The care Amanda Philp has provided to numerous animals on land and from the sea has seen her recognised as Tweed Shire Citizen of the Year.
Amanda is an Australian Seabird Rescue volunteer and Marine Science graduate from Banora Point and the award recognised Amanda’s dedication as a volunteer for the wildlife service. It was her work with animals which inspired her studies.
Born and bred on the Tweed, Amanda is on call for the Australian Seabird Rescue as a volunteer and has rescued and looked after countless different animals and sea life in the Northern Rivers.
‘No matter the time of night or day, Amanda has no limits when an injured animal is in need of care,’ said Mayor of Tweed Chris Cherry.
The award recognised Amanda’s dedication as a volunteer for the wildlife service and it was her work with animals which inspired her studies.
Awards
The Murwillumbah Art Trail (MAT) took out this year’s Community Event of the Year award recognising the excellent work it has achieved in recognising local artists and attracting tourists to the region. Initiated by Creative Caldera, the MAT has been held five times since 2016 and last year’s event featured 97 artists at 26 locations throughout the Tweed Valley, with Murwillumbah as the hub.
An Honourable Mention in this category went to Music Trivia at South Tweed Sport Club for its social engagement with the community.
Two sisters from Cabarita Madison and Savannah Fitzpatrick, shared this years Sporting Achievement (Individual) award. The sisters are both members of Australia’s Hockeyroos team and represented the country at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
There were also two Honourable Mentions in this category, Jay Hoy who is bringing soccer to children and adults with special needs, and promising young Murwillumbah swimmer Timothy Wellm.
The 2022 Young Achiever in Community Service award went to Pottsville’s Sven Loemker. Aged just 17 years, Sven is a member of the Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club and was recognised for his dedication to patrolling and his involvement in the club. In the 2020-21 patrol season, he racked up a massive 171.2 volunteer patrol hours – one of the highest of the Far North Coast. He also spends a significant amount of his own time training and mentoring the club’s juniors.
Murwillumbah SES Commander Grant ‘Jack’ Frost took out the 2022 Volunteer of the Year (Individual) award. Jack was recognised for his work in building relationships between the community and the SES, particularly around Tumbulgum. He has been instrumental in assisting to set up local community action/response groups in the Tweed.
An Honourable Mention in this category went to Jake Swift for his service as a volunteer at the Murwillumbah Rural Fire Service and Tweed District Rescue Squad.
The Tweed Broadwater Village Craft Group took out the 2022 Volunteer of the Year (Group) award for its tireless efforts in providing breast cushions for women who have had breast surgery at Tweed and John Flynn Hospitals. The group, with support from Southern Gold Coast/Tweed Zonta has produced almost 3,000 cushions as well as making knee blankets for patients at Wedgetail Palliative Care, baby beanies for Byron Bay Hospital and fundraising events for the Cancer Council, Wedgetail Retreat – Tweed Palliative Care and Tweed Hospital.
