On the morning of Friday, February 17 the old school hall at Lucknow was filled with a very special group of locals. In front of friends and family members, these special individuals were presented with award certificates of recognition for their contribution to their communities.

Independent MP for Orange, Phil Donato hosted the annual Community Recognition Presentation event and said each of the recipients deserved to be acknowledged for their contributions.

“It’s fantastic to be able to acknowledge people in our community who are doing such amazing work and a lot of it goes unnoticed,” Mr Donato said.

“Most of them are very humble and modest and aren’t really doing it for the recognition, but as a local member it’s important to recognise people in your local community who are going above and beyond, and doing things for the betterment of their community, or sport, or organisation.” 

Individual award recipients included: Alf Cantrell who is the co-owner and curator of the Banjo Paterson Museum in Yeoval; Faith Green, who at 16 years of age impressed the state with her sporting achievements with the Australian Quarter Horse Youth Team Squad; Bill Kelly (OAM), an integral part of the Orange Liquor Accord, Bill aided the development of the Orange Regional Gallery and Library, and volunteers for St Vincent De Paul and within his Catholic community; Debbie Longmore whose work in pathology and pathology have made an important contribution to the community, and who fought for a “trauma esky”  to enable on-the-spot blood transfusions rather than just at hospitals; Emma Sinclair, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer twice and still works tirelessly to raise funds and awareness of the disease; Donna Stanley whose work with Aboriginal health has aided many locals, especially those struggling with mental health issues, and Michelle Stevenson for her achievements in the NSW Hockey team, and endless hours of volunteering and dedication to the sport.

Special Community Service awards were given to Sister Mary Trainor for her lifetime of service to her community and Christine Hannus for her outstanding contributions to the community.

Brian Cullinane, Paul Hevers and Robert Nash were presented with Justice of the Peace Awards, for their many years of service to the community.

Beau Baddock, Richard Learmonth and Sonny Day accepted an award on behalf of the Golf Humans, organisers of the Longest Day golfing fundraiser for cancer research.

Christine Hannus and Tracy Wilkinson of the Orange Hospital Auxiliary also accepted an award recognising the tireless efforts of the group to support our local hospital.

Presenting the awards Mr Donato said he said he gets a lot of personal satisfaction from being able to showcase the people in our community who do such amazing work.