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2023 Citizen of the Year Award

Philippa Street from Candelo has dedicated two decades to the rehabilitation of Candelo Creek and other projects focused on Candelo village and its parklands. She fell in love with Candelo, its history and the way the streetscape connects to the nearby parklands.

In 2003, when Philippa joined Candelo and District Landcare Group, Candelo Creek was separated from the village’s parklands and the rest of the village by a wall of willow and blackberry. One aim of the Candelo Creek project was to reunite the village with the creek and create a place where people and nature could thrive.

It took six years to remove the bulk of the willow, using funding from grants procured by Philippa and Candelo Landcare. This involved thousands of hours of volunteer work from Landcare and the wider Candelo community, including the Candelo Rural Fire Service and Candelo Public School.

The result has been improved biodiversity, enhanced geomorphology and better water quality. The creek project contributed to the aesthetic value of Candelo's townscape with walking trails, swimming holes and sandy beaches.

Keeping the community engaged in the project was the next challenge. Philippa has produced an interpretive sign, a bird watching brochure and a tourist walking map. She also successfully worked to get the footbridge to Candelo Swimming Pool built.

Instrumental in supporting volunteers to care for the creek, Philippa also brings diverse parts of the community together, including the Far South Coast Landcare Association, Indigenous representatives of local country, Candelo Public School and Candelo Meet-a-Mate. Her latest challenge was planting trees for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Philippa has been the driving force for the Candelo Creek project, demonstrating foresight, determination, tolerance, inclusiveness and respect.

The whole community and those who visit the area all benefit from these values. She hopes that by helping build strong connected communities and showing that we care, we can face future problems together with confidence and optimism.

2023 Senior Citizen of the Year Award

Daphne Sweeney from Bega has supported people and organisations in her community most of her life because it’s just who she is and what she was brought up to do in a family of eight children. She helps people because they need her help – as simple as that.

Daphne’s volunteer work extends decades, with Candelo and Bega Red Cross, the Bega Country Women’s Association (CWA), the Candelo Show Society, the Bega Show Society, the Anglican Church’s Friends of Court and Ricky’s Place and Bega Seniors Social Group.

With more than four decades in the CWA, Daphne has held the positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, and is now the Patron.

Daphne has been a very active member from the get-go, attending many conferences across the state and as a Far South Coast Group councillor.

She is a valued CWA member whose knowledge of her local community helps direct where fundraising would be best used for the community.

Friends of Court was a particularly rewarding volunteering experience for Daphne, providing magazines, tea, coffee and biscuits for people going through the court system. Children were given drinks, biscuits, books and toys to keep them distracted. Those items and a chat helped calm their nerves, providing warmth and care in an often-difficult situation.

At Ricky’s Place, volunteers served nutritious meals, offered a free shower and a place to come and chat or just hang out for people who were homeless, disadvantaged or doing it tough in some way.

As a member of the Bega Seniors Social Group, Daphne meets up with others once a month and enjoys conversation, friendship, social activities and lunch.

Daphne has a son and daughter, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

2023 Young Citizen of the Year Award

Daytona Porter from Tathra is a 17-year-old youth leader who stands out not only as a high achiever, but as an accomplished mentor and inspiration to young people in her community and more broadly across the state.

Daytona is a School Captain at Bega High School and a National Rugby League (NRL) accredited referee who also volunteers with the Far South Coast Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) after school as a junior mentor supporting life change in disadvantaged youth.

In December last year, Daytona was presented with an Australian Olympic Change-Maker award by the Australian Olympic Committee, recognising her sense of friendship, sportsmanship and striving for excellence – both on and off the playing field - through leadership and driving positive change in her school and local community.

Daytona is one of a few young female NRL referees in NSW. Given her age, Daytona is only permitted to be an on-field referee during the ladies’ league-tag games, but she also runs the sidelines every weekend for the first grade and reserves. Once she turns 18, she will get the opportunity to referee the men's games.

The youngest Group 16 NRL grand final referee, Daytona was the first female to referee the Group 16 South Eastern NSW Women’s Rugby League Grand Final. She has also refereed regional NRL finals, including the Koori Knockout, Katrina Fanning Shield, League of Nations and Walgett Knockout.

Last year Daytona was awarded the Tathra Rugby League Junior Club Person of the Year, which was the first time it had been awarded to a female.

Daytona’s community spirit stretches beyond the sports fields. Lately she has been working with the Bega Valley Shire Council on a number of youth projects attached to the Youth Forum, including developing concepts for half-court basketball courts to bring young people together for positive change, especially in mental health and reducing crime.

2023 Young Citizen of the Year Award

Zoe Pentin from Pambula is a high achiever academically and in her community engagement activities. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Wollongong (Bega Campus), receiving a distinction for her degree in sociology and Indigenous studies.

She is going to pursue her work in giving back to the community through studying a Masters in Secondary Education this year, with a prospect of teaching history and social science.

Dedicated and passionate about helping local young people to achieve their best, Zoe was a volunteer with the Far South Coast Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) in 2021 and 2022.

Zoe has supported community-centred young girls as a leader with the Merimbula District Girl Guides and is a member of Bega headspace’s Youth Reference Group, having undergone mental health first aid training to provide support to the young people she works with.

Her passion for the environment, permaculture and regenerative agriculture resulted in Zoe establishing the Youth Climate Action Group that works closely with the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast. She was also a volunteer at the Bega Valley Youth Forum and the Wanderer Festival as a part of the Green Team.

Zoe also enjoys sports. She plays soccer with the Pambula United Football Club and won the Women’s Team Spirit Award in 2017.

