Gunnedah’s Australia Day Award winners will be announced on Friday at the Gunnedah Town Hall.
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Check out this year’s community award nominees:
Gunnedah Hot Bread
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Gunnedah Hot Bread Shop was opened in 1998 and in 1999 Kim Nguyen arrived from Sydney and took over management of the shop from her brother. 20 years later she is still waking up in the early hours ready for her 3am start preparing food before the doors open at 4am. The bakers start work in the evening to have all the fresh baked goods ready for the store opening the next day.
They also supply bread to local stores and take orders over the telephone. The shop was nominated their great customer service, even bringing products outside to elderly customers in their vehicle. The Hot Bread shop also sponsors and donates to local community organisations such as the Gunnedah and District Soccer Association,The Red Cross and the Campdraft Club.
John Perkins
Ossie and Beryl Campbell Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award
John Perkins is a committee person of the Wean Picnic Races and he is instrumental in getting the track and grounds ready for the race day. He has been a board member of Armidale Diocesan Investment Group for 33 years and is chair of Mackellar Care Services, where he was instrumental in acquiring the Rural Health Centre and employ more doctors.
John is on call from the maintenance team of the Convent of Mercy and is always very willing to be at the convent to meet with tradespeople or meet a doctor or nurse new to town.
He is also a life member of the Quirindi and Gunnedah Rugby Clubs, and looks after the fields and maintenance with great passion.
Valerie Sweeney
Ossie and Beryl Campbell Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award
Valerie Sweeney started co-ordinating the PCYC volleyball competition in 1990 and soon become part of the committee, assisting with discos, catering and the manning of the office. She also volunteered at Gunnedah Meals on Wheels, assisting and delivering meals in the Gunnedah area.
In 1998 she began attending Gunnedah MS Incorporated meetings, where she took on the treasurer position in 2003.
Valerie was forced to stop volunteering in 2009 as her husband needed full time care due to dementia. She continued her treasuer duties with Gunnedah MS from home, and after the passing of her husband in 2011 she took up full time volunteer duties, and still does today.
Edmund Heap
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Edmund Heap volunteers lots of time to tutor children and assist with their travels to and from chess tournaments associated with St Mary’s and St Xavier’s schools. He arranges the tournaments within the Gunnedah community on Australia Day and the Week of Speed. He is also one of the main coordinators for social chess, which is held at the Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club.
Edmund spends lots of time sending out results and putting spreadsheets together for all persons involved. He also organises the trophies and the food for the chess events within the Gunnedah community. If it wasn’t for him, the events wouldn’t exist.
Coles Gunnedah
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Coles Supermarket in Gunnedah employs approximately 60 team members. These team members include some of the longest-serving staff in Gunnedah with one team member having almost 50 years of service.
The store provides opportunities and career paths for many young people. They also support school children and children with disabilities through work experience programs.
Coles Gunnedah are heavily involved in the community and support the majority of local charity and community events, including the cricket club, pony club, preschools and aged care homes. They also donate weekly fruit boxes to a local preschool.
Gunnedah Newsagency
Community Organisation Achievement Award
John and Ann Sturgess have been newsagents in Gunnedah for 20 years and the current shop has been open since 2013.
The newsagency is one of the first stores to open its doors every morning, with John at work from 3.30am to get the morning newspapers ready for delivery. Staff travel 65km a day, seven days a week, dropping off the newspapers to homes and businesses in the district. The friendliness of the staff and great customer service is what keeps their regular customers. They always go out of their way to help.
The newsagency also supports local events such as the Gunnedah Show.
Bill Syphers Footwear, Saddlery and Repairs
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Bill Syphers Footwear, Saddlery and Repairs has been operating in Gunnedah for 58 years. Bill Syphers retired in 2016 due to ill health, and the shop is now managed by his son David.
The shop employs three full-time staff and offers services such as shoe repairs, saddlery, and the manufacturing of leather goods. They sell a range of products including: footwear, clothing, belts, saddlery and swags. The staff pride themselves on their friendly, fast and quality service.
The shop supports many community events and charities, with Royal Far West, Gunnedah Gymkhana, Gunnedah Show Society and Curlewis P&C all benefiting from their support.
Gunnedah Veterinary Hospital
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Gunnedah Veterinary Hospital have been servicing the community for more than fifty years and operate from purpose-built premises.
