SPORT has been a vital part of pulling the Marysville community, and individuals, together after the Black Saturday bushfires and two people have played a special role.
Long-time community worker Sherrie Ackerman and her protégé, 24-year-old Kellan Fiske, were recognised for their contribution to the growth and development of young people in the region as recipients of the Lions Club’s Ian M. Stockdale Humanitarian Award.
The award, one of the most prestigious under the Lions banner, was presented by the Marysville and District Lions Club on Australia Day.
Getting some normality back into their own lives, and the lives of those around them, was something Sherrie and Kellan said they needed to do.
The enormity of that task can’t be analysed. Both lost loved-ones, friends and colleagues in the fire. Kellan lost his mother Liz and his younger brother Dalton.
Both have community at their very heart.
Sherrie, as a mum to her now grown-up children Trudi and Jarrod, has never not been involved in sport and other activities in the town. She has been Girl Guide leader for more than 25 years, has been involved with kinder and school, coached basketball and netball and been involved in youth activities for three decades.
Sherrie was instrumental in getting a de-facto kindergarten up and running within days of Black Saturday to provide normality for the little ones, and their parents.
Kellan, who had just started an apprenticeship at the Marysville Golf Club when the fires came through, said he had always had role-models close to home, in both his mother and father Glen, in terms of serving their community.
“My mum was a really big person in regard to youth, always taking us kids to footy and cricket training and was heavily involved in basketball in Alexandra and with kids at Marysville Primary.
“I think that’s where I get it, from seeing what mum did not just for us kids, but for other kids in the area.”
He said along with the support of family, friends and the CFA, a big influence in dealing with his loss was getting the cricket club up and running so quickly.
AusKick and Milo cricket are two of the initiatives Sherrie and Kellan have worked on.
“I did Auskick and Milo when my kids were young, but after the fires started it up again with the help of people like Kellan and lots of dads who wanted to get all the kids back to what they had before,” Sherrie said.
They also started activities for youth.
“We didn’t want them left out. They were all over the place, so we started getting together on Friday nights with activities … music or whatever,” she said.
Sherrie said she had always been happy to put her hand up when it came to organising, but had had plenty of helpers along the way.
“Not everyone wants to be a leader, but there are lots of people who are willing to help,” she said.
Both Kellan and Sherrie see the involvement of young people in community activities as an investment in the future.
“You don’t do these things for recognition, but I like to see the young ones being recognised because they are putting their hand up now and some day will have families of their own and will take over from us ‘oldies’,” she said.
Kellan agrees. “You don’t look for awards, but I would like to see that by highlighting the work Sherrie and I are doing for youth, it might encourage more people to get involved, especially in the youth activities,” he said.
