The Northern Rivers’ Volunteer of the Year finalists are packing their bags and heading to Sydney to join around 300 of their peers to see who will be named the NSW Volunteer of the Year for 2025.
The local volunteers were selected earlier this year as regional finalists for the statewide volunteer awards in one of 25 local ceremonies covering all parts of NSW.
The Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate urged people from across the region to show their support for their local finalists.
‘Volunteers help make communities stronger, healthier and more resilient,’ she said. ‘They’re worth their weight in gold and we need to let them know how proud we are of their efforts,’ she said.
The Northern Rivers Volunteer of the Year finalists for 2025 are:
- Northern Rivers Young Volunteer of the Year: Ella Vivian-Kay from Byron Bay.
- Northern Rivers Adult Volunteer of the Year: Brad Ambridge from Goonellabah.
- Northern Rivers Senior Volunteer of the Year: Steve Cooke from Lismore.
- Northern Rivers Emergency Volunteer of the Year: Vicki Surwald from Lismore.
- Northern Rivers Volunteer Team of the Year: Livable Palliative Care Team Grafton.
The 2025 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards State Gala ceremony will be held in Sydney on Thursday 4 December.
Award winners will be announced across seven categories, including the inaugural NSW Emergency Volunteer of the Year, and the 2025 NSW Volunteer of the Year.
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