Volunteers have been honoured and their community contributions recognised at the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board volunteer awards.
Held at the start of National Volunteer Week, 19 volunteers were acknowledged at a celebration at Torbay Sailing Club.
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Chair Julia Parfitt thanked the volunteers for their contributions to communities in East Coast Bays and on the Hibiscus Coast.
“Volunteers are our unsung heroes. You work hard helping others and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
We thank all volunteers for the many hours they devote to their communities, and also their families, who support their efforts.”
Each volunteer group nominated a representative for the award, and volunteers came from a range of sectors, including arts, environment, residents and ratepayer groups and education.
Among those honoured was Philip Crow who served the Estuary Arts Centre for more than 17 years before retiring this year. He helped find and renovate the original arts centre building and was the driving force behind adding the education wing.
Gwenda Holster-Dowler has served on the Orewa Sea Scout committee for nine years and works tirelessly for the group by fundraising, building community partnerships and volunteering.
Bill Ellis has been involved with the Torbay community for decades, serving on the Torbay Community Centre Committee for more than two decades, and the Torbay Historical Society since 1990. He gardens, does maintenance work, photographs local events and helps with fundraising.
Murrays Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association president, Josie Adriaansen, was the driving force behind the Outram Hall’s renovation, developing the website and maintaining the hall. She also manages the successful Murrays Bay Wharf Birdman Festival which she helped to re-establish in 2017.
Other recipients were:
- Laurie Rands, Orewa Lions and Eaves Bush Appreciation Group;
- David Gray, Deep Creek Restoration Society;
- Jocelyn Sanders, Rothesay Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association and Forest & Bird North Shore;
- Vern Rule, Flexman Reserve Restoration Group;
- Vanessa Smith, Bays Youth Community Trust;
- Mark Johnston, Orewa Surf Lifesaving Club;
- Mary Stewart, Friends of Long Bay;
- Robin Grover, Silverdale and Districts Historical Society;
- Ab Goubitz, Friends of Okura Bush;
- CAB stalwarts Peter G Taylor, North Shore, and Mary Cavell, Hibiscus Coast;
- Julie Parbhu, Mairangi Arts Centre;
- Graham Sandy, North Shore Riding for the Disabled;
- Jenny Chamberlain, Centennial Park Bush Society and Peter Townend, Long Bay Okura Great Park Society.
