Australia Day on the Bellerive Boardwalk begins at 8.30am with a hearty breakfast, and music from the A Cappella Bootcamp Choir and the Clarence City Band. This year’s Australia Day Ambassador is Mitch McPherson, founder of SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY and 2015 City of Clarence Citizen of the Year.

From 11.00am, the City of Clarence will welcome 10 new citizens from India, Canada, Britain, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Following the citizenship ceremony, the 2018 City of Clarence Australia Day Awards will be announced.

Learn about the wonderful achievements that each of the 2018 City of Clarence Australia Day Awards nominees make to our community through a range of endeavours.

2018 Australia Day Awards Nominees

Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith is a long standing and active member of National Seniors Australia. He has served as a committee member for 14 years, vice president and president at the Rosny Park Branch. He is described as a pivotal leader of the branch during its infancy and in growing the membership base. Christopher is also a member of the NSA State Policy Advisory Committee providing advice on a range of issues to state and federal governments. He has been the Zone Chairman for 4 years representing 4 Tasmanian branches at a national level.

Christopher has also delivered regular presentations at Centrelink seminars on the importance of socialisation of seniors after retirement. He is also a current member of the Clarence Positive Ageing Advisory Committee and co-founding member of the Howrah Men’s Shed.

Jan Storr

Jan has been a volunteer at Freemasons Home for the past 10 years. During her time there, she has provided weekly friendship visits to patients in the Dementia Ward. She has also taken patients to appointments, organised bingo, taught the knitting group, organised the yearly fair, as well as other fundraising activities.

For the past 5 years, Jan has also been a member of the Acorn Branch of Li-Ve Tasmania – a friendship and fundraising group for people supported by Li-Ve Tasmania who are living with a disability. Jan is also a member of the ‘Hands on Craft Group’ in Lindisfarne and has delivered Meals on Wheels. Jan also knits for markets and sends her knitted garments to Aboriginal communities.

Demi Smith

Demi Smith is a student leader prefect at Bayview Secondary College and for the past 3 years, she has been a member of Council’s Youth Network Advisory Group (YNAG) working on a variety of projects, particularly youth homelessness. She was part of the YNAG working group for Youth Homelessness Matters Day in 2016 and 2017 which resulted in bags and essential items donated to Loui’s Van for distribution in the community.

Demi’s artistic talent has also come to the fore through directing a short film ‘the Off Course Girl’ which was submitted as part of the Hidden Others youth homelessness film competition. The film was shown as part of the Salvos Sleep-out and facilitated discussion on youth homelessness. As a young Aboriginal woman, Demi has also presented the Welcome to Country at many functions in the city. Demi is also a member of YoungLife and has raised funds for their camps.

Dorothy Batt

Dorothy Batt is a walk organiser for ‘Clarence Walkie Talkies’, a Heart Foundation Walking Group. For the past 17 years Dorothy has shown commitment to this group of walkers and coordinated all aspects of these walks. Her role extends beyond these twice weekly walks. She keeps her group abreast of events in the community and organises social events for them, such as monthly bus trips and lunches that enable them to get out in their community, meet people and have fun. In 2017, Dot won the National Heart Foundation Golden Shoe Award for Tasmania for her work as walk organiser.

Gill Berriman

Gill Berriman is principal of Bayview Secondary College. She has demonstrated leadership, direction, and commitment in delivering positive change at the school. Gill has overseen the transformation of the school to Year 12. She has worked with staff, students, parents and the wider community to develop a vision and strategic direction for the school. She has overseen improvements such as the Collective Education program (through the Beacon Foundation) to help improve Year 12 completion rates.
Gill encourages her staff to become leaders in education through integrated curriculum pedagogical approaches that are recognised nationally. Gill is described as a catalyst for driving positive change at Bayview Secondary College.

Marie Crick

Marie Crick is committed to making Clarence Plains a better place by helping to improve resident’s wellbeing, safety and the environment. As an inaugural member of the Clarence Plains Resident Steering Committee, Marie provided tenant feedback to community housing provider Mission Australia Housing to improve communication and service delivery. In 2015 she coordinated the first Christmas Street Party to bring together residents to celebrate Christmas as a community. She was a member of the organising committee for the Clarence Plains Spring Clean which saw 100 volunteers collect and remove 12 cubic metres of rubbish from the area. She has been a member of the GROW Garden steering committee since 2016, a place for community engagement and an outdoor classroom for students. She was instrumental in helping shape the design and remains a committed leader of the project.

