Today we celebrated volunteering royalty across the Riverina and southern NSW border towns as part of the 2022 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards roadshow.
It was great to meet so many dedicated volunteers and their supporters from across the region as part of our Riverina regional awards.
A special congratulations to regional award winner Clare Lawlor who keeps finding new ways to help others in the community, Cootamundra Foodbank co-founder Bradon Lambert, Coolamon Landcare guardian Bill Pippen and the 60 dedicated volunteer team members at the South Wagga Rotary Rocky Hill Regeneration group.
2022 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award recipients for the Riverina region:
Young Volunteer of the Year – Clare Lawlor from Wagga Wagga
At the age of 18, Clare founded the Wagga Wagga Rotaract Club which encourages people aged 18-30 to contribute to programs that support the local community. She is now one of the leading supporters of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest.
She is also a Board member of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music and volunteers at events including the Gears & Beers Festivals, The Wagga Wagga Food & Wine Festivals, Truck Show & Kids-Convoys and the Teddy Bear’s Picnics. In 2021 she was named the Wagga Wagga Young Citizen of the Year.
Adult Volunteer of the Year – Bradon Lambert from Cootamundra
When Bradon started volunteering at the Red Cross, he noticed the great need to provide food and groceries to people in need in his community and became one of the founders of the Cootamundra foodbank service.
He studied Foodbank services in nearby towns and built his local service from the ground up. 18 months on, he is a key presence in the Cootamundra foodbank shop, serving customers, delivering parcels and carrying bags.
Senior Volunteer of the Year – William Pippen from Coolamon
Bill began his volunteering with a local bird lovers group as an eager young 10-year-old armed with his box brownie camera. At over 80 years of age, he is still a tireless supporter and volunteer for the Coolamon Landcare Group and other community organisations.
He plants trees, raises funds and undertakes general maintenance. He maintains his lifelong love of the land and the environment, recording birdlife and other flora and fauna in the Kindra Forest region. He continues to give his time updating important Forestry NSW ecological surveys.
Volunteer Team of the Year – South Wagga Rotary Rocky Hill Regeneration Volunteers
The 60 volunteer team members of the South Wagga Rotary Rocky Hill Regeneration group provide more than 1,500 volunteer hours each year to look after Kooringal’s Rocky Hill environment for local walkers, orienteers, bike riders and families.
The volunteers clear and remove weed species to allow the local white box, Blakely’s red gum, kurrajongs and white cypress trees to flourish and provide habitat for eastern grey kangaroos, blue tongue and legless lizards, brown snakes, and a myriad of birds and insects.
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 2022 NSW Volunteer of the Year.
The 2022 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.