The Tweed Citizen of the Year is Deputy Captain of Kingscliff Fire Station and disability support worker, Julie Lowe, from Kingscliff.
Julie has spent the past 17 years as a firefighter and in the past 3 years founded her own disability support service, Full Circle Support, where she delivers a wide range of services to help participants to achieve personal goals, increase independence and be an active part of their community.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry presented the award to Julie at an event at Tweed Heads today.
“When she is not fighting fires, Julie dedicates almost all of her spare time to providing meaningful and innovative activities and support for people in their daily lives,” Cr Cherry said.
“This includes interstate creative excursions, professional and personal skills development, health and fitness assistance, work experience support, photography and arts classes, music and dance workshops and even horse-riding sessions.
“Julie’s charity, compassion and conviction to protect and improve the lives of those around her affirm her value in both the Kingscliff and broader Tweed community.”
More information about Full Circle Support and the services Julie provides can be found at fullcirclesupport.com.au.
Council’s Acting General Manager Naomi Searle was the master of ceremonies for the awards which saw recipients honoured in 6 other categories, including the newly introduced Senior Ambassador category:
Arts and Culture
Community Event of the Year
Senior Ambassador (inaugural year)
Sporting Achievement (Individual and Group)
Volunteer of the Year (Individual and Group)
Young Achiever in Community Service.
Each of the award recipients are featured in a short video which will be added to Council’s website and YouTube page for viewing.
Joining the presentation was Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot, State Member for Tweed Geoff Provest, Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry, Deputy Mayor Meredith Dennis and Councillors Rhiannon Brinsmead, Reece Byrnes, Nola Firth, James Owen and Warren Polglase. The 2022 Tweed Shire Citizen of the Year, Joan Henderson, also joined in the ceremony as this year’s Australia Day Ambassador for the Tweed.
The awards ceremony was followed by a Citizenship Ceremony. Hosted by Mayor Chris Cherry, the ceremony saw 31 residents from 13 countries across all continents of the globe become the Tweed’s newest Australians.
And the winners are:
The 2023 Arts and Culture award went to Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts. The festival’s group of volunteers work year-round to deliver an annual event that fosters young talents and gives aspiring artists the opportunity to perform on a professional stage. The event, known as ‘the friendly festival,’ has been held 90 times since 1923, with its century-long history only interrupted by wartime, natural disasters and a pandemic.
The 2023 Community Event of the Year award went to Shepherd’s Purse Theatre Company for their production of Shakespeare in Love. Now in its eighth year, the Midwinter Shakespeare Festival is one of the most popular events on Tyalgum’s annual calendar. Run by a group of volunteers, this production attracts audiences from far and wide, booking out accommodation in Tyalgum and surrounds and bringing a boom to business in the village. Tyalgum residents and the wider Tweed arts community actively contribute to the production’s success each year, resulting in glowing reviews, waiting lists and widespread demand for more performances.
The 2023 Senior Ambassador award’s inaugural winner is Heather McClelland. A recently retired therapist and published author on trauma therapy, Heather plays many vital roles in her local Uki community and the broader Tweed. She is a key organiser of many local events; a practising artist and active member of the organising committee of the Images of Uki art exhibition; a founding member of the Uki Refugee Project and an influential member of a local Tweed Valley book club, the Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir and her local church.
The Senior Ambassador category was introduced following a unanimous motion at Council’s Meeting on 22 June 2023, to introduce an Australia Day Awards category that promoted awareness of seniors’ positive contribution, by recognising a nominee over the age of 65 years who has made a significant contribution to the Tweed community.
There were joint winners in the 2023 Sporting Achievement – Individual category. Brendon Moore is a professional tennis player who runs his own tennis academy in Terranora. He dedicates most of his time, including weekends, teaching the next elite juniors who travel from across Australia for his expertise. Early in 2023, Brendon travelled to Turkey for the ITF Masters Tour World Championships, where he represented Australia in the Teams event and went on to win the Singles event, becoming the world champion and world number 1 in the 35+ category.