Marie also instigated the idea for ‘Brain Box’ a bike helmet safety program in Clarence Plains to ensure kids have access to, and wear bike helmets. This project between Mission Australia and Council’s Youth Services team enables young riders to give 5 hours of community service for a discounted helmet.

David Leaman

David Leaman was a renowned bushwalker, environmentalist, historian and geologist. For more than 20 years David was a member of the Hobart Walking Club and is only one of 40 members to become an honorary life member. He served on the club executive as president and vice president and led more than 750 walks. For the past 10 years, David was an active member of Council’s Tracks and Trails Committee. He instigated the Charles Darwin Trail and wrote interpretative signage for the walk. He has been involved in track design, construction and repair projects in southern Tasmania.

David has also written many books on the Tasmanian wilderness and geology. He was a lecturer and researcher at the University of Tasmania and the University of the Third Age. Sadly, David passed away earlier this week.

 

Michael Barnett

Michael Barnett has been a Rotarian for 27 years. He was secretary and president for many years at the Kangaroo Bay branch before moving to the Bellerive branch. He is recognised as a Paul Harris fellow for his extensive service to Rotary. Michael has given hours of his time to serving in Clarence through a range of roles with Rotary.

Michael has also been a volunteer at the Southern Support School in Howrah for the past 4 years and instrumental in the development of the woodwork program. Each week Michael gives his time to teach woodwork to students with severe disabilities enabling them to gain new skills and make an array of pieces. He is generous with his time and in purchasing materials to support the program, and has built numerous pieces for the school.

Richmond Athletic Carnival

The Richmond Athletics Carnival is organised by Ray and Kathleen Quarrell, in conjunction with the Hobart Athletics Club. Held for the past 7 years, the event’s vision is to create a Richmond version of the Stawell Gift. The carnival attracts athletes from around the state with events for all ages and levels – from toddlers to masters level. This inclusive event encourages health and fitness and is the only one of its type in Clarence. It was named Tasmanian Athletics League ‘Carnival of the Year’ and received a special commendation for outstanding carnival for 2016-17 by the Australian Athletic Confederation.

Southern Tasmanian Schools Music Showcase (Music: Count Us In)

The Southern Tasmania Schools Music Showcase has been held at Bellerive Boardwalk for the past 3 years. The event is held as part of a national music initiative called ‘Music: Count Us In’. The event not only celebrates the value of music but advocates for improved access to music education for all students in the country. Southern Tasmania Schools Music Showcase is led by teachers Danny Munting and Katherine Hewitt from Rose Bay High School and Dominic College. 2,000 southern Tasmanian students from rural and inner city primary and secondary schools performed on the day. There were individual and ensemble performances that culminated in a combined school choir singing the selected national song for that year. The event showcases young musical talent in southern Tasmania and the power of music to bring students, teachers, parents and friends together.

#Run4 Troy

#Run4Troy is an event organised by the Bayview Secondary College student leadership group to raise funds and provide support to a valued member of their school community. Troy White, Home School Liaison Officer, was struck down with a brain virus after contracting pneumonia. The students and staff wanted to support Troy in his rehabilitation and provide financial support to him and his son. #Run4Troy was a fun and colourful event – where teams walked laps of the oval while, avoiding or not, being colour bombed by others. The leadership group took on all aspects of organising the event, learning numerous new skills along the way. The event was supported by business and community partners with participation from 3 feeder schools and the wider community. This positive, fun and inclusive event will continue next year with a new student leadership group.

Carols Under the Stars

Carols Under the Stars is hosted by the Abundant Life Church. This festive event has been held in our city for the past 18 years and provides a fun and family-friendly carols service that brings the local community together. The free event includes carols, performances by a band, local children and professional musicians. More than 100 community volunteers help on the day with coordination of the event. The organising committee connects with local community groups, schools and businesses sponsor and deliver the event. Carols Under the Stars attracts more than 5,000 people each year and is regarded as Hobart’s longest running free carols event.

ANZAC Day Concert

The ANZACDay Concert is organised by Margot Lampkin from Choral Productions Tasmania. The concert was established in 2009 and is held every second year to honour those who served in World War 1 and other wars since. The concert is based on similar memorial concerts such as those held in England and New Zealand and commemorates the soldiers, sailors, airmen and nurses who served. The ANZAC Day Concert provides a joyful and touching way to honour and celebrate this history. The concert involves singers from Hobart’s music theatre scene, Margot’s three choirs, soloists and the Clarence City Band. This very successful concert attracts patrons from around southern Tasmania.