Elizabeth Carroll – Elizabeth has been a resident of Grenfell for nearly 19 years and during this time has given her time freely to volunteer for various organisations in the Weddin Shire. Liz is currently the Henry Lawson Festival Awards Dinner coordinator having conducted this role for the past 7 years. Liz has organised the dinner with class and flair and ensured that each event was a great success. Liz is currently the Chairperson for the St Joseph’s Pastoral Parish Council Committee. The Church Committee has made many positive changes during the 5 years Liz has been leading the organisation. The Church building is currently being upgraded together with the principle’s residence which will make both of these buildings much more accommodating. Liz also volunteers her time as a Special Minister, taking Holy Communion to the sick and house bound which is greatly appreciated by these residents. Liz has also assisted in organising and decorating the venue for the Catholic Deb Ball and also had the privilege of being the Matron of Honour in 2015. Liz is also not afraid to get her hands dirty and can be seen regularly mowing and maintaining the Church grounds as well as taking her turn to clean the Church. Liz was also treasurer of the St Joseph’s School P & F Committee for 6 years. Liz also regularly volunteers for the Grenfell Kart Club race meetings and in particular volunteered her time for the State Championships held in 2014 which was a great success. Liz’s reliability and organisational skills together with her willingness to ‘get in and have a go’ certainly assisted the committee in organising the event. Liz has also volunteered her time in organising events such as the Meet & Greek night as well as organizing the Grenfell Multipurpose Health Service residents Christmas party. Liz was also an active committee member of Grenfell Sesquicentenary Committee whereby she organised with other committee members the bush dance at the show ground held on the October long weekend during the celebrations. Liz is a quite achiever who assists many organisations and people in a very kind and caring manner. 

Paul Best – The Grenfell Lions Club was honoured to bestow the award “Lions Citizen of the Year 2018” on Band Master Paul Best for his outstanding contribution to the Town and District Band over many years. Paul started with the Town Band in 1980 at nine years of age. He continued to learn and played until around 1998 when the band had a short break. During this time Paul completed his HSC and found employment with local dealership Terry Carroll Motors on May 28 1989. He completed his apprenticeship with Terry ad Deidre and eventually was drawn to the city to continue working in the automotive industry. Paul returned to Grenfell and Terry Carroll Motors in November 1997. He continued his career and also did NRMA Road Service. In December 1998 Terry and Deidre sold the business to Peter Mellon and Paul was employed by Peter. After a few years Paul started working in other industries and eventually decided to open his own workshop in town. During this time, he married Natasha, raised a family Grenfell Record Information In 2010 he took on the role of Band Master. Since then he has tried to modernise the band’s music to encourage the younger members of the community to join and embrace it. Paul and his brother Michael are called upon to play the ‘Last Post’ at ANZAC, Remembrance, Long Tan Days, National Service Days as well as at funeral services for deceased members of the forces/RSL. In September 2014 Paul ran for local Council and was elected by the community. He served his first term and decided to run again at the next election. In his second term he decided to put his hand up for Deputy Mayor to help assist Mayor Mark Liebich with the Council objectives. Paul is Councillor for the Central Tablelands Water and finds this position an area he can contribute to greatly. Paul’s children joined the 1st Grenfell Cub Scouts in 2013. Paul took over as President of the club in 2014, a position he held for four years. He relinquished this position at the AGM this year and is now the Vice President. Paul is also currently co-coaching the under 14’s soccer team and jointly has the coach coordinators position for the Grenfell Soccer Club. Not only is Paul a business owner with his wife Natasha they also own two country school bus runs. 

Kim Broomby – Kim has been caring for the mental health of the community of Quandialla for over 24 years. She commenced aerobics classes in 1994 when her 2nd child was just 6 months old and has continued teaching aerobics whilst having 3 more children. She has taken more courses to increase her knowledge as well as aqua aerobics classes and learn to swim. She has run the Active Farmers Fitness groups and now also has classes at Caragabal, Wirrinya and Grenfell travelling many kilometres. She also volunteers at many organisations in Quandialla including bus runs, hospital auxiallry, children swimming club.

