Noosa paid tribute on Queensland Day on 6 June to some incredible, selfless and inspirational unpaid workers, our volunteers, and businesses that pro bono their services to make Noosa such a special place.
The J Theatre was full of laughter and cheers as 150 residents gathered to honour 56 incredible volunteers at the Noosa Electorate Queensland Day Awards.
Nominated by their peers, each year our unsung heroes are honoured at the awards, an initiative begun in 2015 by then Noosa MP Glen Elmes and continued for the eighth year this year by current Noosa MP Sandy Bolton.
A Queensland Day medallion and Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to those who dedicate their expertise and time to a broad range of community sectors including sports, environment, animal welfare, heritage and culture, as well community support.
Noosa District State High School Student, Matilda Malone shared her incredible talent to treat the audience to a brilliant range of her songs to kick off and finalise the proceedings. Master of Ceremonies Sam Coward added his comedic flair to the occasion which highlighted the amazing achievements and irreplaceable contributions of the award recipients to our community, many over multiple decades.
“One of things most interesting in a diverse community such as ours, it’s often the efforts of those without recognition, with rewards, without pay that go unrecognised and unnoticed most of the time. So today we get to celebrate you and the efforts and achievements you’ve made throughout the year,” Sam said.
Ms Bolton described these people as “the beating heart of our community”.
“They are the thread that holds our social fabric together. They touch our lives. They make a difference. When you look at the breadth from providing for our children with their activities to tending the elderly, going in and reading to those in our aged care facilities who don’t have any visitors all year, saving and protecting our wildlife and furry friends and their habitats, to fighting fires to our SES, for our events – cultural and arts – I just cannot imagine our lives without all of them.
“In our community, electorate, our shire, we have close to 400 not for profits held together and delivering for us through our volunteers.
“Every volunteer I meet, what they do is inspire us to do better and be better every day.”
In partnership with major sponsors, Cooroy RSL and Noosa Today, Ms Bolton thanked the awardees, and all of our selfless residents who dedicate their time and efforts to deliver essential services and to make where we live so special.
“There are so many deserving volunteers in our community, so please if you know someone who donates their time and expertise for the good of our community, consider nominating them next year,” she said.
The 2024 awardees were: Chris Paterson, Kristy Paterson, Rob Dessaix, John Edwards, Vicki Dessaix, Col Oats, Bruce ‘Charlie’ Charlesworth, Christine Barry, Bernadette Murphy, Carol Johnston, Jackie Bazzo, Janet Bates, Judith McCourt, Paul Ryan, Oz Bayldon, Darren Ratten, Shane Nelson, Brooke Summers, Ron Greentree, Al Hensley, Wayne Carlson, Roger Aspinall, Joanne Power, Monica Staal, Nicolas Tudor, John Munro, Margot Tredinnick, Lyn Muir, Jon Pearce ‘Marlin’, Ian Bannister ‘Migaloo’, Irene Waters, Barry Nordberg, Michael Robinson, Rochelle Gooch, Peter Coleman, Amy Colley, Phillip Moran, Debbie Polley, John Stuart, Brian O’Connor, Judy Castledine, Rosie Grogan, Peter Bold, Beryl Rowan, Malcolm Lynch, Christine Lynch, Cara Tynan, Vicky Tran, Jennifer Sadler, Nathan O’Neill, Penelope Lena, Nicole Appleton, Dianne Lindsay, Vanessa Presling, William Watson and Marg Banfield.
Photos from the awards can be found at www.sandybolton.com/qld-day-awards
