Kingborough Community Awards

Ms WEBB (Nelson) – Mr President, I pay my respects to the palawa/pakana of lutruwita Tasmania, the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, as the traditional owners and continuing custodians of this land that we are on today.  I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and recognise the connection of the palawa to this land for over 40 000 years.  The rich culture that emanates from that connection has survived invasion and dispossession and continues today.  This land was never ceded.

I speak today on a very pleasant topic, the Kingborough community awards, which recognise the efforts of some constituents and groups within my community who have been honoured, quite rightly, for their wonderful contributions.  The Kingborough Awards honour local residents who, through their commitment to community service, have made an outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of the Kingborough community.

Each year I am amazed and heartened by the people of Kingborough who give so selflessly to help others in their community.

Today I am delighted to recognise the 2021 recipients of the Kingborough Awards.  The Kingborough Citizen of the Year Award is given to a person or group who, through great personal effort and initiative over a considerable time, has made a significant difference to the quality of life in the community.

Else Phillips and David Vickery were the two exceptional people presented with the Citizen of the Year Award this year.

Else Phillips is well known as committee president of Kingborough’s Australia Day celebration A Day on the Beach, which attracts about 12 000 people to Kingston Beach to have fun, to share their pride in the community and to celebrate being Australian.

Like so many events, A Day on the Beach was cancelled in 2021 but this may have been a welcome breather for Else who has been volunteering for 18 years in that role.  She is a valued volunteer also with Loui’s Van, St Vincent de Paul and the Kingborough Helping Hands.

Else is also an active Rotary member and a key organiser of the Rotary Mega Market, the Youth Driver Awareness Program, the Youth Program of Enrichment and the Kingston Beach Fun Run, the Kingston club’s major fundraiser which attracts several hundred people each year.

I offer my huge congratulations to Else and thank her for her contribution.

David Vickery also received the Citizen of the Year Award for his significant contribution to education, to disability services and to amateur drama in Kingborough. 

He set up some of the first amateur theatre productions in Kingborough, inviting locals to share his love of community theatre.  David was an active member of the Parents and Friends Association for both Kingston Primary School and Kingston High School.

He worked particularly hard to secure an above-ground pool for Learn to Swim at Kingston Primary at a time when there were no suitable swimming pools in the area.  David also rallied the Kingston High School community to protest against the threat of funding cuts in 1990.  David was made a life member of the Kingston High School P&F in 2011 in gratitude for his service and commitment to the school community over many years.

David has also been an active member of the Inclusion Access Advisory Committee providing Kingborough Council with thoughtful advice and assistance to improve conditions for people with disability and their carers.  It is a role Kingborough Council hopes that he will continue in for a long time yet, I hear.

Another award given out is the Young Citizen of the Year Award, and it is with special pleasure that I recognise Isabella Oakley, the worthy recipient of this year’s Young Citizen of the Year Award.

Citing the well-known Edna Pennicott as an inspiration, 13-year-old Bella has been volunteering with Kingborough Helping Hands since she was seven.  For almost half her life Bella has been helping with baking, food distribution, fundraising and events, often being one of the last to leave after cleaning and packing up.  Bella reached out to people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering dog-walking, baking and grocery delivery to those who were unable to leave their homes. 

Bella is an active member of the St Aloysius Catholic College community.  She is a member of the school’s Mini Vinnies group and she also provides mentorship and support to new students.  Bella has clearly made a positive difference in the lives of so many as a volunteer and a young community leader.  I am very inspired by what the future holds for Bella and I thank her highly for what she has done for the community.  Well done, Bella.

The Taroona Community Association received a further award, the Community Group of the Year Award.  That was for community support services, in particular its street coordinator program, which was established in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic.  The basis of this grassroots program was the appointment of local resident coordinators in each Taroona street.  Coordinators made direct contact with the residents of their street and provided help to people in need, including arranging shopping and social support for older members of the community.  This initiative was so successful, it has been continued during the bushfire season and through other emergencies.

The Taroona Community Association also produces a regular newsletter which is hand‑delivered to 1450 households throughout Taroona.  This newsletter is a valued communication tool across the whole community.

Finally, I give special mention to two certificates of appreciation awarded this year as part of the award ceremony.  The first one was to Phil and Jill Long of Margate for their contribution to their community, and the second was to Kingborough Community Missions, a group that provides much-needed food and other support to the Kingborough community.  Congratulations for the certificates of appreciation in those two instances.

Many needed community services would not exist without volunteers.  I hope all members will join me in congratulating this year’s Kingborough Awards recipients, adding our personal thanks to each of them for the work they do.

Members – Hear, hear.

See more of Meg’s Special Interest stories from the Nelson community