Chad White – Chad has only been in Grenfell for a short time but has already achieved so much. During the ongoing drought Chad organised a number of community events to assist local farmers and the community as a whole. As mental health issues and suicide are becoming more prevalent in society it is comforting to know Grenfell and the Weddin Shire have the services of Mr White, who is always more than willing to help anyone in need. Chad attended and spoke with members of the Grenfell men’s shed reminding them of the mental health services available for seniors, as well as giving them lots of advice and assistance. Chad was instrumental in organising events for the 2018 NAIDOC Week celebrations including various events at local schools as well as organising the Indigenous Flag Raising Ceremony outside Council Chambers. Chad was also the organiser of the ‘Let’s talk mate’ event featuring Sally Downey where a number of organisations were present to assist local farmers such as Rural Financial Counsellors, LLS and more. Chad also organised the local ‘R U OK’ event that took place in town during the 2018 R U OK day, again this event provided resources for individuals regarding mental health and suicide. Chad co-hosted a Mental Health First Aid Workshop with Di Gill who is the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program Coordinator. The workshop was an outstanding success with many locals and visitors participating. Chad has been working closely with the PCYC in Cowra to establish resources and activities for our local youth, he has even taxied the kids over to participate in the Cowra PCYC basketball competition as well as assisting them here in Grenfell with training. Chad is based at the community HACC centre where he council’s those in need, particularly people with mental health issues and suicidal tendencies. Chad has also organised for park bench seats to be installed in all Weddin Shire schools as a place where children can sit if they are feeling down or being bullied, a sensory garden will be planted around the bench seats by the students to create a place of peace and calm. Chad is very passionate about helping others, and goes above and beyond his role as the Weddin Shire Suicide Prevention Project Officer. Chad has a genuine caring personality and is a breath of fresh air for our town.

Senior Citizen of the Year – There are two nominations for Senior Citizen of the year:

Richard Loader - Richard was born and raised in Grenfell over 70 years ago and has lived here as a member of our community since. During this time Richard seen our town, shire and community grow, strive, struggle and flourish. He is a proud community member who has been actively involved and played a part in many community groups, events and activities personal and through business. Richard’s biggest achievement worth acknowledging to this day is the business that he has built along side his father and now his son Mark, Loader’s Coaches.  Like many businesses, Richard and his team without hesitation provide financial sponsorship to many local sporting teams for uniforms, fees and equipment as well as assisting schools to purchase awards, trophies and sporting uniforms etc. Richard tries to provide donations to most local charities and fundraising events and would not hesitate to help those in need. In the past Richard has provided vehicles and drivers at no cost for many groups and organisations including but not limited to assisting in local fire fighting operations transporting crews and supplies, providing vehicles and drivers to explore the Christmas lights of the town for many years and conducting a large amount of guided tours for the towns visitors and much more. Loader’s Coaches this year has celebrated 60 years of service. This is a remarkable achievement from a business perspective, but also an admiral personal achievement of Richards. This is a true reflection of Richard’s personal attributes and strength but also the commitment and dedication he has to his town and community.

Chris Lobb – Chris, as President of the Grenfell Garden Club, produced the 2018 “Poppy Project”, an amazing event for the town of Grenfell. When Chris decides to tackle a project, she is able to unleash some innate ability to ensure that everything is presented in the most correct manner and in fine detail. For example: judges and MPS residents were treated to home made morning teas; every photocopy was researched, typed, checked then laminated; flower arrangements were kept fresh or replaced; exhibitors dropped off and collected their art seamlessly; People’s Choice Competition was organised; items that were created specifically for the project have found future life in other places. After Jenny Hetherington’s initial suggestion, Chris marketed the idea of planting poppies throughout the community with Weddin Shire Council, RSL, MPS and local residents all coming on board to sow the seeds that came in colourful, appropriate packaging. Chris and Joan Bolton organised the displays in the roundabouts with white timber crosses, black metal soldier silhouettes and giant red poppies that made a stunning display, greatly admired by locals, visitors and tourists. Chris managed to gather enough “crafty” folk to make over four thousand poppies that were collected and used in the median strips in Main Street, in shop window displays, and for the Grenfell art Gallery Exhibition. Sue Dunlop made the initial contact with Ian McNamara and Chris followed through with relevant information that convinced “Macca” to be present and officially open the “Poppies for Remembrance” Exhibition on October 16, 2018. The publicity that flowed from this visit via radio, TV, social media, Grenfell Record and word of mouth was incredibly positive for Grenfell and Weddin Shire. The stories of local WW1 soldiers and nurses, combined with the art work, made it the most visited exhibition to date. 

