By Kath Gannaway
Two Healesville residents who have dedicated decades to wildlife and the environment, and a Gruyere CFA volunteer whose life and leadership was celebrated last year, have been recognised with Yarra Ranges Council Australia Day awards.
Bob Anderson, a founding member, past president and life member of Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater is Yarra Ranges Citizen of the Year.
Peter Hannaford who started the Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Association and its unique and hugely successful fundraising second-hand shop in Healesville has been named Environmentalist of the Year.
A posthumous award, the Ian De La Rue Award for Community Leadership, will be accepted by the Bigham family on behalf of Gruyere CFA and community worker Don Bigham. Don passed away in 2017.
They are among a diverse range of people from across the shire who contribute to making their communities a better place in which to live.
The shire awards ceremony will take place at Montrose Town Centre later today Australia Day (Friday, 26 January) following a citizenship ceremony at which 10 people representing five nationalities will become Australian citizens.
Leading up to the awards presentation, Yarra Ranges Mayor, Len Cox, said they were a chance for Council to recognise the people and groups across the municipality who give their time to help others.
“Through these awards, we get to celebrate the people who improve our daily lives and our communities, and thank them for generously giving their time and skills,” Cr Cox said.
He said every person on the award list had been driven by the same goal – to make Yarra Ranges a better place to live.
“Whether it’s lending a hand to neighbours or people in need, providing their skills to their local community group or emergency service, or protecting and enhancing our beautiful natural environment, they have succeeded in doing that,” he said.
Bob Anderson started Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater 28 years ago and as president for 20 of those years led and supported FoHH members in their work across the Yellingbo area.
The group reached 350 members in its first year and in its second year then-Premier Joan Kirner launched an education kit for schools, developed by FoHH members and teachers.
Bob has been a driving force for the group, overseeing hundreds of volunteers, donating thousands of hours to the cause of improving habitat for the critically endangered Victorian bird emblem and raising awareness of the bird’s plight.
In partnership with Healesville Sanctuary’s captive breeding program, and the work done in sustaining the birds in the wild, the population of the Helmeted Honeyeater has increased significantly.
“It’s great … but I would rather it was for the Friends,” Bob said when asked about the award.
“I have been very fortunate to work with a great band of people over many years,” he said.
“When I look back and see what the organisation has been able to do, the wonderful nursery which now employs five people, our education program, and probably one important example of where we’re going , and what has happened over the years, is that we have two pairs of birds that have produced lots of fledglings in an area where they have not been for many years, and where we have had no influence, such as supplementary feeding.
“That’s what we hope will happen across the Yellingbo Conservation Area – that the birds do it themselves and that we have protected the habitat to enable that to happen.”
Peter Hannaford is likewise not one to relish the spotlight – unless it’s a floodlight on all the volunteers who have contributed to the success of the Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Association.
For 17 years the centre has been a beacon for bargain hunters and a life-line for wildlife, raising more than $3 million dollars to purchase reserves including the Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Reserve in north central Victoria, and the Jeanne Wilcox Reserve in Yellingbo, in memory of one of the most dedicated volunteers, who passed away last year.
He said he accepted the award very much on behalf of all the other people and groups who have been part of the JESWA journey.
“It is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to so many different people and groups who have supported us; all our volunteers, all the people and groups who inspired us,” Peter said.
“Our recipients inspired us to keep working for the environment,” he said.
He said the people of the Yarra Valley who have donated to the shop also share the accolades. “We have been able to make money, and good money, to use for wildlife because of your generosity.”
He said a very big part of any recognition of what has been achieved was down to Jeanne Wilcox.
“When I first started this shop I thought it would go for five years to raise enough for one reserve in recognition of Judith Eardley, then Jeanne turned up and there was no way I could have, or indeed would have wanted to, close the shop.
“She was an excellent business woman, but so much more than that.”
Don Bigham led by example, making him a perfect candidate for the Ian De La Rue Award for Community Leadership.
His legacy was celebrated in January 2017 when more than 1500 people reflected on a man who was a CFA stalwart, including member and former captain of the Gruyere Fire Brigade for more than 55 years, and a valued community worker.
His volunteer ‘career’ as a firefighter was exceptional, reflected in numerous awards and life membership of the Gruyere Brigade and the CFA.
He played football with Coldstream, was a member of the Gruyere Progress Association and Gruyere Primary and Lilydale High School councils and a member of the Seville Pony Club.
Much of his community work was as a neighbour and friend.
The Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award has gone to Bev McAllister OAM of The Patch for her work with the Dandenong Ranges Music Council, Hannah Mahoney of Warburton is the 2018 Young Citizen of the Year, the Mooroolbark Umbrella Group (MUG) which has worked to improve Mooroolbark for the past 15 years was recognised as Community Group of the Year and the Ken McIntosh Memorial Award for Young Environmental Achiever of the Year went to Belgrave nine-year-olds Brock and Ben.
Certificates of Recognition were awarded to Maureen Halit of Millgrove, Lynn Hannam of Warburton, Geoff Brown of Mount Evelyn and Ian Townsley of Mooroolbark.
