Each year, Redland City Council recognises outstanding residents of the Redlands through its annual Australia Day Awards. These awards acknowledge high achieving members of our community who have made outstanding contributions and have given freely of their time, knowledge and enthusiasm to promote the welfare and wellbeing of the Redlands.

 

Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients of this year’s awards for their contributions in 2011.

 

Citizen of the Year Award – Sharon Whitchurch

After an extensive and painful recovery from a horrific accident in 2006, Sharon has worked tirelessly, both locally and interstate, on the “Hypodrive” project to make drivers aware of the dangers of driving with diabetes. A single mother of three, Sharon works full-time and still finds time to dedicate to the Hypodrive project. She has established a website and in conjunction with Capalaba Lions Club, volunteers many hours to get the word out and educate the community.

 

 

Young Citizen of the Year Award - Chris Eigeland

Chris works to encourage and connect youth with current issues. At just 21, Chris already has a very impressive list of achievements. On an internatonal level he co-founded The Schoolbag, an international not-for-profit website that raised donations of 11,000 school items for underprivileged kids in Haiti.

 

On a local level, he set up Griffith Students in Free Enterprise, a group which puts student volunteers in touch with organisations. In the first 18 months of operation this group had mobilised more than 150 Griffith University volunteers to work at 16 local organisations. In 2011, he also established the “Ourstories” website as a platform for catalysing donations for people affected by the Queensland floods.

 

Chris also represented Australia at the World Model Nations conference in The Hague in 2009, the One Young World Summit in 2010 and at APEC Voices of the Future in 2010. In 2011, he was also awarded a Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Award and he is currently in Hong Kong acting as an Australian Ambassador.

 

 

Senior Citizen of the Year Award – Iris Cuff

At sixty-nine years of age, Iris has been described by those who know her as a lady with an unswerving dedication to others. For over 20 years she has volunteered her time to The Redland Vision Impaired Group. She has helped attract new members, planned social gatherings, organised guest speakers, assisted with costs for morning teas and helped transport members. She has spent innumerable hours sourcing and providing information to people who are “sight impaired”. She has always been an active member in the community and is also involved with Blue Care.

 

 

Community Organisation Award – Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club

The Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1947 and provides a vital community service. The volunteer surf lifesavers are responsible for providing a safe environment for the people at our popular beaches and they risk their lives to save others. In the last ten years the lifesavers have saved 625 lives. The club also takes a proactive approach to beach safety, often conducting public and tourist education. The club has received many accolades throughout its time.

 

 

 

Jennifer is a tireless volunteer for the Macleay Island Art Gallery Potters Shed. Not only has she held the position of coordinator for three years but she goes above and beyond to encourage new members, support existing members and create a friendly atmosphere. She cares for and visits sick members and uses her own vehicle to pick up members that travel from other islands. We received 12 letters supporting Jennifer’s nomination for an Australia Day Award and every person said they considered themselves lucky to have her in their lives.

 

For over 15 years, Keith has unselfishly put his personal and work life on hold to assist the boating public to return safely to their loved ones. He is an active member with the Raby Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue and has been involved in many search and rescue operations. This volunteer work can be extremely dangerous and means that Keith’s life can be at risk. Despite this he gives of his time freely, is extremely dedicated and works hard to always ensure the safety of himself and his crew.

 

 

Cultural Award – Redland Rhapsody Chorus

Redland Rhapsody Chorus was established in 1995 and is a community organisation dedicated to women’s four-part a cappella barbershop style harmony. The chorus draws its membership from the Redlands, Brisbane and Logan areas and has earned a number of national awards, including Australia’s best small chorus and most improved chorus. They are known for their high quality vocals and performance excellence with crowd pleasing innovative showmanship.

 

Special Recognition for cultural excellence – Jessica Brown

At fifteen years of age, Jessica has made significant achievements in her chosen field of the Arts. She started dance classes when she was 3 ½ and won her first competition at the age of seven. To pursue her dream of winning a place in the Royal Ballet School she has taken on a heavy workload. She currently studies dance full-time from 6am – 4.30pm during the week and then continues her school studies through distance education. In addition to this, Jessica competed in numerous competitions throughout 2011 and did extremely well, winning 1st place in many of them.

 

 

 

Michael has spent more than half a century as an energetic contributor to the betterment of the environment and extending our knowledge of the natural world. His active participation in recording, banding and tracking birds and animals goes back as far as 1957. During that time he has volunteered many hours to tracking animals and training numerous young people. Mike has also been involved with Point Lookout Bushcare for more than a decade and regularly patrols his local area picking up rubbish. He has been described as a “one-man powerhouse of constructive environmentalism”.

 

Jan is an extremely active member of the community. She is a wildlife carer with a specific knowledge of very young orphaned animals. These animals need specialised care to survive and Jan has trained many to do this work. She is constantly on call for other wildlife carers and even wrote a children’s book about caring for an orphaned possum. Jan is also a member of the Birkdale Progress Association and for over 10 years has given regularly of her time to the Station Street Bushcare Group.

 

 

Sports Award - Thomas Pichler

Thomas started gymnastics when he was six and has been representing Australia since 2001 at the age of 15. He has competed in numerous competitions both nationally and internationally and has earned a swag of trophies and medals, including two Gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Despite his strenuous time-consuming training schedule, in 2011 Thomas generously volunteered his time to act as an ambassador for Redland City Council’s inaugural Koala Fun Run. He used his fame and popularity to help promote the event’s two main messages: acting to protect koalas and the importance of people leading a healthy active lifestyle.

 

 

Nominations for the 2013 Australia Day Awards will open in April 2012 and close in November 2012.

 

For further information, ph 3829 8580.