With a vast array of volunteers in Cowra Shire, another wonderful group of individuals and organisations have been nominated for the Australia Day Awards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“The nominations put forward each year continue to showcase the truly outstanding individuals and groups that we have living in the Cowra community,” Cowra Mayor, Cr Bill West said.
The Awards will be presented at Cowra’s Australia Day celebrations on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Cowra Civic Centre.
Dr Warren Whiley Memorial Award for Arts, Culture and Citizenship
This year one nomination was received for James Lanham. James is the driving force behind ‘Western Warfare’ professional wrestling.
This may not sound as if it fits Arts, Culture and Citizenship but anyone who attends the show will proudly attest to James’ passion for the community.
He particularly engages with the audience, following the motto of Insane Championship Wrestling Central West of ‘Entertain, Inspire, Empower’.
James supports the community by offering fundraising opportunities to groups like Riding for the Disabled.
What is most outstanding about James and ‘Western Warfare’ is the engagement with the audience members, especially people with disabilities.
He has made this sport accessible to the entire Cowra Shire.
Community Group of the Year
Darbys Falls Progress Association
The Darbys Falls Progress Association has been operating for over 30 years to develop and maintain the village of Darbys Falls.
This can take many forms including lobbying for potable water for over 25 years finally paying off in 2016 with the installation of a water treatment plant.
The group tirelessly attend to many maintenance and upkeep tasks around the village including voluntary mowing, rubbish removal and weeding of a park, private cemetery and the Uniting church.
They host many annual events such as ‘Biggest Morning Tea’, cater for the annual Cowra Dog Show, participate in Clean Up Australia Day, hold a Rose and Flower show, ANZAC Day service, Australia Day service and Remembrance Day service; no small feat for a community of about 150 people, only 10 per cent of whom are in the Progress Association.
The members also volunteer in other organisations like RFS, Rotary, Cowra Show Society, Cowra Tidy Towns Committee and the Cowra Art Group.
Cowra Hospital Auxiliary
Cowra Hospital Auxiliary has a small and dedicated group of volunteers, membership in 2018 was 13.
They annually contribute approximately 6000 volunteer hours: since the first recording in 1996, this totals over 105,000 hours.
Cowra Hospital Auxiliary is the oldest in the state, beginning on 2 July 1881, yes 1881!
In the past four years they have raised more than $121,000 for our local hospital and more than $436,500 since 1988.
They do so by seeking sponsorship, holding raffles and street stalls and attending events to sell fairy floss.
However, their most successful activity is their lamington sales.
For over 40 years they have met at 4am between May and October to create these delightful creations.
Since 2016 they have sold 7,550 dozen lamingtons, or 90,600 individual lamingtons.
Their nomination specifically notes that this equates to 6.342 kilometres of lamingtons if placed end to end – an amazing feat, or should that be an amazing treat?
Young Citizen of the Year
Hayley Amos
Hayley Amos is one of Cowra’s rising stars.
Her nomination credits her with an extraordinary list of achievements including Festival of International Understanding Youth Ambassador, 2019 St Raphaels School Captain and Sports Captain, member of the Cowra Youth Council, public speaker on social issues, winner of the Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork award, Youth Peace Award nominee and Australia Day award nominee.
She has been a strong advocate for social issues within Cowra and those affecting the world.
Hayley accepts everyone and is known as a friendly and approachable young lady.
Stassi Austin
Stassi Austin is another of our remarkable young citizens.
She is home schooled and participates extensively in the Cowra Shire community.
Stassi is a member of the Cowra Youth Council and has shared Chairperson duties, run meetings and acted as spokesperson for the group on many occasions.
During 2018 she took on an individual project for the Youth Council called ‘Project Upstander’, an anti-bullying action for young people.
At the young age of 16, Stassi has already achieved academically by undertaking a university double major in Librarianship and Corporate information Management.
She has assisted with organisation of Central West home school community activities, sports days and picnics.
Stassi has done all of this with a rare auto-immune blood disorder, requiring significant hospital treatment and chemotherapy at the age of 13.
Stassi is currently in remission but the disorder has no cure.
Stassi, along with her family, has since raised money for cancer research.
Jemma Pokoney
Jemma has entertained the Cowra community through dance and drama for many years.
She has performed at School Spectaculars, Regional Drama Camp, Regional Dance Ensemble and State Dance Festival as well as many local and regional events.
Jemma has been a Festival of International Understanding Youth Ambassador, has been on Cowra Youth Council for several years and is a school prefect and SRC member.
Jemma has also performed the National Anthem for many local activities including the Australia Day Ceremony on more than one occasion.
In 2017 she was the Lions Youth of the Year winner for Cowra and World Peace Day public speaking winner in 2018.
She has represented Cowra as a Seikei Japan exchange student and participated in many representative events during that time.
Cowra Citizen of the Year
The final category is Cowra Citizen of the Year, with one nomination for Gerard Farrar, a name known to many shire residents.
Gerard, or Ged to many, was nominated for a number of reasons.
His most prolific volunteer role is with the Cowra Show Society, dating back over 50 years, an incredible commitment.
Gerard has organised or been a part of working bees, event management and initiating new events.
On joining the Show Society General Committee in 1963/64 he worked in the cattle section, but not satisfied with this role he developed a second major cattle show, separate to the Spring Show.
He also is a major part of the annual Dorset Championship, now in its 32nd year.
He was a part of the initial Cowra Wine Show team and continues to assist with this event, recently introducing a new category for the 36th annual event.
He has been awarded “Honorary Life Membership” of the Show Society as a mark of respect for his overwhelming effort.
Gerard is the holder of information for the Show Society – he knows where things are kept, who will need them next, who to contact for particular work, the peculiarities of certain water and electricity connections and the ‘cantankerous cool room’.
Gerard was honoured with the storage shed being named after him as ‘Ged’s Shed’.
He has been nominated for the Agricultural Societies Council Dedication Award in 2017 and was one of three finalists.
His dedication to the Show Society is boundless but he doesn’t stop there.
He has been a member of St Raphael’s Parish for his entire life and assisted on the Parish Council, Parish Finance Committee, Catholic Youth Club Executive and was a member of the Parents and Friends Association for many years.
He also maintains the parish grounds, a task he has done for over 20 years.
Ged has collected his less able friends to attend social outings on a weekly basis and was an active member of the Bushfire Brigade during his farming years.
Read more: