TawaLink - Tawa Community Civic Awards

ARTS & CULTURE
- enhancing and increasing participation in arts, including music, and creative leisure activities.

	Aileen Wood Aileen has been president of the Tawa Art & Craft Society for the past three years, and the convenor of Lacemakers of Tawa for around ten years. She also assists children with reading at a Cannons Creek school, tutors once a week in Newtown, and is a genealogy specialist at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints in Titahi Bay. She has been involved in all these groups on a voluntary basis, getting about by public transport, and is always willing to share her skills and talents to help others.
	Danny Muthumala . Danny plays a key role in finding the necessary resources and ensuring the success of Guitar and Voice Training classes run for young Sri Lankan children at the Tawa Community Centre. If not for him there wouldn't be a Sri Lankan Drumming Orchestra in Wellington. He has recently been shouldering responsibility for organising workshops and practices for a Sri Lankan drama production. He works tirelessly and with great enthusiasm and commitment for the Sri Lankan community.
	Debbie Sturmfels . Debbie joined the Tawa Music Centre in 2003 as treasurer and is resigning at the end of this year. In addition to receiving a small honorarium she has put in many voluntary hours to the role and has been very competent, keeping track of around 250 pupils' fees, tutors' pay and the Music Centre accounts. She has given valuable stability to the Tawa Music Centre, communicated well and been very reliable.
	Maureen Johnston . Maureen puts a lot of her time into preparing a very interesting two hour art class each week throughout the year which is held at the Tawa Community Centre. Members of the group have benefitted greatly from her knowledge and guidance. She does this on a purely voluntary basis.
	Mike Harmon . Mike was chair of the Tawa Music Centre committee for nine years. His role was fully voluntary and involved chairing about six meetings a year and attending tutor meetings four times a year. Most Saturday mornings Mike would be at the Music Centre to check how things were going. He also did desk duty several times a year. He ran the AGM and helped at many concerts. Mike was an amazing facilitator, mentor and guide to the smooth running of the Music Centre over many years.
	Pam Hughes . Pam is an amazing organiser and has been putting the theatre programme together for Tawa U3A for many years. She responds generously to any change in circumstances, e.g. squeezing people in at the last minute. With her husband she takes the gear and morning tea up to Aotea Lagoon for petanque and other games fortnightly on a Friday. This is to provide some physical exercise for the group that go there.

And the winner of the ARTS & CULTURE category is a person who ...
was chair of the Tawa Music Centre committee for nine years. He always listened carefully and offered calm, considered opinions and direction. He worked well with the treasurer and together they gave an incredible period of stability to the Music Centre that enabled it to continue its main role of teaching music to almost 250 primary and intermediate children every Saturday morning in term time. As chair he was an amazing facilitator, mentor and guide to the smooth running over many years of the Tawa Music Centre, a facility which plays such an instrumental part (no pun intended) in the life of Tawa.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mike Harmon

EDUCATIONAL AND CHILD/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
- improving and enhancing the development of young people and children.

