Volunteer Nicky van Dijk dances away with top award

The state’s most selfless individuals have been recognised for their contribution to the community to mark the start of National Volunteer Week.

A SALSA-DANCING climate activist has waltzed away with the state’s top prize at the 2021 Tasmanian Volunteer Awards.

UTAS PhD student Nicky van Dijk received the Premier’s Tasmanian Volunteer of the Year Award.

Ms van Dijk is the president of the UTAS Salsa Dance Society and also the convener of Fossil Free UTAS, an organisation instrumental in the University of Tasmania declaring its intention to divest from fossil fuels in 2020.

“The award came a bit out of nowhere,” Ms van Dijk said.

“All of the people on stage before me did such amazing work and I felt a bit awkward winning the award.”

Nicky van Dijk won Premier’s Tasmanian Volunteer of the Year Award. Picture: Eddie Safarik

Ms van Dijk was among some of the state’s most selfless individuals recognised on Monday for their contribution to the community at a ceremony at Blundstone Arena.

The awards acknowledge the contribution volunteers make to the community and mark the start of National Volunteer Week.

Volunteering Tasmania’s CEO Dr Lisa Schimanski said it was extremely difficult choosing one winner out of all the amazing volunteers.

“There is no doubt that Nicky is an amazing person and an incredibly worthy winner of the Premier’s Volunteer of the Year award, but in the spirit of this year’s National Volunteer Week theme ‘Recognise. Reconnect. Re-imagine’, I want to remind every volunteer that their contribution, big or small, is appreciated and is significant,” Mrs Schimanski said.

Originally published as Volunteer Nicky van Dijk dances away with top award