SECC staff took part in the Regional Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony recently via Zoom.
The awards were held by The Centre for Volunteering as an online ceremony for the Sydney City and Eastern Suburbs area in late September.
South Eastern Community Connect nominated its Dementia Day Centre volunteers.
Eric Scott, Sue Ohanian and volunteer Noelle Altiok-Brown represented SECC on the day.
A large number of dignitaries attended, including Member for Kingsford Smith Matt Thistlethwaite, Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig, Mayors of Randwick and Woollahra Councils, Member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill, and Member for Newtown Jenny Leong. Minister Gareth Ward sent a video message.
A total of 11,800 nominations were received, of the 2.1 million NSW volunteers who give 240 million hours of volunteering every year.
The Cottage Dementia Day Centre coordinator Eric Scott with centre volunteer Noelle Altiok Brown, with her nomination certificate.
Winners were:
Young Volunteer of the Year: Naomi Arnold, Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Adult Volunteer of the Year: Matthew Harper, Surf Life Saving NSW
Senior Volunteer of the Year: Gillian Thomas, Polio NSW & Polio Australia.
Volunteer Team of the Year: The Ankali Project, which helps socially isolated persons living with HIV.
The Overall Winner for the region was Matthew Harper, Surf Life Saving NSW.
Congratulations to all the deserving winners, and a big thank you to our volunteers for all the hard work you do year-on-year.