	Angela Plimmer Angela's passion is early education and positive parenting, and many of her initiatives are around families with young children who need additional support. She has run weekly new mothers' church groups, school holiday programmes, Christian Religious Education in Tawa and has facilitated Positive Parenting courses. She has assisted many mothers who are struggling, giving them respite from their children, and has been known to turn up to a new mother's house and wash all the bed linen, just because she cares.
	Barbara Scott-Hill . Barbara has been a volunteer at both Brian Webb Kindergarten and Hampton Hill School. She works 9 to 1 on five days a week in the school library without being paid. She goes out of her way to help out the school and is only a phone call away. She organised the kindergarten's stall at the Spring into Tawa Market Day, and will soon be standing down after having been treasurer at the kindy for many years. She deserves recognition for all her hard work.
	Dermot O'Shaughnessy . Dermot has supported staff and families at Beanstalk Kindergarten through his two year tenure as chairperson in providing the best education experiences and a warm and nurturing environment for children and families to foster and grow. He has used his business savvy to lead the committee through tight financial times and in fixing maintenance issues as they arose - all on a voluntary basis. He is a great guy and enjoys short meetings and lots of laughter.
	Frances & Duncan Davidson . Frances & Duncan have until recently run the baptismal programme in Our Lady of Fatima Catholic parish, preparing Catholic and/or their non-Catholic partners getting babies and young children baptised. Two years ago they established a youth group for years 9 to 13 students which is held on Friday nights during term-time. Duncan is also a member of Gracenotes, a music group at the church. They are a wonderful couple who willingly give their time to help our church in the Tawa community.
	Godfrey Geismar . Godfrey works as a part time teacher at Tawa Intermediate School but gives a significant amount of time and skills to the students outside of his employment hours. Over the years he has taken many students sailing. He always comes into school to help with parent evenings and the disco. He will also turn up to school on days he is not employed, to work with individual students that he has seen need some extra support with their learning.
	Graham Ellett . Graham joined the committee of SeniorNet Porirua at its inception and held the positions of tutor coordinator for two years and treasurer for the past eight years, as well as tutoring computer classes. He has been involved for many years as a reading assistant in the Tawa Intermediate Community Links programme. He was a foundation committee member of U3A Tawa in 1996, and is currently president of the Probus Club of Tawa. His efforts in the educational field are well worthy of recognition.
	Helen Standen . Helen has worked voluntarily for the past 15 years in the kitchen preparing and serving morning teas at the Tawa Salvation Army's mainly music programme, devoting every Tuesday morning during term-time to serving - with a very caring heart - morning tea to the adults and children, then having the big task of cleaning up. Every week there are approximately 100 adults and children which equates to an enormous number of families being blessed by Helen over the 15 years.
	Jo Keats . Jo has been a great supporter of Redwood School over the time her children have attended. She has been the driving force behind the fundraising group over the last couple of years, organising a very successful duathlon in 2011. She has successfully applied for various grants which have enhanced the school greatly. She works cheerfully and tirelessly to ensure that the school is the best it can be.
	Kate Devine . Kate has been a loyal hardworking member of local Plunket, parents' centre and kindergarten committees, as well as the Greenacres School PTA, Greenacres School Board of Trustees, and the Tawa College PTA. She has been involved in coaching her children's school sports teams, and a committee member when necessary; a strong supporter of the Scouting and Guiding movements in Tawa, and she has done volunteer work with the Speld Association and as a reader/writer helper with students at Tawa College. She is a quiet, efficient and cheerful contributor to Tawa community life.
	Marie Prescott . Marie has been chair of the Tawa College Board of Trustees for the past six years. She had previously been chair of the board at Redwood School. In addition to a nominal meeting fee she gives hours of her time voluntarily to attend unpaid discipline, uniform, personnel and strategic planning meetings. Her service to the school has been outstanding and she always assists in a positive and cheerful manner.
	May Lindsey . May has worked voluntarily for the past 15 years in the kitchen preparing and serving morning teas at the Tawa Salvation Army's mainly music programme, devoting every Tuesday morning during term-time to serving - with a very caring heart - morning tea to the adults and children, then having the big task of cleaning up. Every week there are approximately 100 adults and children which equates to an enormous number of families being blessed by May over the 15 years.
	Metua Parr . Metua is an active member of St Christopher's Church in Tawa and St Francis Xavier School. At St Christopher's she fundraises to send families to summer camp, supervises homework club, and runs KidsGames for all students in the Tawa area. She is also involved with children's church and youth group programmes. She is a part-time staff member at St Francis Xavier School but is always at school volunteering to help in any way she can. She constantly gives to others with a generous heart.
	Tawa-Linden Plunket . Tawa-Linden Plunket volunteers offer free health and education to families in the community. They are responsible for maintaining a clean, pleasant and informative environment at the Linden Ave Plunket rooms. They also give 5 to 25 hours a month attending meetings and sharing ideas. They provide a free children's Christmas party for under-5s children in Tawa, they run preloved toy and clothing sales, and they get involved in community projects like Spring into Tawa and the Christmas parade. The local Plunket toy library is also run by volunteers. Their time and efforts are very much appreciated.
	Tim Anderson . Tim is chair of the Board of Trustees at both Tawa Intermediate and Redwood Schools. As well as being an excellent chair he has given generously of his own time and professional knowledge to influence educational direction both locally and nationally and has ensured that the right resources have been in place at the right time to maximise the educational opportunities for students at both of these schools. He has also assisted as a parent helper on school camp for Tawa Intermediate School.

