Mayor Ryan Palmer today announced a quality field of nominees, including 12 individuals and three groups. 

“The Port Stephens Annual Awards are our way of recognising the members of our community who inspire us, who go above and beyond and who make a positive impact in our region,” Mayor Palmer said.

“I am blown away by the quality of nominations for 2021. Each and every nominee should feel incredibly proud of their service to our community.

“Winners will be announced in 6 categories, including Citizen of the year, Young Citizen of the year, Sportsperson/group of the year, Cultural endeavour, Environmental citizen of the year and Freeman of Port Stephens.

“I look forward to announcing the recipients at the Terrace Central Australia Day civic ceremony at Riverside Park in Raymond Terrace on Wednesday 26 January"

The 2021 Port Stephens Annual Awards nominees are:

Brigid Douglas
Brigid Douglas is a volunteer gymnastics coach at PCYC Port Stephens, generously volunteering an estimated 350 hours a year to support programs for young people. Brigid has built wonderful relationships with her students and the community, and is an example of hard work and dedication to the sport of gymnastics. Brigid also helps with the club’s school holiday programs and works closely with NSW Police on the Fit for Life program.

Brooke Roach
A rugby league stalwart and proud Aboriginal man, Brooke Roach isa guiding light for young players and the community. He not only coaches, but volunteers his time to mentor young Indigenous players both on and off the field.

Clontarf Foundation
The Clontarf Foundation helps to improve the education, discipline, life-skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. The Foundation helps make a difference in the lives of young people in Port Stephens by running programs with students at Hunter River High and Irrawang High School.

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens is one of Port Stephens’ and the Hunter’s leading environmental tourist destinations, with more than 25,000 visitors annually. Established more than 35 years ago, the Gardens have become a centre for research, education and knowledge sharing for all things botanical. It was recently included in the Australian Geographic’s top 10 Regional Botanical Gardens in Australia.

Jacqueline Fordham
A proud Wonarrua Country woman, Jacqueline Fordham is the founder of U Do U Boo – an Aboriginal mental health and disability service. Jacqueline is known for her generosity and for giving her community a voice.

Kevin Stokes
Kevin is a founding member of the Hunter Regional Botanic Gardens. A passionate advocate for the environment, Kevin has spent more than 36 years volunteering at the Gardens. He's worked tirelessly to develop and maintain the Gardens' traditions, its volunteer basis and its focus on displaying and conserving Australian plants. 

Leonie Bryson
Leonie Bryson is the vice-president and a key member of Climate Action Port Stephens. Leonie is actively involved in educating the Port Stephens community about climate change and sustainability and has worked on events such as School Strike for Climate. Through her dedication and hard work, Leonie secured grant funding to install renewable street furniture in Raymond Terrace – known as a Smart Solar Bench – that uses energy from the sun to enable users to charge their phones and connect to Wi-Fi.

Madeline Crockett
Madeline Crockett gives back to her community by volunteering her time at the Twilight markets in Fingal Bay. Among her many duties, Madeline helps to organise signs and COVID-19 updates, filling market spots, advertising via social media and providing updates to the community. Previously Madeline spent time volunteering to assist her fellow students with their school assignments. 

Nikita Austin
Nikita Austin is a practising speech pathologist working closely with First Nations communities to ensure they have access to appropriate healthcare. Through her private practice in Taylors Beach, Nikita has implemented a number of inclusive strategies and programs to support local Indigenous communities.

November Sheehan
November Sheehan is the founder of Heart Letter Pen, an online initiative created during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist people feeling lonely, anxious and isolated. Humble, but infinitely encouraging, November donates significant time to manage the group’s Facebook page, coordinate drop-off and collection of boxes across the local community, and individually check, sort and mail card batches.

Rachel and Neville McDermott
Together, Rachel and Neville McDermott have helped to spread joy among the Port Stephens community during the COVID-19 pandemic. They established Brighter Bay Days, which delivers essential items to residents in need, along with gift boxes to people who have been nominated for their community spirit. 

Salamander Child Care
Salamander Child Care has been serving the families of Port Stephens for 29 years. In 2021, Salamander Child Care partnered with the University of Newcastle to provide local families access to a registered Occupational Therapist on-site for one day a week. This partnership has resulted in over 50 children being screened to access any additional support required to help them reach their full potential. The centre also provides one-on-one and small group sessions to children.

Shiralyn Skelton
Shiralyn Skelton volunteers her time picking up rubbish from the streets, walkways and reserves around Fingal Bay, Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay and Corlette.

Taylah Witty
Through her involvement with the Nelson Bay Netball Association and Medowie Netball Club, Taylah Witty works to further the sport of Netball in Port Stephens. As well as playing and coaching, Taylor runs one-on-one mentoring for young players to help develop their skills. Taylor’s love for the sport has also led her to take on the role of Publicity Officer for the Nelson Bay Netball Association and Junior Coordinator at the Medowie Netball Club.

Yolande Krugar
As the Centre Director at St Nicholas Early Education Raymond Terrace, Yola Krugar developed a beautiful partnership between her centre and the Raymond Terrace Gardens Aged Care community. Since the onset of COVID-19, Yola has arranged regular Zoom meetings between the elderly residents and the children. She’s also helped to arrange a number of bright and colourful cards and gifts, which were delivered to the residents to show care and compassion while they were unable to meet in person.

For more information on the annual awards visit portstephens.nsw.gov.au/community/annual-awards