The Veterinary Hospital treats all types of animals, and boasts separate dog and cat wards and two consulting rooms which ensure waiting times are reduced. There is a fully equipped surgery which allows small animal surgeries to be completed. The hospital also offers in-house imaging facilities.
They employ a range of veterinarians and nurses and also participate in school, university and TAFE work placement for students interested in veterinary services. The hospital also offers puppy preschool classes and participate in a re-homing scheme for unwanted pets with the Gunnedah Shire Council.
Ron Rickard
Max & Mikie Maas Good Neighbour Award
Ron Rickard is a helpful friend to his neighbours, and allows the children look after his garden. He teaches them a lot about plants and gardening and allows them do his yard-work and chores for pocket money.
Karen Carter Chemist
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Karen Carter Chemist in Gunnedah offers friendly and professional customer service. In addition to the owner Karen, there are 3 full-time pharmacists, all with mental health first aid training and most with the ability to perform flu, whooping cough, tetanus and measles vaccinations. The chemist employs a beauty therapist and has a full-time nurse.
The chemist performs home medicine reviews and residential medication management reviews, and they offer a delivery service to deliver DAAs (dose administration aids) or medicines to their patients.
The chemist is currently undertaking a research project on mental wellbeing in adults with chronic illness through the University of Newcastle.
Gunnedah SES
Ossie and Beryl Campbell Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award and Community Organisation Achievement Award
Gunnedah SES constantly provides assistance for people in their most vulnerable times of need and desperation. Gunnedah SES volunteers also support neighbouring shires and regions in the management of disaster related incidents and supports the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW in critical road incidents and fatalities.
The volunteers are constantly putting themselves at risk to ensure the safety and wellbeing of others.
They also support many community initiatives through their demonstrations, including demonstrations at NAIDOC Family Fun Day and Gunnedah Country Markets
Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards
Community Event Achievement Award
The Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards (DMPA) encourages school children from all over Australia to express their poetic voices, and is now the largest nationally-recognised poetry competition for school children in Australia.
The DMPA has since been run by a local and hardworking committee known as the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society. They work behind the scenes to find judges, guest speakers, sponsors and assist the Project Officer in helping the competition run as smoothly as possible.
The DMPA now attracts up to 10,000 entries a year from schools across the country. The winners accept their prestigious prizes in a National Presentation Ceremony and are treated to two days of country hospitality which the committee facilitates.
Gunnedah Show Society
Community Organisation Achievement Award and Community Event Achievement Award
Gunnedah Show Society is a not-for-profit organisation that runs the annual Gunnedah Show and facilitates a wide range of events throughout the year including the Country Music Muster, Showjumping Festival and Gunnedah Campdraft.
The events held by the Show Society have assisted Gunnedah Shire Council’s successful grants for the regeneration of the showground. In addition, the Show Society itself was awarded a grant in 2018 to upgrade the kitchen and toilets under the grandstand. Committee members volunteered their time to assist with the labour involved in this upgrade and have also put in countless hours constructing a new stable block.
Woolworths Gunnedah
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Woolworths Gunnedah employs over 130 people and are heavily involved in community fundraisers and supporting local groups.
This includes donating last year to Maddie’s Big Blue Bash fundraiser, and making numerous donations to different sporting and organisations throughout the year, such as the local junior cricket team and some local schools.
Gunnedah MS Incorporated
Community Organisation Achievement Award
Gunnedah MS Incorporated fundraises for local people diagnosed with Multiple Schlerosis.
Over the years they, in conjunction with community fundraising, have assisted with the cost of medication, doctor and specialist appointments, scans, travel expenses and electricity bills for those in the area with the condition. Money has also been given for home renovations, air conditioning and mobility scooters.
Gunnedah Shire Library
Community Organisation Achievement Award
At Gunnedah Shire Library, in any given week you can find people of all ages gathering to participate in a range of activities, from Junior Brain Games for primary school children to improve their literacy, to Knit, Natter, Colour and Chatter for people to get crafty and share their skills.
Gunnedah Shire Library recently received the prestigious NSW Public Library Association Award for Innovation in Outreach Services for the Bookends program, which matches elderly people with children for support in reading.
Gunnedah Shire Library has also received awards for their collaborative dementia intervention program, Senior Brain Games, and their Law Week information kits.
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