Community Event/Organisation of the Year – There were two nominations for Community Event/Organisation of the year:

Grenfell Garden Club – Following a suggestion by Mrs Jenny Hetherington, the Grenfell Garden Club adopted a project to plant red poppies throughout Grenfell as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Poppy seeds were distributed to many private homes, and club volunteers planted seeds in several public parks, with the approval of Council. The villages and the schools of the shire also became involved. The support of the RSL sub-branch was obtained. Members and residents began to sew, knit or crochet red poppies for display purposes, with over 4,000 being crafted. Displays were organised for shop windows and the ready support of almost all the town’s businesses. Sculpted silhouettes of soldiers and large metal poppies were created for placement in the Main Street roundabouts together with memorial crosses. Street furniture and trees were adorned with red poppies over the length of the Main Street. Locals also decorated their yards and fences. The highlight of the Poppy Project was the Poppies for the Remembrance Day exhibition at the Grenfell Art Gallery. This comprised an art competition which attracted entries from surrounding towns, a display of WW1 memorabilia including photos of local family members and other creations of the many hand-crafted poppies. The opening of the exhibition was performed by Ian McNamara, better known as “Macca” from ABC radio’s Australia All Over. Grenfell received extensive publicity throughout this show on the following Sunday, and also benefited from two visits by Prime TV, over and above the ability of word-of-mouth and social media to spread the word. Several visitors were emotionally affected by the exhibition. 

Grenfell Picnic Race Club – The Grenfell Picnic Race Club continue the tradition of the Grenfell Gymkhana Club that was established in 1903. The event has been held annually, except for a recess from 1942 to 1945 for World War 2 and then again in 2010 due to lack of committee members and funds. In 1949 it changed from the Grenfell Gymkhana Club and became the Grenfell Picnic Race Club. The year 2011 saw an injection of new committee members, who were excited and eager to see this event return to the calendar. Many changes, some big some small, were made to the event and crowds have continuously increased year on year with over 900 people attending in 2018. The Grenfell Picnic Races are an important event in the local calendar.  The passionate volunteer committee conduct a six race program totaling $20,000 in prize money as well as one of the richest and best supported Fashions on the Field competitions in the district. The event has a large economic impact on the town. Many reunions, birthdays and client Christmas parties are held at the races, with accommodation booking out in town.  The event also supports local businesses with over $10,000 spent on food and beverages which is all purchased locally. But it’s not just the economic impact that is important but also the social opportunity it provides for the community to come together and have a fun social day. Many residents from the villages come to town and get the opportunity to catch up with those they otherwise don’t see often. Farmers can dust of their boots and have important social interaction. Locals, former locals, visiting friends and family attend and comment on what a great event it has become. Sponsorship is sort locally and from away. Sponsors are well looked after in the Presidents Tent. The event also involves other community groups to assist with the day.  Previously the Caragabal Country Club ran the bar, but the event became something they wanted to attend rather than work at. Now locals are employed to run the bars. The committee make sure the event runs safely, working closely with the local liquor licencing Sargent, providing professional security and a free courtesy bus. Due to the increasing crowds, the event is now at the point that existing facilities can no longer cope and infrastructure upgrades are planned. 

Youth Awards –  The nomination for The Henry Lawson High School is Anna Hunt. Anna is THLHS 2018 Student of the Year. 

The nomination from Grenfell Public School is Annabella Taylor. During 2018 Annabella was one of the school captains. 

The nomination from St Joseph’s Catholic School is Phoebe Heathcote. Phoebe displays classroom citizenship and is always willing to assist when called upon. 

The nomination from Quandialla Public School is Hugh Nowlan. Hugh is a conscientious student who strives to do his best in all areas of school. 

The nomination from Caragabal Public School is Sadie McCahon who was school captain in 2018 and represented her school with pride.

Our final Youth Award is for the best pass in the HSC which is presented to Sarah Knight from THLHS.