Dee Why recognises local volunteers in Sydney North Award ceremony

Volunteers from the Sydney North region gathered this week for the 2011 Sydney North Volunteer of the Year Award Ceremony co-hosted by The Centre for Volunteering and Community Connect Northern Beaches.

The Hon Bronwyn Bishop, MP for Mackellar, Cr Michael Regan, Mayor of Warringah and Cr Harvey Rose, Mayor of Pittwater attended the ceremony and presented nominee certificates and the main awards.

Jeremy Heathcote has been named the 2011 Sydney North Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding contribution to the community during a ceremony held in Dee Why on Friday, 28 October 2011.

The annual NSW Volunteer of the Year Award program recognises the efforts and achievements of the State’s millions of volunteers.

Jeremy has been a volunteer member of the Babana Men's Group since it was founded in Redfern in October 2006. Babana is a brotherhood of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men who are focused on working to improve the lives of the greater Sydney Aboriginal communities. Babana brings together men from all walks of life that are committed to supporting and empowering each other, their families and their community.

Two years ago Jeremy took on the role of Secretary of the group and since his voluntary appointment he has displayed a more structured approach to the job. Jeremy undertakes a lot of duties on a volunteer basis including:

• Being the day organiser at the annual ANZAC Coloured Digger event with crowds of up to one thousand people.
• Organising the successful NAIDOC Event at Prince of Wales Hospital wouldn’t be a success without the planning and organisation of Jeremy.
• Assisting with Health Events for which he takes time off work to attend and does a lot of work prior to this on weekends and after work.
• Day to Day Administration activities
• Sourcing of funds to keep different programs operating
• Liaising with key providers including both Federal and State Ministers to discuss Indigenous needs
• Working with the local police along with the other committee members to help reduce crime
• Working with Education institutes to help to provide pathways to Indigenous members and their families
• Planning and participating in organised events including Carers Week, Sorry Day, Mental Health and World Indigenous People Day. Each of these would not have occurred without the dedication he provided in his role. 

Jeremy is now in the running to win the prestigious 2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year award, with the winner to be announced by the Hon. Victor Dominello, Citizenship and Communities Minister, at the State Award ceremony on Monday, 5 December 2011 at Parliament House Sydney.

Event co-host, Community Connect Northern Beaches’ Vesna Perisic, said that the event was very rewarding. “Volunteers are the lifeblood of local communities and are not recognised as often as they should be for their valuable, selfless commitment,” she said.

Jeremy will receive a $300 donation for the Babana Men's Group to help it continue its outstanding work.

The Centre for Volunteering’s NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Manager, Kristin Romanis, said the quality and quantity of nominations received for the Sydney North region was outstanding.

“The Sydney North Region’s nominees were of an exceptional standard but the judges felt that Jeremy’s tireless dedication to the Babana Men's Group was a standout,” Kristin said.

Other Award winners announced at the ceremony are Joy Ho (2011 Sydney North Senior Volunteer of the Year), Dr Howard Ralph (2011 Sydney North Senior Volunteer of the Year) and Crows Nest Centre’s Linen Service (2011 Sydney North Volunteer Team of the Year): both received a $200 donation for their organisation.

The 2011 Sydney North Youth Volunteer of the Year award was awarded to Joy Ho. Joy volunteers with Red Cross Community Visitors Scheme where she spends quality time with a person living in a Nursing Home. Joy joined the Community visitors Scheme wanting to give back to the community and make friends with someone that she is not usually around, and to hear about their perspective on life. Joy began visiting Pauline in May 2010 and has since developed a lovely relationship together, bringing much happiness to both Pauline’s, as well as her own life. A requirement for the program included a fortnightly visit, however Joy goes beyond this by visiting Pauline almost every week for numerous hours. The two of them watch movies and TV series from the ABC, and discuss their thoughts, and ideas of what will happen or their opinions on each character. The fact that they spend so much quality and enjoyable time together displays the special friendship that has developed between them both since they have met.

