Australia Day Awards recipients

On Wednesday 26 January, 2022 Councillor Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah, announced the recipients of the 2022 Australia Day awards.

Citizen of the Year - Terri Verberne

Terri Verberne was recognised as the 2022 Citizen of the Year for her incredible service and leadership in the community.

Terri has contributed 20 plus years of service to Scouts Victoria, including five years as Maroondah District Commissioner. She is a mentor to over 20 adults and is currently a Group Leader.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, Terri showed impeccable leadership, resilience, care and initiative. From continuing to champion the 600 youth and 130 adults through Zoom meetings, to working on multiple hall upgrades for our young people, Terri epitomises what it means to be a dedicated volunteer. 

Young Citizen of the Year - Lily Van Sui Cer Kingbawl

Lily Van Sui Cer Kingbawl was awarded Young Citizen of the Year for her passion and commitment to supporting the broader Maroondah community.

Lily is an active member in Council’s Youth Services programs and is involved in Eastern Access Community Health’s campaigns to raise awareness of safety over the continued effects of the pandemic.

Lily is strongly connected to her Chin (Myanmar) culture and is a Chin Cultural Liaison, supporting many young Chin students and their families. Lily is also an active member of the Chin Family Strengths and Project Advisory Group with Foundation House. She has recently become the Assistant Secretary of the Youth Department in the Australia Chin Community - Eastern Melbourne Inc.

Lily also volunteers her time at the Victoria Chin Baptist Church, teaching Sunday school to children.

Community Event of the Year - The Ringwood Eisteddfod

The Ringwood Eisteddfod was one of the very few community competition events able to take place in 2021. With a large span of awards in performing arts as well as music, the Eisteddfod provided the opportunity for over 700 community members to participate.

Not just an event for young aspiring musicians—the Ringwood Eisteddfod offers awards which are open to any age, encouraging an inclusive opportunity to compete in skill level, not just age.

As lockdown hit in June, rather than cancel, the Eisteddfod committee worked around the clock to quickly modify performance schedules to be COVID-19 safe and fit with the rapidly changing regulations. All the sections of the event were delivered “in-person”; a rare and epic effort in this current climate.

Citizen of the Year - Anupa Shah

Lachlan is an outstanding young person who gives 100 per cent to every opportunity he is given. Lachlan was one of the Heathmont College school captains for 2020 before he finished his VCE.

Lachlan is a current member of the Maroondah Youth Wellbeing Advocates program which provides two-way engagement between Council and young people. Lachlan has shown maturity in providing feedback on important Council documents and is always willing to share his opinion in a respectful manner. Lachlan also created a wellbeing project at school as part of the Maroondah Student Wellbeing Action Teams project.

Lachlan MC'd the 2020 Maroondah Youth Awards, has been involved in multiple video projects with Council, and is following his passion for working with people by studying a Bachelor of Youth Work in 2021.

Community Event of the Year - Glen Park and Eastland Food Relief Collection Services 

Glen Park Community Centre offers a food relief frozen meal distribution service for those doing it tough. However, the COVID-19 restrictions during 2020 have impacted the service, in particular the travel restrictions imposed under Stage 4 limited the ability to move around freely and safely.

Glen Park Community Centre pivoted its Order and Collect service to provide food relief meal distribution, to help keep those in need fed during the challenging time for Victorians.

The Centre partnered with Eastland and launched the Eastland Order & Collect service in May, allowing customers to place an order directly over the phone at any participating Eastland retailer and collect on the same day from the convenience and safety of their car through the Eastland Valet area. A no contact option was implemented for those travelling by public transport via a separate collection point in the Valet area. This was a first for both Eastland and Glen Park Community Centre.

This partnership has allowed Glen Park to be able to connect with people in need who may not have known about or had access to Glen Park Community Centre previously, enabling more members of the community who may be struggling to gain support and easier access given Eastland’s proximity to public transport.

Since the service launched almost 350 meals have been distributed to Maroondah residents in need and will continue to support the Maroondah community post this pandemic.