Andrew Leigh

I had the pleasure this morning of being part of the ACT Volunteering Awards (where I spoke about Canberra's high volunteering rate, and the late Herb Feith).

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Senator Kate Lundy
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory

Gai Brodtmann MP
Member for Canberra

Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fraser

MONDAY 5 DECEMBER 2011

National awards recognise local heroes in the ACT

To celebrate International Day of the Volunteer Federal Labor Representatives Senator Kate Lundy, Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann and Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh awarded ten outstanding local volunteers and volunteer groups with the National Volunteer Awards.

The Federal representatives partnered with Volunteering ACT to recognise local volunteers and their contribution to our community.

These awards say thank you to individuals who make an important contribution to the ACT community through volunteering.

“Volunteering is an essential part of the ACT community. Volunteering connects us, strengthens our sense of belonging and creates positive relationships that build a stronger community,” said Gai Brodtmann.

“Canberrans are more likely to volunteer than people in any other part of Australia. Our volunteers are the unsung heroes who give up their free time to deliver services, in the areas of sport, emergency services and community welfare,” said Andrew Leigh.

Senator Kate Lundy said “2011 marks the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers. The theme for the world-wide celebrations is ‘Inspire the Volunteer in You’ – recognising that everyone can be a volunteer and make a valuable contribution to their community.”

Maureen Cane, CEO of Volunteering ACT, said “International Day of the Volunteer thanks volunteers around the world for their efforts and to increase public awareness of the contribution of volunteers to society.”

To mark this special year we are recognising those individuals who work tirelessly as volunteers whose commitment to helping others goes above and beyond.

The following local volunteers and organisations received awards:

Name	Award	Nominated by
Robin Moore	Winner, Individual Volunteer of the Year	St Phillips Anglican Church
Sheila King	Highly commended, Individual Volunteer of the Year	Pegasus
Nellie Drent	Winner, Long Term Commitment to Volunteering	YMCA of Canberra
Pamela Mitchell	Highly commended, Long Term Commitment to Volunteering	Companion House
Anthony Zografos	Winner, Under 25 Individual Volunteer of the Year	Questacon
Radford College ‘teamSUPPORT’	Winner, Under 25 Team Volunteer of the Year	YMCA of Canberra
OzHarvest Team	Winner, Team Volunteer of the Year Award	Communities @ Work
Hand and Foot Massage Team	Highly commended, Team Volunteer of the Year Award	The Canberra Hospital
Heather Karpinnen	Winner, Innovation in Volunteering Award	Calvary John James Hospital
ANU Volunteers	Winner, New Volunteer Organisation	Colin Taylor, Deputy Director, Alumni Relations and Philanthropy

These ten award winners received a custom-designed award pack which included a letter of recognition from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Social Inclusion, a certificate of appreciation for their volunteering efforts and an IYV+10 commemorative stamp and coin set.

The ACT National Volunteer Award ceremony also provided an opportunity for Volunteering ACT to announce a new partnership with Community CPS Credit Union called ‘Community Volunteers’, and to launch its new branding and website.

“We look forward to a long and positive relationship as partners with Community CPS Credit Union to promote and support volunteering in Canberra through the Community Volunteers initiative,” said Maureen Cane.

National Volunteer Award ceremonies will be held across the country today. Over 100 Federal Members of Parliament are participating in the awards.

The Gillard Government is working to acknowledge the important role volunteers play in the community.

Last week the Government launched the National Volunteering Strategy. The strategy sets out how volunteering will be encouraged, supported and recognised across the nation over the next ten years.

The strategy can be downloaded at www.notforprofit.gov.au/news/launch-national-volunteering-strategy

The Volunteering ACT website is now at  www.volunteeringact.org.au