Amanda Philp: Seabird Rescue volunteer named Tweed Citizen of the Year
Seven individuals and community groups have been honoured for their hard work in what was a year full of ups and downs. See the full list.
Community News
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On a mid-February day Amanda Philp received a call from a friend telling her there was an injured turtle on the beach.
At the time, Ms Philp was studying a Bachelor of Marine Science and Management and had some knowledge to help with the situation.
“I went down and it was entangled in fishing line,” she said.
“I took it to the Kingscliff fire station and was able to remove the line.”
She contacted Australian Seabird Rescue who came and collected the turtle.
It just so happened Ms Philp was due to start an internship as part of her study and asked if she could team up with the organisation.
The 33-year-old hasn’t left since.
There she was able to help Jolene - the turtle she found on the beach - recover and rehabilitate all the way up to releasing her back into the wild.
“On her release I cried,” Ms Philp said describing the bittersweet day.
“I rescued her in February, then after 10 months of rehab they let me release her.”
Now an on-call volunteer with the organisation and having completed her degree Ms Philp has been recognised as the Tweed Citizen of the Year at the Australia Day Awards ceremony.
“That was a shock,” she said.
“It was amazing to win it, it’s nice to be recognised.”
The former real estate property manager is now considering continuing her marine science research either through honours or masters in hope of continuing to work with turtles and marine mammals.
And her favourite part of volunteering? The release.
“You do see some not so nice things,” she said.
“The majority of the time, most of them make it through to that release, seeing them go back in the wild.
“That’s the reward from volunteering.”
After a year of ups and downs there was plenty of celebration at Tweed’s Australia Day Ceremony.
Here are all of this year’s other award recipients.
Community Event of the Year
The Murwillumbah Art Trail has been named the 2021 Community Event of the Year.
Started by Creative Caldera, the Murwillumbah Art Trail 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.
The event attracted a large number of visitors to the Tweed, contributing to the tourism market as well as engaging the local community and promoting our local talent.
Music trivia at South Tweed Sport Club has received an honourable mention for its community social engagement.
Sporting Achievement
Madison and Savannah Fitzpatrick have received a shared award for their sporting achievements.
The Cabarita sisters are 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 has been bringing soccer to children and adults with special needs, and promising young Murwillumbah swimmer Timothy Wellm.
Young Achiever in Community Service
Pottsville’s Sven Loemker has been named the 2021 Young Achiever in Community Service.
The 17-year-old 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 spends a significant amount of his own time training and mentoring the club’s juniors.
Individual Volunteer of the Year
Murwillumbah SES Commander Grant “Jack” Frost has been 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 and response groups on the Tweed and constantly keeps group leaders up to date with information regarding threats such as fire and flooding.
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.
Volunteer Group of the Year
The Tweed Broadwater Village Craft Group has been recognised 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 3000 cushions as well as making knee blankets for patients at Wedgetail Palliative Care, baby beanies for Byron Central Hospital and fundraising events for the Cancer Council, Wedgetail Retreat – Tweed Palliative Care and Tweed Hospital.
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