By JESSE GRAHAM
Phyllis Dixon wins Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
A RESIDENT with 62 years in the community and a group dedicated to helping over 600 families both received high accolades at last weekend’s Yarra Ranges Australia Day Awards.
Coldstream’s Phyllis Dixon and Healesville Interchurch Community Care Incorporated (HICCI) were two Yarra Valley recipients at the annual awards ceremony, which was held in Yarra Glen Memorial Hall.
Ms Dixon received the Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the awards for her work with the Yarra Valley Over 50s Friendship Club and the Mount Evelyn Tennis Club.
She founded the friendship club in 1994 and has been president for the last 20 years – she is responsible for chairing the club’s committee and running two catch-up sessions with members each week.
Through her work with the friendship club, Ms Dixon has helped to build friendships between elderly members of the community across the Yarra Valley, who are often at risk of social isolation.
She was hand-picked for the award by Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister, who is also the ward councillor for Coldstream.
Cr McAllister said that, without Mrs Dixon, the friendship club would not exist and the nearly 100 members wouldn’t have the intricate connections they currently do.
“It’s just beautiful to see the friendships that have come through that group,” she said.
HICCI’s award at the ceremony was for Community Group of the Year, which celebrates the group’s work to service over 600 families in the area.
HICCI is a group that has a network of seven Christian churches – the Healesville Catholic Church, Uniting Church, Anglican Church, Salvation Army, Liberty Family Church, Yarra Glen Heartland Church and Christian Fellowship – that features five members of staff and over 100 volunteers.
HICCI helps vulnerable members of the community through three programs: Emergency Relief, Volunteer Transport and Community Meal.
Emergency Relief helps to assist members of the community during and after disasters, with food hampers, help with bills and pharmaceutical support.
Volunteer Transport helps HICCI members to access shopping, visit family and friends, while Community Meal is a once-a-week dinner at the Darron Honey Centre.
Over the Christmas period, HICCI provided hampers and toys to over 200 families and HICCI will be running two days of outreach services in Yarra Glen beginning in February.
Cr McAllister said the Australia Day Awards was a time to recognise the hard work of some of the many community members putting in their time and effort to help others.
“I’d like to think we celebrate all of our amazing people throughout the year, but Australia Day gives us the chance to give out some specific awards to celebrate and acknowledge a few of the really special people who put in so much to make a difference in our community,” she said.
She said that she had one final message for Australia Day Award recipients – thank you.
“Thank you all for the wonderful contribution you make to the community,” she said.
“It wouldn’t be the community we have if it wasn’t for people like you.”
For the full list of award recipients, turn to page 10.
For more information and pictures, visit mail.starcommunity.com.au.
