By JESSE GRAHAM
A GROUP of inspirational Yarra Ranges residents will be recognised for their community work with Australia Day awards to be handed out this afternoon in Yarra Glen.
Residents from around the shire will receive awards and certificates at 2pm on Tuesday 26 January, at the Yarra Glen Memorial Hall, as part of the Yarra Ranges Council’s annual awards.
Yarra Junction’s Brendon Murphy will receive the council’s top award – Citizen of the Year – at the ceremony, for his work in creating a video that went viral. The video urged men to prevent violence against women.
The video features young men from Yarra Valley Mountain District Football Netball League (YVMDFNL) clubs, who say that men who commit violence against women – and their mates – should know better.
Speaking with the Mail last week, Mr Murphy said being named as the Citizen of the Year was “surreal”, but that, in an ideal world, the video wouldn’t be necessary.
“I wish I didn’t have to make a video like that, but it gets to a point where you feel like you need to do something,” he said.
“At the football, it’s almost hardly spoken about, to be honest, unless there’s a special round or something like that.
“I thought, rather than go to the club, to go to the league and get all of the clubs involved – because you’ve got so many young men listening, and it turns out those young men listening were the ones sharing it, and liking it, and passing it on, and made it get much bigger than we ever thought it’d be.”
Healesville’s Chenile Chandler, meanwhile, is set to receive the Young Citizen of the Year award.
Chenile’s award notes her work in sharing her Wurundjeri culture at Healesville High School, where she is one of the 2016 school captains; for her netball playing; for Aboriginal dancing performances, including at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony and Dreamtime at the G; and for working with other students on water filtration projects in Vietnam.
She said it was “an honour” to be named the Young Citizen of the Year, and that the nomination came as a surprise.
“I didn’t expect it – I’d read about it, but never expected to be nominated,” she said.
She said the Yarra Valley was a great place to grow up in, and that Wurundjeri history and culture was acknowledged and celebrated.
Warburton’s Jeff Gill will receive the Ian Del La Rue Award for Community Leadership after “countless hours” of volunteering for groups in the Upper Yarra with his award citation paying tribute to his work with the Warburton Advancement League.
Mr Gill said the award came out of the blue.
“It came as a hell of a shock – I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“I kept thinking ‘no, it couldn’t be a hoax, no one would be that cruel’.
“I’m over the moon.”
Belgrave’s Jenny Saulwick will receive the Environmentalist of the Year award, honouring her work with environmental groups, such as the Community Weed Alliance of the Dandenongs (CWAD), Greens Victoria, as well as work with the council – including driving the creation of the Burrinja Cultural Centre.
Monbulk resident Jasmine Andrews will receive the Ken McIntosh Memorial Award for young environmental achievers, for her work at The Patch Primary School.
Jasmine told the Mail that, as part of her school’s Grub Club, she works out in the school’s gardens under the supervision of environment teacher Michelle Rayner.
Her work at the school to improve and protect wildlife habitat saw it win the Best garden for Habitat award at the Victorian School Gardens Awards.
She said her love of the environment was something she’d like to keep through the rest of her life.
“I would love, even when I’m mum’s age, to still be out in the garden and doing things – to see things that need to be done, and to do things sustainably and live sustainably,” she said.
Jasmine added that anyone can do their bit for the environment, whether it be through having a vegie patch or composting.
Yarra Valley Chrome Bumpers will receive the Community Group of the Year award, for their efforts in raising more than $52,000 for the Lilydale CFA through monthly car meetings.
Certificates will be handed out to Launching Place’s Connie Grogan, Yarra Glen’s Mike Baimbridge, Healesville’s Maggie and Geoff Daish, Yarra Junction’s Irene Stewart, Lilydale residents Julie Cuffe, Greg Morton, Catherine Carr-Garside, and Julie Cuffe, Belgrave’s C. J. Dakis and Kathleen Snowball, and Olinda resident, John Faull.
Mr Faull’s certificate acknowledges his work in campaigning for the re-opening of the Olinda Pool, which after two years was successful, with an opening in December.
“I was pleased to be recognised for doing it, because it was a very hard job, and it’s been well worth it,” he said.
“Particularly, when you go up there and you see so many people using the pool now, which would have been denied had I not fought the fight.”
Ms Cuffe runs a fortnightly karaoke evening for people with disabilities.
Run out of Mount Evelyn’s Lou’s Lounge, about 28 people from the Yarra Valley and beyond gather to sing, dance, and have a social night.
“They socialise, and they start off where they might not even sing, or get up, or anything, or they’ve got behaviour problems,” Ms Cuffe said.
“Eventually, even the ones with behaviour problems, they don’t do it with the music.
“They all learn from it, they gain experience, and they’re in a place where they’re accepted.”
Yarra Junction’s Irene Stewart received a certificate for her work with Second Bite, providing free food for residents one day a week.
Ms Dakis and Ms Snowball’s certificates, meanwhile, commend the pair for initiating and running Belgrave’s End of the Line Festival.
Yarra Ranges mayor Jason Callanan said the awards recognised the contributions of residents and groups to better the area they live in.
“Australia Day is our opportunity to celebrate those who give so much to the community,” he said.
“We are so lucky to have an abundance of people making the Yarra Ranges an even better place to live, work and visit.”
Correction:
A previous version of this story said that Ms Chandler was from the Wurundejeri – the spelling of Wurundjeri has been corrected. The Mail apologises for any inconvenience this error may have caused.
