2018 Civic Awards
Recipients of the 2018 Civic Awards
On 26 January 2018, Council formally acknowledged the efforts of individuals, community groups and businesses who contribute to helping others in the City of Maribyrnong.
Mayor Cr Cuc Lam hosted a reception where she acknowledged those inspirational community members who give so selflessly to making the City of Maribyrnong a great place to live, work and visit.
The 2018 Civic Awards recipients are as follows:
Following this year’s recipients you’ll also find a photo gallery of images from the day.
Citizen of the Year - Sr Jeanne Dwyer RSJ
Jeanne is the volunteer Chief Executive Officer of Joseph’s Corner, a registered charity and not-for-profit community organisation which provides free counselling for families affected by substance abuse.
Jeanne established Joseph’s Corner 17 years ago when she was 65 and has been a driving force behind the success of Joseph’s Corner since its inception. With no government funding, Jeanne has worked tirelessly in fundraising to keep Joseph’s Corner operating.
Jeanne’s efforts in promoting Joseph’s Corner has had the effect of increasing community awareness about the impact that drugs and alcohol have on the families of those with a substance abuse issue.
This has a strong ripple effect by ensuring that debate around, and understanding of, the ‘Drug Problem’ or the ‘Ice Epidemic’ is not solely focused on the drug dealers or the drug users but also takes into account the families of the user.
This wider debate has strengthened community understanding and support for families who are adversely impacted by living with a substance abuser and has resulted in a more caring community.
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Mayoral Award - Manmohan Singh Shergill
This year’s recipient of the Mayoral Award, Mr Manmohan Singh Shergill has been particularly active in the Punjabi community. For over 35 years Mr Shergill assisted newly arrived immigrants, including international students, settle in Australia. Notably, he worked towards having the Punjabi language recognised as a VCE subject.
Mr Shergill is a founding member of Sri Guru Singh Sabha - the Sikh Cultural Society of Victoria which is one of the biggest Gurudwaras (Sikh temples) in Australia, and volunteered for 3ZZZ radio station for the Punjabi language group, for over 25 years.
Mr Shergill has worked with many local councils as an Interfaith representative for the Sikh community and is someone who has worked to increase tolerance and community strengthening.
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Volunteer of the Year Award - Marg Lind
Marg truly lives and breathes the Kingsville Tennis Club’s motto - providing recreation and sporting opportunities for all regardless of age, level or ability, particularly for those in need. She was the instigator of the Wheelchair Tennis Program at the Club. This was the only club that ran a wheelchair tennis program when paralympic gold medallist and four time grand slam champion Dylan Alcott was a child.
She also instigated the Fun Tennis Program at the Club which is now in its 20th year. This program provides tennis opportunities for people with an intellectual and physical disability. Every Thursday morning the players receive coaching lessons from the Head Coach of the Club, followed by a lunch provided and catered for by Marg out of her own pocket.
Marg has volunteered in several roles, including President of Kingsville Tennis Club, Club Captain Kingsville Tennis Club, Vice President and committee member of Footscray Youth Club and Head Coach of City West Falcons Netball Club.
Marg is always the first to arrive and often the last to leave at the Footscray Youth Club, volunteering her time to open and close the gym, maintain the gyms cleanliness as well as leading the group training sessions. The atmosphere at the Club generated by Marg's passion and enthusiasm is contagious and is reflected in the growing membership of the Club.
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Community Strengthening Award - Rosamond Special School
Rosamond Special School is a ResourceSmart school and, through their Seeds Kitchen Garden program, strives to connect students with special needs and living in low income households to the importance of fresh grown produce. The program aims to embody the four pillars of sustainability throughout their teaching and learning practices.
The garden program focuses on reducing the ecological footprint by working with students to embed a sense of social advocacy towards harvesting and managing a small-scale urban farm. Students also develop an understanding of healthy eating and food preparation.
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Active Maribyrnong Sporting Award - Westgate Basketball Association
The Westgate Basketball Association has provided opportunities in sport with the formation of an all girl basketball skills program for five to ten year olds. The program was so successful that program sessions had to be increased to accommodate the number of girls wanting to take part in this fantastic initiative. More than 100 girls have participated in the program which has contributed to an increase in female participation in the sport and and increase in the number of female junior coaches.
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Arts Award - wit incorporated
wit incorporated was founded in 2014 because the founders (Jennifer Piper and Belinda Campbell) wanted to provide professional theatre, created at a local level, to residents of the City of Maribyrnong. Company members work on a profit-share basis, providing unpaid work each year.
Since 2014 they have staged eight fully-staged productions and two play readings, about 100 free artist workshops, two years of Wit Kids children’s drama classes and venue management for two seasons of Melbourne Fringe and one season of Melbourne Comedy Festival at Bluestone Church Arts Space. Every production includes a preview performance with free tickets for local residents, fostering participation in the arts and helping to strengthen local communities.
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Enterprise Maribyrnong Award for Contribution to Business Community - West Footscray Traders Association
The West Footscray Traders Association assisted in the successful delivery of the West Footscray Festival of Colours and Festival of Lights. It has developed strong connections between traders in West Footscray who have worked collaboratively to deliver festivals in and around the West Footscray area. The Association is attracting people from across Melbourne to shop, visit and dine in West Footscray. The Festival of Colours alone attracts more than 7,500 people to the area.
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Enterprise Maribyrnong Award for New and Emerging Business - Small Graces
Small Graces has bought something different and much-needed to Footscray with a focus on healthy, seasonal food.
They cater for all dietary requirements, with a number of vegan and gluten free options. The cafe is friendly and welcoming and brought new life to the area. Small Graces demonstrates a real commitment to the local community by participating in initiatives like DineSmart which raises funding for local homelessness services.
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Enterprise Maribyrnong Award for Innovative Business - Western Health Collective
This is a unique health clinic where a range of health businesses and practitioners are located in one place to assist those with chronic health conditions that may be physical, mental or emotional.
The Western Health Collective is linked with general practitioners, hospitals and midwives as well as other clinics and local specialists such as naturopaths, myotherapists, remedial massage therapists, psychologists, reflexologists, acupuncturists and osteopaths. Since opening in 2017 more than 4,000 appointments for health services locally have been made.
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Photo gallery
Take a look at the photo gallery below which includes the 2018 Civic Awards recipients.
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