A huge congratulations to the 2021 Far West Volunteers of the Year
October 14th, 2021
Over the past few months, we have heard some heartwarming tales of volunteering at our 2021 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards. Today the roadshow arrived in Broken Hill to celebrate the region’s amazing volunteers of the Far West.
COVID-19 means we couldn’t get together in person but there were still so many faces at our online ceremonies. Thank you to everyone who zoomed in, and all our nominees.
A special congratulations to our Broken Hill Volunteer of the Year, Abbie King, who at just 12 shows how bright the future could be in the hands of her generation.
Congratulations also to Shane Webb and Trevor Murphy, and Fay Rolton who have put decades of their time into supporting their local organisations and the Far West community, as well as the resourceful team of volunteers who’ve kept the kiosk running at Broken Hill Hospital despite the Pandemic.
2021 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award recipients for the Far West region are:
Young Volunteer of the Year – Abbie Kelly from Broken Hill
Abbie Kelly, 12, is already an environmentalist, lobbyist, fundraiser, performer, and volunteer. She has been a Landcare volunteer since 2018 and participates in Clean Up Australia Day and National Tree Planting Day. The Burke Ward Primary School captain volunteers at Sea Scouts, stars in local theatre, is a very accomplished fund raiser and even has her own radio show. Abbie is also the 2021 Broken Hill Young Citizen of the Year.
Adult Volunteer of the Year – Shane Webb and Trevor Murphy from Broken Hill
These joint winners have both volunteered for St John’s Ambulance since 1990 and the SES. Shane is the Divisional Nursing Officer for the St John Broken Hill Cadet Division. He has also volunteered for the Scouts and Broken Hill Army Reserve. Trevor is a St Johns trainer and assessor and SES Team Leader, attending floods in Queensland, Coastal NSW and the Far West as well as outback search and rescues.
Senior Volunteer of the Year – Fay Rolton from Broken Hill
Fay has been a volunteer with Meals on Wheels Broken Hill since 1968. When Fay first started delivering meals the food was taken in large stainless-steel canisters to each person’s home and served up to each client. Now meals are cooked fresh each day and packed in individual serves, which Fay delivers regardless of weather conditions.
Volunteer Team of the Year – Broken Hill Hospital Kiosk
The 61 volunteers run the kiosk from opening to closing and have raised $1.7 million for Broken Hill hospital over the past 10 years. Even during COVID-19 when the kiosk was largely closed the team managed to donate $125,000 for new hospital equipment. The volunteers have created a safe, welcoming space in the Hospital and a range of delicious food that support the Far West community and Hospital.
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 2021 NSW Volunteer of the Year.
The 2021 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.
