with Technical Aid to the Disabled (TAD) for the past thirty five years. Bill's commitment and dedication to the work of the organisation – the creation and supply of custom built equipment for people with disabilities – has won the admiration of his colleagues. In over 35 years Bill has only missed a meeting of the board twice and on one of these occasions it was for the birth of his daughter. Since 1997 he has been President of the Board of the charity, as well as director of its fundraising arm, helping the work of over 250 volunteers operating in thirteen rural branches and cities throughout New South Wales. Bill received a donation of $1000 for Technical Aid to the Disabled, a trophy and a Men's Stainless Steel Sports Watch valued at $450 generously donated by Seiko Australia.
Warrumbungle's 2WAR FM Volunteer Team was recognised as the 2010 NSW Highly Commended Volunteer Team of the Year. The 2WAR FM Volunteer Team at the Warrumbungle Community Broadcasting Association (WCBA) provides an essential information service to the community. Operating five days per week, from between fifteen to twenty hours per day, the station is manned by twenty-five volunteers. Over the past ten years the group has even purchased their own building and they continue to develop and improve programming with a strong emphasis on local content. The team received a $500 donation towards the WCBA and a trophy.
The Warrawong Community Kitchen Lunch Volunteer Team was named the 2010 NSW Volunteer Team of the Year. The team's thirty-one volunteers are led by Donna Walsh and provide lunch for disadvantaged residents living within the community and surrounding areas, Monday to Thursday. They also provide comfort and a friendly ear to the people in the area in need of aid. Their work helps make the lives of those living in impoverished conditions more bearable. The Team received a $1000 donation for the Warrawong Community Kitchen, a trophy, State Team Winner pins and a Ladies Gold Plated Stainless Steel and Diamond Coutura Watch valued at $895 generously donated by SEIKO Australia.
Rodney Lowe of Alcoa Rolled Products Australia was named the 2010 NSW Employee Volunteer of the Year Award which recognises volunteers who are sponsored by their employers and released from employment to carry out volunteer activities. Rodney was recognised for his volunteer work with the Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia where he is part of their Ambassador Program. Rodney joined the program following his own personal experience with prostate cancer some 5 years ago. Rod has given many talks and presentations around the state in numerous locations over the past 4 years.
The Centre for Volunteering's NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Manager Kristin Romanis said that the standard of nominations for the 2010 Awards had been outstanding.
"The calibre of the Awards has been phenomenal," Kristin said."The judges had to make some difficult decisions in selecting both the regional and state winners, as there had been so much wonderful work undertaken by the 2.4 million volunteers in New South Wales".
"In addition 2010 marked a record in the number of volunteers recognised with more than 6,100 volunteers nominated individually or as part of a volunteer team!" said Kristin.
"Every one of the nominees can be extremely proud of their achievements," added Kristin.
Nominations for the 2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award will open on Monday, 9 May 2011.
For further information, log onto www.nswvolunteerawards.com
View the 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Photo Gallery
Award Partner – Westpac
Westpac is the only Australian bank with a dedicated team focused on understanding and improving the the quality of finance and banking services offered to social-sector organisations. Westpac provides social-sector specialists with the knowledge and expertise they need to help community groups secure their vision for lasting good.
NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Background
The NSW Volunteer of the Year Award is an annual awards program launched in 2007 by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the outstanding efforts of the 2.4 million volunteers in NSW, and to promote the importance of volunteering to the community and to companies. Prior to 2007 there was no state-wide recognition program for volunteers.
The NSW Volunteer of the Year Award is partnered by Westpac Social Sector Banking and has the support of the NSW Government and the Minister for Volunteering, Hon. Peter Primrose, is Patron of the Award. The Award’s two-year Media Partnership with Cumberland and Courier Newspapers has been renewed for another year.
Nominations
Nominations closed Thursday, 30 September 2010. A total of 398 nominations were received, recognising over 6,100 volunteers throughout the State.
Judging
Nominations were judged for Regional and State awards. There are 19 regions across NSW, with winners of the 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award selected from the Regional Award winners. Special awards are given by the judges for to standout individual Youth and Senior volunteers at Regional and State levels. The Volunteer Team category will be judged at both a State and Regional level for the first time this year. Employee Volunteer nominees are judged at a State level. In addition, Highly Commended Awards will be given for the first time in the Award’s history.
Regional Ceremonies
Regional Award Ceremonies were held throughout November in the Award’s nineteen NSW regions. The Ceremonies will be hosted by Westpac, The Centre for Volunteering and the local Regional Volunteer Referral Centre.
State Award Ceremony
The 2010 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Ceremony was held on Friday, 3 December 2010 (in recognition of International Volunteer Day which falls every year on 5 December). The ceremony was held at Parliament House with Minister for Volunteering, the Hon. Peter Primrose, presenting the main Award.
The Centre for Volunteering Background
The Centre for Volunteering is the peak body in NSW, promoting and supporting volunteering and community participation. The Centre is a not-for-profit organisation and includes Volunteering NSW, its service delivery arm, and the School of Volunteer Management (SVM), a registered training organisation.
The Centre for Volunteering connects people and organisations in order to enrich its community. The Centre achieves this through referral, training, resource development, information and education services to help people get involved in their communities, and enhance the capacity and skills of not-for-profit organisations, corporations and government to become involved in the community.
The Centre was established in 1974 as a volunteer bureau within the NSW Council on the Ageing. The bureau became the Volunteer Centre of NSW in 1981, and was re-named Volunteering NSW in 1997. We adopted the name The Centre for Volunteering in 2005.
