Volunteers from Sydney’s Mid West celebrated at NSW Volunteer of Year awards

Volunteers from Sydney’s Mid West celebrated at NSW Volunteer of Year awards

Volunteers from across Sydney’s Inner West were today recognised for their outstanding contribution to volunteering in NSW at a special ceremony in Burwood.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is an annual event run by The Centre for Volunteering and is the biggest celebration of volunteering across the country.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Award recipients for the Mid Western region are:

The Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate said volunteers from across the region had made an enormous contribution to the local community.

“Volunteers from across the area give their time helping in schools, hospitals, for sporting clubs, the environment, and with so many community based organisations,” Ms Rygate said.

“They all give so much without asking for anything in return.

“It was so pleasing to recognise their outstanding efforts and also celebrate the special contribution of the volunteers chosen to represent the region in November at the State Final of the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.”

Andrew Linday’s volunteering efforts at Taronga Zoo helping visitors and maintaining the Sky Safari cableway earned him the Young Volunteer of the Year Award for the region. His extra volunteering for zoo events for people with autism has helped enrich the lives of all zoo visitors and staff.

Mid-West Sydney Young Volunteer of the Year Andrew Lindsay from Sky Safari

Andrew Green was selected as the Adult volunteer of the Year for his work helping young people via Marist 180’s Upcycle program.  He has assisted 50 young people to re-enter education, discover new enthusiasm for work or learn new skills with his passion for volunteering and helping others.

The Balmain Parra Rowing Club was awarded the Volunteer Team of the Year?for 2018 for its work helping people with a disability get more involved in the sport of rowing.

Balmain Parra Rowing Team, Mid Western Sydney Volunteer Team of the Year.

Former Strathfield Mayor Peter Smith is a prolific local volunteer who has led and supported scores of volunteer groups and events over the past 15 years. He has assisted groups from Rotary and the Salvation Army to Carol’s by Candlelight and Clean Up Australia Day. Peter was awarded the Senior Volunteer of the Year and was selected as the overall Volunteer of the Year for the Mid-western region in Sydney.

The 2018 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is supported by principal partners the Department of Family and Community Services NSW and ClubsNSW, which represents the state’s 1,400 not-for-profit clubs. They are also supported by Etchcraft and Thrifty Car & Truck Rentals.

The 2018 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are supported by principal partners the Department of Family and Community Services NSW and ClubsNSW, which represents the state’s 1,400 not-for-profit clubs. They are also supported by Etchcraft and Thrifty Car & Truck Rentals.

NSW Minister responsible for Volunteering, the Hon. Ray Williams, said the state’s 2.1 million volunteers contributed more than $5 billion to the NSW economy every year.

“Nominating local volunteers for an award or a certificate is a special way of saying thank you,” Mr Williams said.

“The fact that so many nominations were received this year is recognition of the amazing effort of volunteers across NSW who help build stronger communities.”

ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball said that volunteers were the backbone of registered clubs across NSW.

“ClubsNSW is very proud to support the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards and every one of the amazing volunteers recognised today, Mr Ball said.

“Clubs across NSW rely on 32,000 volunteers to help make their venues a vibrant and enjoyable experience,” Mr Ball said.

“They also contribute so much more to our wider community, adding billions of dollars to the NSW economy each year.”

You can see event photos here

The Centre for Volunteering would like to thank the generosity of the following organisations for their ongoing support of the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards:

Background

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is an annual program launched in 2007 by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the outstanding efforts of the 2 million+ volunteers in NSW, and to promote the importance of volunteering to the community. The Awards are a celebration of the amazing commitment and achievements volunteers make in our communities and a chance for us to come together to give our thanks. The Awards acknowledge the efforts of thousands of volunteers, volunteer managers, volunteer involving organisations and corporates in bringing about social change through volunteering.