And the winner of the EDUCATIONAL AND/OR CHILD/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT category is a person who ...
has served on school boards of trustees in Tawa since their inception almost 24 years ago - firstly on the Redwood School Board of Trustees where she took on the role of chair in 1995 through to 2004. She oversaw a lot of property development including the construction of the hall and extra classrooms. For the past 11 years she has served on the Tawa College Board of Trustees and has been chair since 2006. This individual gives many hours of her own time to attend discipline, uniform, personnel and strategic planning meetings, as well as to write detailed minutes for at least one of those sub-committees. She attends numerous school functions to lend her support and assists wherever she can in a positive and cheerful manner. And she is the only person who has been nominated for a Tawa Community Civic Award on each of the four occasions we've run them. This time she wins this category.

CONGRATULATIONS to Marie Prescott

HEALTH & WELLBEING
- providing services which enhance the wellbring of people.

	Barbara Russell Barbara is the go-to person if anybody wants anything organised or completed at the Tawa Union Church. These kindnesses are not only for the church congregation for there would be many a family in the community who has benefitted from her generosity. She assists young folk from pre-schoolers to teenagers and has a fantastic rapport with them in helping to do craft and cooking. The church is blessed with her flower arranging, her caring nature when arranging funeral catering, and her wonderful sewing ability.
	Brett Gillies . Brett is one of those valued people in the community with fingers in a number of pies. He has served as chair of the Tawa Shared Walkway committee since its inception four or five years ago, and great progress has been made with the actual walkway in the past year or two. He works with the Tawa Community Patrol as both trustee and patroller. He assists Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves with possum trapping at Duncan Reserve, and he recently stepped down as chair of the Hampton Hill Board of Trustees after 10 years in that role, although he remains on the board.
	Doug Burrus . Doug has been the main organiser of the Tawa Rotary Book Fair for the past four years, a massive undertaking which commences at least two months before the sale itself and culminates in the biggest one-off fundraiser on Tawa Rotary�s annual calendar. The event generates thousands of dollars for Rotary to direct towards the Life Education Trust and local community causes. He has been a committed coordinator of working bees around the Tawa lookout. He also played a substantial part earlier this year in coordinating a neighbourhood barbecue in his street in conjunction with Neighbours' Weekend in Tawa.
	George Harvey . George has been the Stake President of the Wellington N.Z. Stake (equivalent to a diocese) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for almost nine years, an unpaid position. He administers and leads a membership of approximately 1,700 members comprising five Wards (parishes) including Tawa. In his spare time from his usual employment he oversees community service projects that church members volunteer to do on a regular basis. One recent large project was "Books for Fiji", collecting 43,000 books for primary-aged children, which included books given by Tawa Rotary.
	Ian Magill . Ian shows a lot of concern for his neighbours, shares vegetables and watches out for strangers in the street. He helps with neighbourhood barbecues and various neighbourhood tasks. When his children were at Greenacres School he started up the barbecued sausage lunches which still take place today. He is a volunteer truck driver collecting donated furniture for Mary Potter Hospice one or two days a week. He assists on a part-time paid basis with Miss Daisy driving service and at He Huarahi Tamariki, the school for teenage mothers in Linden.