Her softball team was runner-up in the 2021-22 Bega Valley softball competition and she was one of the winning crew in the Wallagoot Lake sailing regatta this year.

Other achievements include Pambula-Merimbula Lions Youth of the Year for 2018, Bega Valley Rotary Model United Nations representative in Canberra, Bournda Environmental Education Centre award recipient, Samaritan Appeal volunteer, school prefect, Further Education Scholarship winner and Mumbulla Community Foundation Scholarship winner.

Zoe is an enthusiastic and active member of the community and a shining example of what fabulous young people we have in the valley.

2023 Bega Valley Medallions

Bega Valley Medallions are awarded to people who have served within the Bega Valley community for an extended period of time. This year we have 13 outstanding members of the community awarded medallions.

Bev Walker from Eden is so actively involved with her community, you wouldn’t think she only moved there six years ago. Bev donates countless hours of her time assisting multiple organisations throughout Eden, including Eden View Club (she’s president and publicity officer), the Eden Amateur Fishing Club, Can Assist Bega and the Eden Visitor Information Centre, where she works up to three shifts a week and runs guided walks. Bev goes above and beyond with her volunteering efforts and is valued within her community.

Cherie White from Bermagui is a great support to anyone in need in the district. For seven years, Cherie ran the voluntary Tiny Teddies support group for mothers, fathers and grandparents caring for under school aged children and ran Tai Chi classes for U3A members at the Bermagui sportsground. She’s been an active member of the Bermagui and District Seniors’ Social Club for 10 years and has kept busy checking on members’ welfare and delivering groceries, food and books after the Black Summer bushfires and during the pandemic.

Christine Mcdowell from Tarraganda has been a volunteer with the Sapphire Community Pantry since 2018. She goes above and beyond the requirements of her role, delivering meals and groceries and minding children and dogs while customers shop. Christine also manages the Mobile Pantry in Bemboka every fortnight. And for some time she and two other volunteers ran a cooking program called Chop. Chew. Chat. for teenagers on the autism spectrum.

Michael Pryke from Tarraganda contributes countless hours as chair of the board of the Mumbulla Community Foundation, which he has run since 2016. He has successfully secured funding for community grants, university scholarships, back to school vouchers and more. Mick is also a board member of Cobargo Community Development Corporation, Southern Cross Housing and Community Foundations Australia.

Patricia Jones from Bega has volunteered as a member of the Old Bega Hospital Reserve Trust since December 2003. Elected Chairperson in April 2007, Patricia remains in that position, leading the dedicated committee, applying for funding to restore the main building after fire destroyed it in 2004 and providing care, control and management of the site for Crown Lands. She has a long history of working within the community, starting in the 1960's.

Nigel Ayling from Tura Beach has been a resident of the Bega Valley for 17 years. He  is President of the Merimbula Chamber of Commerce and has served for 6 years in that role. He has also served as Chair of the Bega Valley Business Forum for the past 3 years, which represents 6 Chambers of Commerce in the Bega Valley. He is a passionate and dedicated advocate for small business and volunteers countless hours to supporting the business community, especially during the past few years during the Black Summer Fires and Covid. Through his leadership his has helped access over $500,000 in grant applications and funding to run events and projects that benefit  both residents and visitors to the area.

Reverend Michael Palmer  from Eden was the key driver in establishing Eden Canoes, a project to empower Aboriginal young people from Eden Marine High School through canoe building. His involvement and passion for the project, along with Twofold Aboriginal Corporation, an amazing team of indigenous mentors, and the support of Eden Community Access Centre and Anglicare, has seen many young people learn the art of canoe making as well as exploring relationships with others and using their canoes to explore the local environment. Since the start of the program many students have found an outlet that has transformed their lives.

Cherie Mercado from Eden played a major role in securing grant funding for the Eden Fitness Trail and her passion for the project resulted in the formation of the Eden Trailblazers, a local exercise group. A retired physiotherapist, Cherie teaches members how to use the outdoor fitness equipment properly and runs two sessions every Thursday morning. Cherie also volunteers at the Nethercote market and has been secretary of the Eden Recovery and Resilience Alliance Committee since its formation following the Black Summer bushfires.

Damien Tilley from Mirador has worked tirelessly in the community as a police officer during the Black Summer bushfires and the pandemic. For several years now he has volunteered as a coach for a girls’ rugby league tag team at the Merimbula Pambula Junior Bulldogs and has been involved in many roles at the Pambula Nippers Surf Lifesaving Club.

Doug and Robyn Blair. Every week for more than 10 years, Doug and Robyn Blair from Pambula walk along Arthur Kaine Drive between Pambula and Merimbula picking up rubbish along the roadside. They are key to keeping the highway looking neat, tidy and attractive for residents and visitors.

Maureen Volentras moved to Towamba 23years ago and joined the Progress Association. She has painted the Towamba Hall, planted trees, written a monthly Towamba News piece for the Eden Magnet and for 18 years, presented weekly 2-hour programs on Towamba and Eden radio stations. Maureen also taught some Primary School students to broadcast their radio shows. Following the Black Summer bushfires, Maureen agreed to fundraise for the Rural Fire Service. She secured a grant for an 80,000 litre quick fill water tank and raised more funds for a generator and cage, hose drying rack, hand-held radios and an infrared camera, 12 steel lockers and more.

Nicholas Sticotti from Bega has volunteered extensively in his local community, contributing to bushfire recovery efforts and the Cobargo Folk Festival each year. Following the Black Summer bushfires, he provided gardening assistance to affected property owners with general labouring, clearing weeds and digging vegetable gardens. As a member of a team of people, Nick helps manage the waste systems during the Cobargo Folk Festival, optimising waste sorting to minimise landfill waste.