The 2011 Sydney North Senior Volunteer of the Year award was awarded to Dr Howard Ralph. Howard is an amazing and dedicated man – he gives all his retired life to treating wildlife that few other vets will treat due to financial reasons. Howard never rejects any creature, wild or tame, in need and works tirelessly at great cost to his own health to treat suffering, injured and orphaned wildlife. He attended the Victorian bushfires and volunteered his time and went to the Qld floods then returned six weeks later to assist with the flood victims that few were treating. Howard has commanded great respect and admiration from all who meet him. His endless courage, selflessness, skills and commitment are often overlooked - Howard receives NO government funding. Howard has set about raising funds to pay for the many expenses that are incurred treating wildlife, such as medications, expensive bandages, cages, food and assorted equipment. Howard and his wife were paying for most of the costs out of their own wages and now have only one income earner (his wife) in the family. Howard’s nominator, Lindy Staker, said of him: “It is imperative that Howard be recognised for his endless devotion to wildlife. He is their voice in a time of great need, pain and stress. He is a remarkable and unique human being.”

The Crows Nest Centre’s Linen Service was named the 2011 Sydney North Volunteer Team of the Year. The Linen Service is provided to frail older people and younger people with a disability, living in the North Sydney and Mosman Local Government areas. Its clients are increasingly frail and the effort involved in stripping, remaking and washing linen is an onerous task, requiring considerable effort. Volunteers work in pairs, visiting 120 clients once a fortnight. The Linen Service Volunteers are a very committed team delivering a high quality service. On a single run volunteers make up to 14 beds - a physically demanding task, always completed with grace and good humour. Most of the Linen Service clients are physically and socially isolated. Clients are increasingly frail, with limited mobility and few options for getting out and about. The Linen Service provides practical support and assistance with a difficult task, impossible for many clients to achieve on their own. Importantly it also fosters social connection, through regular volunteer visits and friendly banter exchanged with volunteers who are interacting with the outside world.

The outstanding commitment of the following individual was recognised by the judges:

• Laurence Hirst of Artarmon was awarded the 2011 Sydney North Highly Commended Senior Volunteer of the Year Award for his volunteering with various homeless projects and assisting fellow homeless commission residents for the past 10 plus years.
• Jimmy Shaw of Ryde was awarded the 2011 Sydney North Highly Commended Senior Volunteer of the Year Award for his volunteering with the NSW Education Department for the past 11 years.
• Team Leader Judith Ohana and the 95 volunteers that make up the Linkage Volunteer Team were awarded the 2011 Sydney North Highly Commended Volunteer Team of the Year Award.

Other individual volunteers recognised for their outstanding community work were:

