Hats off to Volunteers across St George and Sutherland Shire
September 1st, 2020
We tipped our hats to the tireless volunteering efforts across St George and Sutherland Shire today at the Southern Sydney ceremony for the 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.
It’s been a challenging year, but volunteering has stayed strong across the region thanks to our spectacular award nominees.
Special congratulations to our award winners; volunteer concierge Katia Liaros from Hammond Care, Belinda Dahan from Oatley whose support keeps the Asylum Seekers Centre in business, the 40 year volunteer veteran from Wanda Surf Life Saving John Douglas and the 60 special team members from the Three Bridges Early Year Support service.
The 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year for the Southern Sydney region is Wanda Surf Life Saving volunteer John Douglas.
The 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award recipients for Southern Sydney:
Young Volunteer of the Year – Katia Liaros from Blakehurst
Katia is a volunteer concierge with Hammond Care aged care facilities, a new role designed to keep residents safe during COVID-19 restrictions. She greets and screens visitors to aged care facilities, making sure health guidelines are maintained while visitors can still visit loved ones.
Adult Volunteer of the Year – Belinda Dahan from Oatley
Belinda contributes hundreds of volunteer hours each year to make sure the Asylum Seekers Centre can continue to operate and provide valuable services to its estimated 5,000 clients each year. Belinda provides financial reports for the Board and supports the fundraising and communications team.
Senior Volunteer of the Year – John Douglas from Bonnett Bay
John Douglas has been the mainstay of Wanda Surf Life Saving for more than 40 years, having trained hundreds of nippers and made the beach a safer place as the coach of the Rescue and Resuscitation operations. John has continued his lifelong volunteering as a coach with St Joseph’s Junior Rugby League and Basketball teams and joined the courageous community fight against the 1994 Jannali and Como bushfire.
Volunteer Team of the Year – Three Bridges Early Year Support
The 60 teams members of the Three Bridges Early Support service provide a vital in home support for mothers who are vulnerable due to isolation and other barriers. Their pre-COVID support included in home visits to improve parenting skills, help develop positive parent-child relationships and decrease family stress. During COVID restrictions, the team provided online support and a drop off service for food and other practical assistance.
Regional finalists for the awards are announced at 25 ceremonies throughout NSW and are invited to the Gala State Ceremony for the announcement of the 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year.
The 2020 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are supported by principal partners the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and ClubsNSW, which represents the state’s 1,400 not-for-profit clubs.
