THE City of Casey’s highest honours were awarded to devoted and selfless community members and organisations on Sunday night.
The annual Casey Australia Day Awards ceremony was held at the Casey Civic Centre, where five individuals and two community groups were recognised for their contribution to the city.
The top gong – Casey Citizen of the Year – was awarded to Bert Rae for his tireless volunteer work in the community, something he has been doing since he was child.
Casey Young Citizen of the Year was Ben Hill, Senior Citizen of the Year was Margaret Sansom, Sportsperson of the Year was Shabnam Safa and Non-resident of the Year was Maree Cullinan.
Alkira Secondary College’s Year 11 VCAL students were awarded the Community Event of the Year for their ‘In their footsteps’ program. The project had them write biographies for 22 local veterans who served in the Korean War and Vietnam War and then present them back to their subjects at a special ceremony.
The Community Fund-raising Event of the Year was presented to Berwick Rotary Club for their Annual Charity Golf Day.
This event brings businesses from across the community together to participate in a game of golf, networking and promotion and culminates in a trophy presentation and dinner.
In 2013, a total of$13,000 was raised on the day, $9000 of which was donated to Windermere Child and Family Services and $2000 to the Berwick and Beaconsfield fire brigades.
The Lynbrook Residents Association was also presented with a Highly Commended certificate for the Lynbrook Lake Lantern Festival.
The Casey Australia Day Award winners for 2014 are:
Casey Citizen of the Year – Bert Rae
Mr Rae has been a devoted and active community member since he was a child, and is involved in daily community volunteer work. He is the chair of the Narre Warren North Community Carols and was instrumental in starting the event. Mr Rae is also a committee member for the Berwick and District Benevolent Society, Berwick Agricultural Show Society, Narre Warren North Community Association and volunteers for a range of other community organisations.
Casey Young Citizen of the Year – Ben Hill
Ben is a dedicated young leader at Fountain Gate Secondary College and is respected by his peers for his selfless drive to improve the social, physical and spiritual environment of the school. As school captain, he has led the fight against youth depression, raised funds for Fountain Gate Secondary College’s sister school in East Timor and fostered school spirit through a number of student versus teacher sporting matches. He also volunteers at the Clyde Tennis Club and in the St Vincent De Paul soup kitchen.
Casey Senior Citizen of the Year – Margaret Sansom
Ms Sansom has been volunteering in the community for many years, including the local preschool, primary school and Berwick Calisthenics Club as her children grew up.
Over the past 30 years, Ms Sansom has been part of the Meals on Wheels program, delivering meals to residents across the community. Her commitment to helping others continues through her current involvement and service with the Rotary Inner Wheel Club of Narre Warren.
Casey Sportsperson of the Year – Shabnam Safa
Shabnam is an accomplished community sports star practising karate and retaining titles of Victorian Champion and Australian Champion multiple times since 2011. She is the current state champion for her age group in Kata and Sparring, and is the national Sparring champion. Shabnam was an Australia Day Study Tour recipient, was the 2012 Casey Youth Ambassador and promotes the importance of preserving Victoria’s marine environment.
Casey Non-resident of the Year – Maree Cullinan
Ms Cullinan is a co-ordinator at the Balla Balla Community Centre where she has developed a sense of partnership and community in the rapidly growing area. In her role, she encourages community participation for people of all abilities, through promoting a range of programs and special events. Her dedication is not only evident with her work at the Balla Balla Community Centre, but with the seven other organisations she is involved with across the City of Casey.
