Saluting our community leaders
Braidwood celebrated Australia Day on Saturday and saluted community leaders with a well attended ceremony in Ryrie Park. Local slide guitarist Richard Steele performed before short speeches from the Mayor and General Manager of Palerang Council, Brian Marsden from Woolworths, the sponsor of the Ambassador program, and our Australia Day Ambassador journalist John Stanley.
The 2008 Citizen of the Year for Braidwood was won by Paul Brodie.
Paul has volunteered his time and skills as a radio technician to Braidwood FM Community Radio. He has sought out software programs, equipment and made recommendations to the Braidwood FM board members about new equipment and programs that would benefit operation and transmission. He helped set up the equipment that broadcasts transmissions from the studio roof. Braidwood FM was granted a licence to transmit from Mt Gillamatong and he set up the transmission links from the studio to Mt Gillamatong and also the transmitter. He has donated pieces of equipment and programs to the station and holds the position of Broadcast Technician. Brodie also donates his time to install and maintain two-way radio equipment in the Braidwood SES vehicles and home base and the Rural Fire Service vehicles. When the station was struck by lightning, he carried out repairs and had the station back on air within a couple of hours.
The 2008 Community Event of the Year is the Braidwood and Community Farm Family Gathering. This free event was organised to bring everyone together to share a meal and entertainment during the long drought to talk and share experiences. The event started with a short ecumenical church service at the Showground.
Assistance was offered by Centrelink, St Vincent de Paul and Anglicare. Some 450 meals were prepared and served on the day, involving CWA, Lions, Apex, SES, St Bedes P&F, Braidwood Care, St Vincent de Paul and the Braidwood Anglican Church. Entertainment was provided, jumping castles, face painting, pony rides, fun races and songwriting. There was a live band, guitarist Richard Steele, and poetry by Richard Stone.
The 2008 Young Citizen of the Year for Braidwood is Leith Collard. Collard has displayed outstanding leadership and is an exceptional role model for young people. She won a place on the Outward Bound National Aspiring Leaders Summit; she is on the Student Representative Council at Braidwood Central School, she coordinated the 2007 40-hour famine raising $3,800. Collard was student leader at the Central School Cattle Show Team, she coached the Intermediate Premier Soccer Team in 2007, won a Student Leadership Award from the Eurobodalla Learning Community and was recognised as an outstanding leader by the Dept of Defence. She was elected Captain of Braidwood Central School and has been involved with Jeans for Genes Day since Year 8.
In Captains Flat blind endurance swimmer James Pittar was the ambassador. Community Event award went to the Captains Flat Touch Football Competition, Young Citizen of the Year went to Sean Hodgman, and Citizen of the Year went to Moya O'connell.
In Bungendore, the community event of the Year went to the Silver Foxes Vs the Mudchooks Rugby Union Game, Young Citizen of the Year went to Scout Adele Dane, and Citizen of the Year went to Norma Luton.
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