WANNON MP Dan Tehan hosted his annual Wannon Sport and Volunteer Awards in Ararat last week, awarding eleven local achievers.<\/p>\n
The awards acknowledge individuals and groups who, often behind the scenes, play a crucial role in the community\u2019s growth and vitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cVolunteering one\u2019s time or talents for charitable, educational and other worthwhile activities plays a vital role in enabling rural communities to flourish,\u201d Mr Tehan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese awards allow me to show my appreciation for the selfless work that individuals and groups have carried out in our community, often behind the scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the nominees stories, Mr Tehan expressed his admiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was inspired to read about the individuals and groups whose hard work is having such a positive impact on our communities, their dedication is truly commendable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ararat\u2019s Citizen of the Year Daniel Buckingham was the guest speaker at the event, outlining his own experiences and praising all volunteers present.<\/p>\n
\u201cStepping up and helping other people in your community is a big step, and it\u2019s great to see volunteers helping where they can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judith Aldous of Lake Bolac received an award for over her 40 years of volunteer work, including extensive involvement with the Lake Bolac Information and Business Centre.<\/p>\n
Pomonal\u2019s Nadya Miller was recognised for her efforts during and post the Pomonal bushfire, stepping up to support the community by keeping the local shop open and becoming a central hub for the returning locals.<\/p>\n
Mr Tehan\u2019s awards also recognised members of the Pomonal CFA, including Stephen Field, Matt Venn, and Greg Mair, who put their lives on the line during bushfires earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Greg Mair, who was awarded a Member of Parliament Award for Service, said it was a joint effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all do this for the love of the community. Some of us dive into trouble, not knowing what\u2019s out there. We do it because we protect our society, we love our families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Bob Sanders was singled out for his leadership during the Pomonal fire.<\/p>\n
Cr Sanders was actively present in the community, supporting bushfire victims both on a council level and personally.<\/p>\n
He organised volunteers through a program called “Bob’s Army,” which not only facilitated practical cleanup efforts for those affected but also uplifted the community’s spirit.<\/p>\n
Rhymney\u2019s Audrey Reynolds, who was the 2024 Young Citizen of the Year, was acknowledged for her significant impact through the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation’s Youth Leadership Project.<\/p>\n
A Member of Parliament Award for Service was also given to Gwenda Allgood, Australia\u2019s longest-serving female councillor.<\/p>\n
Her roles included six terms as mayor, supporting Ararat\u2019s development and local initiatives such as the Green Hill Lake Development Board and local ambulance and fire auxiliary groups.<\/p>\n
Two individuals and a swimming team were recognised in Mr Tehan\u2019s sport awards.<\/p>\n
Ararat\u2019s Jamie Lee Burton is ready to take the next exciting step in her football journey after being selected for the Victorian Country Diversity All-Stars.<\/p>\n
Her achievements showcase her incredible talent and dedication to the sport, as well as her significant contributions to women\u2019s AFL.<\/p>\n
Ararat bowler Chris Young was recognised for his remarkable achievements, particularly following his impressive performance at the Inaugural Bowls Victoria Over 60s State Carnival.<\/p>\n
After finishing as state runner-up in 2023, Chris excelled by clinching both the pairs and singles titles during the week-long tournament in Barham, which featured 1,100 players and consolidated all competitions in one location for the first time.<\/p>\n
Ararat College\u2019s under 12\/13 Boys Relay Team were also acknowledged for their outstanding performance at the Black Ranges Swimming competition in Horsham, where they finished in first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WANNON MP Dan Tehan hosted his annual Wannon Sport and Volunteer Awards in Ararat last week, awarding eleven local achievers.
\nThe awards acknowledge individuals and groups who, often behind the scenes, play a crucial role in the community\u2019s growth and vitality.
\n\u201cVolunteering one\u2019s time or talents for charitable, educational and other worthwhile activities plays a vital role in enabling rural communities to flourish,\u201d Mr Tehan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[31],"class_list":["post-2783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_5299-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdqUu4-IT","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2783"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theadvocate.net.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}