The second winner in the 2023 Sporting Achievement – Individual category is Damien Delgado. He is a member of the Bowls Australia Jackaroos Para Squad and was recognised for his outstanding achievements and commitment to his sport. After representing Australia and taking home the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Men’s Para Pairs, Damien was selected for the World Bowls Championships on the Gold Coast in 2023. At this event, he took home the first ever World Championship Gold Medal for Men’s Para Pairs Lawn Bowls.
There was also an Honourable Mention in the 2023 Sporting Achievement – Individual category: Liam Gregoraci was recognised for his outstanding contribution and achievements in the sporting community.
The 2023 Sporting Achievement of the Year – Group went to the Centaur Primary School Netball team. This talented group of young girls, aged from Year 4 to Year 6, competed at the 2023 NSW Primary Schools Sports Association Netball Knockout in Wollongong where they secured second place out of more than 800 public schools. Late last year they also dominated the 2023 NSW Netball All Schools Netball Competition, where they were declared Far North Coast Champions and ultimately won the championship grand final at Sydney Olympic Park. These dedicated young athletes, with the support of their coach Olivia Attenborough-Doyle, often travel long distances to compete in round matches, gala days and regional finals, yet this does not hinder their determination to succeed in their sport.
An Honourable Mention in the 2023 Sporting Achievement of the Year – Group category went to Murwillumbah Rowing Club for their outstanding achievements at the Australian Masters Rowing Championships in Sydney last year, where they won 19 medals in total.
The 2023 Volunteer of the Year – Individual went to Kate McKenzie. She was co-founder of Fingal Head Coastcare in 1986 and has been a volunteer with the group for 38 years. In this time, Kate has helped re-establish 32 hectares of native vegetation at Fingal Head – including coastal woodland, littoral rainforest, dunal and headland vegetation, which provides habitat for native flora and fauna, including many endangered species. She is an environmental educator and activist, imparting her extensive botanical, ornithological and bush regeneration knowledge to group members, educational institutions, and the broader community.
An Honourable Mention in the 2023 Volunteer of the Year – Individual category went to Kalindi Godden for her volunteering contributions to various community causes, including flood recovery, youth mentoring and community events.
The 2023 Volunteer of the Year – Group went to the Chinderah Community Hub. This group was awarded for their diligent work over the past 18 months to provide essential support and services to flood-affected members of the Tweed community, particularly to the vulnerable population housed across 8 residential caravan park communities in Chinderah. Since the 2022 flood event, this volunteer group has provided a range of complementary community support, including emergency delivery of supplies, food hampers, seeking and distributing grants and providing legal aid and advocacy support.
There was an Honourable Mention awarded in the 2023 Volunteer of the Year – Group category to Support for New Mums. This group was recognised for the valuable support they provide to mums and their babies, to ensure they are healthy, connected and empowered.
The 2023 Young Achiever in Community Service went to Tomas Bowie. A former School Captain at Kingscliff High School, Tomas was recognised for his leadership, work ethic and commitment to community service. He joined the Australian Army Cadets in 2017 and after a decorated stint, was awarded 2023 Cadet of the Year and Brigade Regimental Sergeant Major of the Year for NSW. Tomas has actively fundraised for prominent community organisations, including raising $10,000 for the Kokoda Youth Foundation and $7,000 for the National Servicemen’s Association. For his leadership and community contributions, he was recognised with the Youth Community Service Award of NSW by the Governor of NSW in Sydney last year.
An Honourable Mention in the 2023 Young Achiever in Community Service category went to Chilli Mae Powell. Only 7 years old, Chilli was recognised for her unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation, in particular the Tweed’s endangered Bush-stone curlew population at Pottsville.
For more information on the Tweed Australia Day Awards, visit tweed.nsw.gov.au/australia-day and Tweed Shire Council’s You Tube channel for videos of each award winner.
Source: tweed.nsw.gov.au
George Barham, an accomplished journalist and avid gambling enthusiast, serves as the esteemed Editor-in-Chief at fly-to-australia.com, Australia’s leading source for comprehensive gambling news and insights. With an unwavering passion for both the written word and the ever-evolving world of betting and gaming, George brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the helm of our editorial team.
