East Gippsland Shire Council will hold its East Gippsland Australia Day Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 21 at the Newlands Arm Community Centre from 10.30am, showcasing the great work of local volunteers and community organisations.

Mayor, Cr Mark Reeves said Council was thrilled to have a significant contributor to the East Gippsland community, Helen Martin, as this year’s ambassador.

“Helen has a long list of achievements, and we are honoured to welcome her as our keynote speaker on the day. Helen will certainly add to the day with some of her story about why she fell in love with East Gippsland, the importance of volunteerism, and the role the East Gippsland Community Foundation is playing in communities across our shire,” Cr Reeves said.

Helen is a long-time resident of East Gippsland, director of the East Gippsland Community Foundation, as well as being an active volunteer with the Country Fire Authority and Red Cross Emergency Services. She has held senior positions in government, which included assisting community recovery from disasters.  

Helen was a member and later chair of the Gippsland Coastal Board and a member of several state government advisory councils. She is a graduate of the Gippsland Community Leadership Program.

Working with CFA and Red Cross during and after the Black Summer bushfires gave Helen a clear view of the impacts of disasters on individuals, communities and the environment and led her to apply to be a director of the East Gippsland Community Foundation. She is strongly committed to enhancing the Foundation’s role in assisting recovery and building resilience. 

“I feel honoured to be able to share some of my East Gippsland story on what is an important occasion for our community,” Helen said.

“The annual awards are a true reflection of the community spirit and acknowledge that many local people go above and beyond for their community,” Helen said.

“The award categories of Citizen, Young Citizen and Community Event certainly celebrate the diversity of contribution. I look forward to celebrating the 2023 nominees and hopefully sparking more interest in volunteerism,” Helen said.

The event is free to attend, however, tickets are limited. Visit www.trybooking.com/CETUW to secure your ticket.

For people unable to attend, the event will be live stream at https://youtu.be/h1PfdOdQMmM.

All award recipients will be published on Council’s website following the awards ceremony.