THE Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes has announced the recipients of their Australia Day awards, recognising and celebrating significant contributions to community life and active citizenship within the community.
Each year, two Bridgetown-Greenbushes residents and one community group or event are selected and recognised for the Premier's Australia Day Active Citizenship Awards.
Acting Shire CEO, Elizabeth Denniss, is pleased to announce the winners for this year.
"The calibre of nominees for the 2015 awards was outstanding and we are very proud to announce the winners of these awards for 2015," Ms Denniss said.
"Jenny Dewing is awarded the 2015 Premier's Australia Day Active Citizen of the Year award for her outstanding contribution and participation in so many community groups."
"Young Brenden James, who works at Mitre 10 in Bridgetown and is an inspirational Fire Fighting volunteer, has been named Active Citizen of the Year for a Person under 25 Years."
"The Active Citizen Award for a Community or Event has been awarded to the Greenbushes Community Garden Award, for their fantastic efforts and for making such a significant contribution to the Greenbushes community."
These award recipients will be acknowledged at the Bridgetown-Greenbushes celebrations held this Monday, Australia Day, at the Bridgetown Agricultural Showgrounds.
Premier’s Australia Day active citizenship award: Jenny Dewing
THE Premier's Active Citizen of the year award is a program rewarding community service at a local level. It focuses on community contribution and participation rather than personal achievement. Jenny Dewing is a fantastic example of a local citizen who quietly excels in this area.
Nominated by Mike Fletcher, Eric Wheatley (FCO, Kangaroo Gully Bushfire Brigade) and Richard Wittenoom (President, Bridgetown-Greenbushes Friends of the Forest), Ms Dewing has many attributes that ensure she is a deserved winner.
Ms Dewing is currently Captain of the Kangaroo Gully Bushfire Brigade, member and treasurer of the Blackwood Environment Society, member of the management committee for the Bridgetown Greenbushes Biosecurity Group, chairperson for the Bridgetown Railway Station Management Group, a key member in establishing the Small Landholders Group and editor of their publication, member and treasurer of the Friends of the Forest, volunteer for the Community Nursery, promoter of flora and fauna of the area as a volunteer during the Garden Festival showing groups our diverse natural environment and advisor to the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes for trails, road verge and creek revegetation projects.
For over thirty years the community has benefited from the contribution of Ms Dewing, who is a committed and resourceful community member, showing leadership for others and inspiration for many, volunteering many hours helping, organizing, leading and managing people and projects that benefit others in the community.
Ms Dewing is a member of many community groups, participating as an active member, office bearer and leader which has meant these groups have grown in size and status.
She is an unselfish, caring and respectful member in all the groups that she belongs to, helping to ensure that each group is able to benefit in achieving their aims. The returns to the community in both the long and short term have been enormous.
Ms Dewing is collaborative, considerate and caring in all aspects of her work in the community. She is truly inspirational and goes well beyond that which is required to be a recipient of this award.
Ms Dewing said she was delighted and honored to be receiving such recognition.
"It really is a great honor, although I don't really like all the fuss about this," she said.
"But I understand the importance of recognising and acknowledging volunteers in our community. I really value community and I would like to also acknowledge all the other wonderful volunteers who make such a big contribution to this community.
"One of the great things about our community is that there are so many little niches that people can be a part of."
Premier’s Australia Day active citizenship award for a person under 25 years: Brenden James
THE Premier's Active Citizen of the year award for a person under 25 years is also part of the program rewarding community service at a local level.
As a young person it is important to be an active community member, which is exactly what Brenden James is doing.
Nominated by Maureen Flemming and supported by staff of Mitre 10 and the Captain of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, Mr James is a deserved winner in this category.
Mr James is a dedicated fire fighter, who not only fights fires but helps with demonstrations with the brigade whenever the opportunity arises. Mr James often gives up a day's paid work in order to help fight fires or attend training courses.
He was only 16 when he first joined the Brigade and undertook all the required training courses in 2013, but had to wait until he was 17 before he was allowed to fight fires.
He has demonstrated active citizenship and enhancement of community life by being one of the youngest to ever join the Fire Brigade and being very committed to the service.
Since Mr James has turned 17, he has attended 73 per cent of all incidents that the Brigade has been to, which is a major achievement. He has assisted with road crash rescues, scrub fires, structure fires and provided medical assistance as required. He has also completed a further seven DFES endorsed training courses in an effort to be able to assist those in need should he be in attendance.
Mr James is a dependable, dedicated and a highly valued Brigade member, and is a well-deserved winner in this category.
He said he was honoured to be receiving this award.
"It is pretty overwhelming," Mr James said.
"I really enjoy being a volunteer and I plan to take this on as a full time career one day soon."
Premier’s Australia Day active citizenship award for a community group or event: Greenbushes Community Garden
THE Active Citizen Award for a Community Group or Event is awarded to groups that have made a noteworthy contribution during the current year or has given outstanding service to the community over a number of years with active involvement.
This year the Greenbushes Community Garden Group has been recognized for this award.
Nominated by Pat Scallan and Leonie Eastcott, the Greenbushes Community Garden is a thriving and productive plot on the main street in Greenbushes.
The Greenbushes Community Garden Group, which is a sub group of the Greenbushes Ratepayers and Residents Association, has taken a bare patch of earth on a vacant and disused property at the town’s main intersection and turned it into a productive and attractive garden and is absolutely a hive of activity for the community. A run down building on the site has been given a make-over for use by the group.
It is a place where people can meet, smile and grow in confidence, skills and creativity as they tend to their own fruit and vegetables and share their knowledge and their produce with others.
It is also a home to frogs, birds, bugs and all manner of creatures.
There has been a complete transformation on the patch of ground since the group formed and it has made a wonderful improvement to the environment in Greenbushes.
The garden has been established using the principles of permaculture and the group has installed rainwater tanks to make watering more practical.
They have also installed raised water wise wicking beds, planted fruit trees, built a frog pond and a home for bees and bugs.
The group has installed solar power as well so as to run activities and events in the garden and the Community Garden building, enabling them to motivate and educate their local community members.
The local Primary School students also benefit from this great garden, as the students use this garden as an educational resource.
Other activities that this awesome community group and facility offer include;
- The establishment of an herbarium of local plants.
- Helping with the collection and recording of macro invertebrates in local waterways in conjunction with the Blackwood Basin Group.
- Hosting wildflower walks in the area.
- Hosting monthly Community Morning Teas, to help establish strong community links.
- Providing a facility for community celebrations, such as end of year wind-up gatherings.
The Greenbushes Community Garden group members exemplify what “community building” is all about. Through the example they set in caring for the environment and promoting locally grown produce, the members of this group have fostered many of the ingredients which make a small country town sustainable. They are a well deserved group for this great award.
Greenbushes Community Garden Coordinator Tracy Lansdell said it was great to be acknowledged with such an honour.
"It was a lovely surprise when we heard we had won the award and to be acknowledged for what we’ve achieved together is really special," Ms Lansdell said. "We have a great group of volunteers who have been there from the beginning and we’re grateful to have the support of our local community, businesses and school.
"Most of the hard work in establishing the garden is now over and we are all looking forward to enjoying this peaceful space with regular community morning teas and workshops where everyone is invited to come together and connect."
