Mackay council releases list of Australia Day Award nominees

The Happy Paws and Happy Hearts foundation is one of dozens of groups and residents nominated for selfless service to Mackay. Here are the nominees for 2023.

Honey the dog with participant Joshua (left) and his Happy Paws Happy Hearts carer in Mackay. Picture: Contributed

Happy Paws Happy Hearts has only been in Mackay for a year but the foundation has already struck a chord with the community, nabbing a nomination for a Mackay Regional Council Australia Day Award.

The charity reaches out to the socially isolated to guide them back to social interaction through connecting with animals and Happy Paws Happy Hearts senior program trainer Susan Armstrong said she was thrilled the foundation’s work was getting noticed.

“It is really exciting,” she said.

“The previous trainer and staff have done the groundwork to get us established here.

“It’s really good just to have this program available in Mackay.”

Happy Paws Happy Hearts senior program trainer Susan Armstrong said she was thrilled the foundation’s work was getting noticed. Picture: Contributed

Mrs Armstrong said the Mackay branch linked up with the NDIS to provide support for disabled residents, helping them gain confidence through the animals.

“It has a really positive effect,” Mrs Armstrong said.

“Sometimes the participants come in and they are a little bit nervous, they can be anxious or under-confident, but typically as soon as the animal interaction begins, it just opens up communications for them.

“Once they have had a few sessions, they open up and start telling us about their home life and share information on their pets at home and then they will start to talk to us more socially as well.”

Mrs Armstrong said dogs and cats were popular, but a variety of animals were integrated into the sessions, including guinea pigs, rats, birds and sometimes even chickens.

Happy Paws Happy Hearts co-founder and CEO Zoe Black said the foundation now had a presence in the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW, and Tasmania.

Ms Black said the idea for the organisation came to her after she found solace volunteering at a shelter.

Honey the dog with participant Joshua (left) and his Happy Paws Happy Hearts carer in Mackay. Picture: Contributed

“I have lived experience with social isolation, I have PTSD from a domestic violence situation,” she said.

“Just sitting with the puppies in the concrete pens, it just did something to me.

“It reminded me that there are beautiful people out there.”

The charity has been nominated in the Community Group category alongside other organisations such as Project Booyah Mackay and the Rotary Club of Mackay North.

On the night before Australia Day, the council will hold a gala dinner at the MECC for all nominees, where the winner in each category will be announced.

A panel of judges, including the mayor, will assess the nominees.

Here are all the nominees for each award category.

Note: Some nominees are included in multiple award categories. For example, some nominees listed for the Community Group Award or Environmental Achievement Award are also nominated for Citizen or Young Citizen of the Year.

Citizen of the Year

Lauren Costell

Dr Kerry Summerscales

Djordje (George) Banic

Fallon Drewett

Geoffrey Baguley

Young Citizen of the Year

Benjamin Penning

Tiffany Vella aka Tiffany Grace Music

Clancy Morgan

Max Kingsbury

Sara Marie Herringe

Rosie Cook

Sana Syed

Arts and Culture Award

Zoe McLellan

Alison Richardson from Crossroad Arts

Glenda Hobdell

Community Group Award

Happy Paws Happy Hearts

Special Olympics Mackay Fire

By Your Side: Chronically Ill Ladies

Mackay Riding for the Disabled

The Scout Association of Australia, QLD Branch, Hibiscus Coast District

Australian Street Air Project

Mackay Northern Beaches Neighbourhood Watch

Mackay Pet Rescue Incorporated

Australian Navy Cadets

Project Booyah Mackay

Pioneer Valley Machinery Preservationists

Orange Sky Laundry Mackay

St Anne’s P and F aka FOCUS Group

Queensland Multicultural Lions Club

Rotary Club of Mackay North Inc.

Just Saying Project

Special Olympics Mackay Fire

SNAGS Special Needs and Group Support

North Mackay Saints AFC

St Paul‘s Uniting Church, Mackay, Queensland, Uniting Church in Australia

Save Our Northwall

SNAGS Special Needs and Group Support

Habana Carols Under the Stars subcommittee of HADPA

Environmental Achievement Award

Dr Judith Wake

Earl Neilsen

Robert Gregg

Murray Gibbs

Suzanne McCormack

Luke Mathews

Penny McMahon

Edie Weiss

Frances Eiteneuer

Save Our Northwall

Irene Champion

Robert Gregg

Lori Burgess Community Volunteer Award

Col Benson

Krysten Butcher

John Mansfield

Tegan Philpott

Kathryn Andrews

Stephen Oberg

Eunice Armstrong

Jody Burrows

Katrina Hoare

George Newton

Raj Sharma – Roshni Restaurant

Kelvin Richard Clulee

John Edwards

Wendy Baynton

Carmelo Pasquale

Kimberly Doyle, Special Olympics Mackay

Brenda Windsor

Nicole Pasquale

Tayla Hunt

Kathryn Andrews

Tracey Hackfoorte

Kay Thrupp

Gary Minter

Neil Wallace

Dominic de Moura McCarthy

Lisa Jamison

Karen Turner

Robert Gregg

Robert Kidd

Narelle Klazema

Damien Watts

TJ Straw

Matthew Vella

Doug Petersen

Jay Shipston

Leslie Kemp

Jeanne Ronald – Bakers Creek AFC

Les-Lee Reid

Allison Blines

Keira Brown

Peter Bonaventura

Denise Scarpelli

Senior Sports Award

Justin Rule

Luke Van Den Heuvel

Hamish Wright

Kelvin Richard Clulee

Justin Rule

Janine Wood

Linda Nugent – Coach of the Stingers, Mackay Dragon Boat Club

Brenda Windsor

Tara Smyth

TJ Straw

Nigel Dalton

Jeanne Ronald – Bakers Creek AFC

Les-Lee Reid

Young Sports Award

Cooper Whitestyles

Jaxon Maluga

Rosie Cook

Harper Shields

Adam Lamb

Luke Reedman

Connor Parish