David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to pay tribute to each of the 2009 Penrith City Wall of Achievement Award recipients. The Wall of Achievement Awards honour those people who have made a significant contribution to the Penrith community. In recognising their achievements, their photographs are hung on the wall of the Penrith City Library for 12 months.

Valerie Anderson has volunteered five days a week for the past 14 years at the St Mary’s Anglicare shop as well as with Meals on Wheels and Our Lady of the Rosary at St Mary’s. Merle Blatch has been working with volunteer groups in Penrith for the last 50 years, including Inner Wheel, local schools and the St Stephens Anglican Church. John Boccanfuso has been selling pens to raise money for the House With No Steps since 1971. John can be found in his wheelchair at Westfield Penrith most days selling pens—with his wonderful smile.

Cathy Craig has been helping to coordinate the Penrith Community Kitchen since 1993, where they serve tens of thousands of meals every year to those in need. Patricia Curry, who is a member of the Nepean District Historical Society, has been a keen local historian for 40 years and volunteers at the Penrith library, indexing old editions of the Nepean Times. Margaret Dwyer, an icon of St Mary’s, has been a resident of the Penrith city for over 70 years and has made a lifelong commitment to the growth and development of our community. Margaret Gibbs has been involved in the Girl Guides movement for almost 20 years, volunteering to lead groups and help teach young women to be responsible members of the community.

Joyce Leavett-Brown is a member of the Penrith Creative Embroiderers and has been a community advocate for almost 40 years. Christine McKinnon is a member of the Management Committee for the Werrington Community Project, and has volunteered at the Deaf and Blind Society and at Lifeline as a telephone counsellor. Joan McKinnon is a regular volunteer at the St Mary’s Anglicare shop, and has been for the past seven years. Reginald Menz, an active member of the Nepean District Historical Society, has raised thousands of dollars for the society since becoming treasurer in 2000, and has helped make the William Cox Day a major local event.

Bill Reeves is the Chairman of Bridge the Gap, after having served as president from 1993 to 2005. Bill is also President of the Australian Family Association and a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award. Barry Roots is the Headmaster of Penrith Anglican College. He has overseen the construction and establishment of two new schools in the area and has been a highly respected educator for more than 40 years.

Audrey (Sue) Sewter is a local historian who has worked for more than 20 years to document the history of those buried in St Stephens Anglican Church cemetery and has written six books on the subject with the Nepean District Historical Society. John Smith volunteers with Sailability, at the International Regatta Centre, and teaches young people and people with a disability how to sail. As a member of the Penrith Disabilities Resource Centre, Sherille Stephens has overcome serious disability to become an advocate for women’s health and for disability access in Penrith. Sister Joyce Vella works at the Mamre Project at the historic Mamre homestead, delivering support services to members of the community. She has fought through two major illnesses and is currently the coordinator of Mamre’s Disability Program. Craig Werner is a former president of the Nepean District Historical Society. Craig helped to digitise the society’s collections, so they are now preserved for generations to come.

While he lives outside of Penrith, Bob Thatcher has given 23 years of his life to working at the Mamre Project and making a difference to our community, earning a special Penrith Appreciation category of the award. Joy Gillett has spent the last decade as an executive member of the Penrith Netball Association, lending her talents to the management and governance of the association. She was made a life member in 2008. Karl Preuss played table tennis for 25 years and has represented New South Wales and Australia. He was a volunteer umpire for table tennis during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Michael Soper was heavily involved in local junior cricket through Penrith RSL, as well as being a competition motorcyclist, rower and snooker player during his 73 years in Penrith. Gina Field was one of the first female security guards in New South Wales and went on to establish her own successful business, Nepean Regional Security.

Finally, Linda Coates is a dedicated carer who has cared for her husband and daughter throughout serious illness and injury, while still working to support her family. Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2009 Wall of Achievement Awards. You are deserving of this honour and you are among Penrith’s finest citizens—heroes of our community.

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