• Jane Bennett of Roseville who has been volunteering with Cancer Council NSW for the past 11 years  for 14 hours per week
•  Lucy Chipkin of Mosman who has been volunteering with Sydney Jewish Museum for the past 12 years for 6 -12  hours per week
• James Conolly of Chatswood who has been volunteering with Anglicare Community Care Central Sydney for the past 21 years for 8  hours per week
• Denice Conyard of Warriewood who has been volunteering with Manly Warringah Pittwater Community Transport for the past 7 months for  10-12 hours per week
• Bryan Coy of North Manly who has been volunteering with Leukaemia Foundation for the past six years for 8-12  hours per week
• Geraldine Crawley of Epping who has been volunteering with Australian Red Cross for the past 2 years for 3  hours per week
• Matthew Curran of Neutral Bay who has been volunteering with Youth Off The Streets for the past 2 years for approximately 4  hours per week
• Cornelia Dancaster of Inglside who has been volunteering with Computer Pasl for the past 10 years for 12 hours per week
• Alison Dodd of Fairlight who has been volunteering with Community Connect Northen Beaches for the past six years and six months for 5  hours per week
• Rosslyn Green of Wahroonga who has been volunteering with Ku-ring-gai Hornsby Volunteer Service for the past 3 years for 3  hours per week
• Vance Gregg of Neutral Bay who has been volunteering with Royal North Shore Hospital for the past Three Years for Nine  hours per week
• Syd Grolman of Cammeray who has been volunteering with Leukaemia Foundation for the past 8 years for 8-10 hours per week
• Leone Harris of St Ives who has been volunteering with Centacare Broken Bay (Boonah Creative Arts Centre) for the past 3  years for 3+  hours per week
• Elizabeth  Hing of Castle Cove  who has been volunteering with Cancer Council NSW for the past 1 year 2 months for 15-20  hours per week
• Tess Jenkins-Fane of Hunters Hill who has been volunteering with Uniting Care ageing /community for the past since February 2011 for 45 minutes  hours per week
• Vicki Kornman of Neutral Bay who has been volunteering with Leukaemia Foundation for the past 10 years for 8  hours per week
• Debra  Larizza of Elanora Heights who has been volunteering with Motor Neurone Disease Association of NSW for the past Since February 2003 for 16  hours per week
• Brian Learoyd of Greenwich who has been volunteering with Lane Cove Community Aid Service for the past 3 years for 4 hours per week min
• Andrew Lees of Wahroonga who has been volunteering with Leukaemia Foundation for the past 4 years for 8-12  hours per week
• Peter McBurney of Beecroft who has been volunteering with 1st Roselea Scouts for the past 11 years for 15  hours per week
• Georgina McCarthy of Wahroonga who has been volunteering with Lifestart Cooperative   for the past 7 years for 5  hours per week
• Sheila McLean of Roseville who has been volunteering with Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for the past 41-42  years for 6 hours per week
• Brien Mendham of Allambie Heights who has been volunteering with Sunnyfield for the past 16 years for Averages approximately 5 hours per week
• Gerd  Muncke of Killara who has been volunteering with Sydney Jewish Museum for the past 5 years for 14  hours per week
• Bruce Overton of Dee Why who has been volunteering with Manly Warringah Pittwater Community Transport for the past 7 months  for 10-12 hours per week
• Ian Partridge of Belrose who has been volunteering with Youth Off The Streets for the past 2 years for 8 hours per week
• Jon  Petrie  of Cromer who has been volunteering with cerebralpalsy Aliance for the past 1 for 2  hours per week
• Peter Stehn of Wahroonga who has been volunteering with Ku-ring-gai Historical Society for the past 7 years  for 20 hours per week
• Paul Tame of East Killara who has been volunteering with Killara Scouts and Cromehurst Scouts for the past Nearly 15 years and 2 years respectively for some weeks 20 hours per week
• Lyndell van Noort of Turramurra  who has been volunteering with Easy Care Gardening Inc for the past 23 years for 8  hours per week
• Louisa Vorreiter of Beecroft who has been volunteering with 1st Roselea Scouts for the past 11 years for 15 hours per week
• Ross Walker of Beecroft who has been volunteering with Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust for the past 9 years for 4 hours per week
• Otto Zeckendorf of Greenwich who has been volunteering with Cancer Council NSW for the past 8 years  for 16 hours per week

Other volunteer teams recognised for their outstanding community work were:

• Volunteer Team Leader Stephan Pawelczyk and the 12 volunteers that make up the Brookvale Curl Curl Scouts Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Annette Hema and the 10 volunteers that make up the Brothers Junior Rugby League Football Club Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Anne Cahill and the 91 volunteers that make up the Ku-Ring-Gai Philharmonic Orchestra Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Yoko Washimi and the 27 volunteers that make up the Linen Service Volunteers, Crows Nest Centre
• Volunteer Team Leader Judith Ohana and the 95 volunteers that make up the Linkage Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Vanessa Ogborne and the 100 volunteers that make up the Mater Hospital Volunteer Team
• The 11 volunteers that make up the MND Massage Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Alan Doctor and the 15 volunteers that make up the MS Events NSW Equipment Crew Volunteer  Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Jenny Thomas and the North Sydney Community Service Volunteer Team
• Volunteer Team Leader Anne Green and Graeme Chambers and the 55 volunteers that make up the Royal North Shore Hospital Flower and Gift Shop Committee

Award ceremonies will be held in the Award’s 19 Regions across NSW throughout September and October, with the regional winners in the running for the 2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award.

The winner of the 2011 NSW Volunteer of the Year will receive a $1500 donation to their not-for-profit organisation, Youth and Senior and Team of the Year will each receive a $1000 donation. The one-off 2011 NSW Excellence in NFP Volunteer Management winner will receive a $3000 donation.

The Award is an initiative of The Centre for Volunteering, the peak body for volunteering NSW. Now in its fifth year, this is the state-wide Award program recognising and thanking the volunteers in NSW who generously give more than 235 million work hours each year in NSW, contributing an extraordinary $5 billion to the State’s economy.

“The week-in week-out contributions that volunteers make stretch from aged care, education, child welfare and counselling, through to emergency callouts, event control, running sports, environmental care and animal protection. There’s hardly an area of life which is not helped by volunteering,” Kristin said.

More Information

Kristin Romanis
NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Manager, The Centre for Volunteering
0412 313 359
kromanis@volunteering.com.au