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The ceremony, held at Riverlinks Eastbank, was attended by 240 people with a further 700 people tuning in to the livestream from the comfort of their homes. Each of the nominees were recognised for their volunteering efforts in supporting the Greater Shepparton community.
Awards were presented for six categories, with three Special Commendation’s also awarded by the Assessment Panel. The award recipients were:
- 2022 Young Volunteer: Denni Bathman
- 2022 Adult Volunteer: Furaha Baguma
- 2022 Adult Volunteer Special Commendation: Troy McKindley
- 2022 Team Volunteer: Shepparton Search and Rescue Squad
- 2022 Long Serving Volunteer: William (Bill) Brown
- 2022 Long Serving Volunteer Special Commendation: Sam Atukorala
- 2022 Pandemic Response Individual: Amy De Paola
- 2022 Pandemic Response Team: GV Cares
- 2022 Pandemic Response Team Special Commendation: Greater Shepparton Unites in Voice
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Now in its 13th year, the awards attracted an impressive 39 nominations, with entrants volunteering their time to various organisations, service clubs and sporting groups across the region. Mayor, Councillor Kim O’Keeffe congratulated each of the winners on their award.
“I congratulate and commend each of the recipients of the 2022 Greater Shepparton Volunteer Recognition Awards,” she said.
“While every nomination we received was deserving of an award, the winners were carefully selected for their impressive displays of dedication to their community over a number of years. These awards recognise that their effort and commitment are acknowledged and appreciated.”
This year, following the outstanding community response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Greater Shepparton, Council added a special once-off Pandemic Response category to the awards. This category was for both individual and team work which helped support the thousands of community members in isolation at the height of the outbreak across the region.
“We relied heavily on the work of volunteers throughout the pandemic, particularly when more than 20,000 locals found themselves in isolation as COVID moved through the region last year,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
“These individuals and groups worked tirelessly to provide food, medical supplies, support and care to those at home. Their work was immeasurable and it was extremely important to Council that we acknowledged, recognised and thanked those who gave up their time to help those in need.”
Further details on each of the award winners can be found here.
