By Charlene Macaulay
Some of Wyndham’s most giving souls have been honoured at the 2018 Wyndham Community Volunteer Awards.
Wyndham mayor Peter Maynard said the winners had collectively spent 80 years volunteering for the community across sports groups, the environment, tourism and community health and wellbeing.
Community Engagement award winner Lyn Scott’s service accounts for more than half of that time, having spent the past 42 years volunteering with kindergartens, Girl Guides and local playgroups, helping vulnerable people in the community and assisting visitors.
It all started when Mrs Scott moved to Werribee in the mid-’70s and helped set up a playgroup in Synnot Street, Werribee.
“It stems from education and trying to make people’s lives a little bit better so they can grow,” the 76-year-old said. “To see them really down and out and then they start to blossom makes it worthwhile.”
At 14, Young Volunteer of the Year Joanne Williams has already made her mark, having volunteered with the West Victoria Homeless Support Group, Crossroads Uniting Church, Beach Patrol and Love Our Streets,
The Hoppers Crossing resident, who is in year 8 at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College, started volunteering when she was 11 and said she was particularly proud of making mats from recycled plastic bags for the homeless.
Other award winners included Wal Johnston (Arts, Culture or Tourism), Kym O’Loughlin (Community Health and Wellbeing), Bruce Boddington (Environment or Sustainability), Rhonda Edwards (Sports and Recreation), and Boomerang Bags (Community Group).
The winners will be acknowledged at a gala awards evening later this month and the 2018 Citizen of the Year will be selected from the pool of individual category winners.
