Volunteer Service to the Community
Bruce Read
Nominated by Nick Helyer
Bruce Read has been a member of Bendolba Salisbury Rural Fire Brigade since 1991 and, especially since his retirement from school teaching, has been one of the most reliable members. He is currently secretary and community engagement officer for the brigade. He has attended fires at Stroud Hill, Wallaroo, Underbank and Chichester Dam and has acquitted himself well, often driving our veteran Toyota Land-Cruiser, a feat in itself.
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Bruce is definitely an ideas man. He has been instrumental in the formation of a community fire unit based in Bandon Grove/Wangat Trig Rd over the last 12 months, and in the acquisition of a CFU trailer for that site.
Having spent countless years coaching the production of the Bandon Grove Hall Christmas Play, Bruce has great affection for this wonderful hall, with its unifying influence on a small rural community. So much so that he has taken over the presidency of the hall committee and is driving a huge effort to raise money to restore the hall for present and future generations.
Ros Runciman
Nominated by Allen Shrimpton
Ros is a power-house of enthusiasm, ideas and energy, with a history of volunteerism that spans decades.
In recent years, Ros has combined her knowledge of tourism and her passion for the environment to make an exceptional contribution to the Dungog Recreational Reserve Trust and the Dungog “commoners”. She has written many successful grants; helps set work priorities and runs events, workshops and working bees.
Along with her husband, Kevin, she keeps key areas mown, and was a key volunteer for Landcare and the commoners when they cleared and changed Norm’s Corner from an overgrown, rubbish-choked eyesore to a potential horse agistment paddock to generate additional funds for improvements at the Common.
In her spare time Ros runs the Common’s Facebook page and thinks up more fund-raising ideas, such as her very successful firewood raffles, where she and Kevin cut up old fenceposts from the common into firewood and raffled off box-trailer loads. Ros also volunteers for Landcare and the Friends of Chichester group, which takes on valuable rehabilitation work in the forest.
Pauline Cambourne – nominated by Don Middlebrook
Since moving to Dungog in 1997, Pauline has been involved with numerous committees and community groups. She was on the steering committee to form an adult education group, then acted as secretary for the Barrington Adult and Community Education group until its closure.
Pauline has been involved with a number of singing groups and choirs and was instrumental in getting singing groups from Sydney to the Shire for concerts. She has been involved in the Dungog Arts Society for many years, in various positions, and hold many other positions on various voluntary boards, such as the organising committees for Pedalfest and Relay for Life. She has been the treasurer for Dungog Shire Events and was part of the team that came up with the idea for the first Dungog Film Festival. She was also on the Planet Dungog Committee that brought two very successful music festivals to Dungog.
Pauline was instrumental in the establishment in Dungog Radio still serves on the current committee. She helps a number of volunteer organisations, such as the Local Living Group keep their books, and is the ultimate “quiet achiever”.
Royce Burn
Nominated by Kerry Jeffers
Royce has been in Dungog since 2011 and has been very active in Rotary since, taking the President’s role in the 2015/16 financial year, and currently Secretary. He was very active, both personally and through Rotary, during the 2015 floods.
Royce has also been a member of the Bendolba-Salisbury Rural Fire Service since 2011, and is currently the deputy-captain of the brigade, and has spent time recently fighting fires in the Salisbury and Barrington areas.
In 2014, Royce completed a Diploma of Community Services and did work placement at the Maiwel Group, where he facilitated a cooperative arrangement between this group and Dungog Menshed.
Royce was also on the Planet Dungog Committee, which held two successful music festivals in Dungog.
He started the Dungog Ukulele Group, which is still going strong six years down the track. He is a volunteer on the very active Wallarobba Hall Committee.
In fact, whenever there is a call for volunteers, Royce is there, without seeking recognition and his dedication to helping the people of Dungog Shire is surpassed by none.
Dungog Showground Committee
Nominated by Stephen Farrow
I believe the above community members, especially in the last 12 months, have done an outstanding amount and quantity of work on the showground. This can be seen by the vast improvement to the appearance and amenities on the grounds.
With a lot of successful events on the grounds, I believe the appearance and improvements there are as much to thank as the hard-working volunteers of the events seen over there. Most days doing some sort of improvements, all of the works are on a voluntary basis.
Citizen Award
Penny Kater
Nominated by Lisa Connors
Qualified horticulturist and arborist, Penny Kater is a long-standing member of the Gresford Community and a founding member of the Gresford District Landcare group, of which she is still an active member. Penny is also one of the founders of the Paterson/Allyn River Garden group which, after seven years, has over 140 active members. Penny attends the monthly meetings of this group and freely imparts her knowledge of all things garden.
Last year one of Penny’s long-term projects came to fruition, with the opening of the Gresford Arboretum in the grounds surrounding Therese Doyle Hall.
The arboretum has been carefully planned out and laid in a circular formation with over a thousand native trees, with the planting, digging, mulching, weeding and watering carried out by volunteers under Penny’s watchful eye. Penny chose a wide variety of local species, which will grow to provide shade for visitors to this wonderful shire asset.
The selection of local species assures the arboretum will be used as an educational tool for generations to come, especially as some of the species become hard to find elsewhere, and it will also attract many local bird species. Penny’s brainchild, this arboretum is a true living gift to the entire shire.
Helena Morris
Nominated by Colleen Duffy
Helena Morris is an exceptional role-model and the go-to person in Clarence Town for information and advice. She is extremely generous with her time and resources, often being the first to put her hand up to donate for any fund-raising event. Helena is on the executive of the Clarence Town Progress Association and helped secure the funding for the Rural Transaction Centre, which has brought a doctor, chemist, real estate agency and, until recently, a building society to Clarence Town. She was also the brains and worker behind the establishment of the community markets, that has brought business and tourism to town and has given the community the opportunity to shop in town. Helena has written successful grants for the Progress Association such as the restoration of the Village Green, a wetlands project in the heart of Clarence Town Helena is a great advocate for all things Clarence Town and was instrumental in securing a dedicated police officer for the town by rallying the community at the Local Area Command. She’s been involved in the community centre, School of Arts, the reinstatement of the tennis courts and countless other community activities.
Volunteer Service to Sport
Karyn Marsh
Nominated by the Dungog Soccer Club
Karyn has been an integral part of the Dungog Soccer club for two decades. During this time she has been an active member of the committee as canteen coordinator, among other roles. She also organises fundraisers for the club, including the annual presentation night each year. Karyn also helps coordinate the junior teams and manages the senior women’s team. And when not at soccer, she is an active participant in other sporting organisations, including touch football and swimming. Karyn has dedicated a large proportion of her life to sport, she really does live sport.
Junior Sports Award
Nelson Eyb
Nominated by the Dungog Soccer Club
Nelson Eyb has been playing with the Dungog Soccer Club since being in the under sevens and has picked up multiple winner’s awards and accolades since that time. 2017 was a big year for Nelson, who scored a record number of goals for the under 18’s team and several in the seniors’ first team as well. On a number of occasions, Nelson scored five or more goals from mid-field, a feat generally not achievable, even by a striker. Nelson made a seamless transition from under 18s to seniors, playing in the finals for both sides.
When not playing competitive soccer for Dungog, Nelson helps out as a game leader for the junior under seven’s, eight’s and nines.