	Jim Higgins . Jim has been the coordinator for the Tawa Community Police base for almost 20 years. His role involves coordinating a team of volunteers to ensure the base operates 30 hours a week to serve the Tawa community, overseeing the roster and performing desk duties himself. He liaises directly with the Police to maintain good communication and to ensure that operations run smoothly. He has also played a significant role in Neighbourhood Support in Tawa over the years and is still involved in helping set up new Neighbourhood Support groups in the community.
	Malcolm Sparrow . Malcolm organised Neighbours' Weekend in Tawa earlier this year. His work for the Tawa Community Board is paid to a certain level, but he puts in many voluntary hours beyond those parameters. He organised the initial meeting to train 'hosts' so that people were comfortable in running neighbourhood get-togethers. As a result more than 50 street barbecues were held that weekend in Tawa. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.
	Margaret & David Galliven . Margaret & David have been Special Ministers of the Eucharist taking communion to our elderly parishioners at Longview Rest Home, Redwood Village, and to Catholic patients at Kenepuru Hospital. They have faithfully carried out this role for six years. This is a great outreach to people in the community who are feeling lonely and isolated due to illness, age or moving to a new environment. Margaret can often be heard singing a song to patients which cheers them up.
	Matthew Walker . Matthew is a mentor in Greater Wellington Regional Council's "bike buddies" scheme, designed to get people back on their bikes. He regularly cycles from Tawa into work in town and is a mentor for people wanting to cycle from Tawa to town. He has volunteered with various local schools, including Redwood and Tawa Intermediate, to help teach children cycling skills, and he has helped the local Cubs group with cycling skills.
	Pat Denton . Pat is a bright cheerful "Senior" and a volunteer at Longview Rest Home in Tawa. She goes out in the van with the driver so they can have two capable people on board. She is out there helping people less fortunate than herself - a great attitude.
	Pat Matheson . Pat is a registered nurse who has worked for the Redwood Club on a part-time basis for more than 20 years and for a lengthy time as coordinator. The Redwood Club provides day respite care for elderly folk with Alzheimers and other age-related disabilities. Although the basic role is remunerated, she puts in many hours of her own time which has resulted in a friendly and happy atmosphere at the club.
	Peter Lockery . Peter has undertaken the role of chair of the Tawa Community Patrol and has led it tirelessly since its inception, playing a key part in the recent acquisition of the dedicated patrol vehicle. Over the years he has given huge service to the Tawa community in a range of volunteer activities, from being on the Board of Trustees at a local school to undertaking the role of Tawa Fire Brigade's Chief Fire Officer for 30 years. His current role as chair of the community patrol is an example of his continued loyalty and dedication to making our community a safer and better place in which to live and raise our children.
	Robert Tredger . Robert has been responsible in the past couple of years for organising and monitoring a team of Tawa Rotary members to undertake liquor management duties at Westpac Stadium - "policing" of patrons purchasing alcoholic beverages. This is Rotary's biggest ongoing activity to fundraise for the community. He also played a substantial part earlier this year in coordinating a neighbourhood barbecue in his street in conjunction with Neighbours' Weekend in Tawa. And he is a valued member of the Tawa Community Patrol, serving on nighttime patrols and helping acquire the new dedicated patrol vehicle.
	Ron Baker . Ron has been secretary of the Tawa Progressive & Ratepayers' Association for 20 years, providing an excellent service to the ratepayers of Tawa. He has also been active with Spring into Tawa Market Day and Tawa Lions with Christmas parades and youth projects. He has been the liaison person with other suburbs, and pursuing community grants for the Lions' Club and Ratepayers' Association.
	Tawa Community Patrol . The Tawa Community Patrol currently consists of more than 20 unpaid volunteers who have gone through a training programme prior to undertaking twice-weekly night patrols of the whole Tawa area. Their aim is to detect and curb vandalism, graffiti tagging and other potential problems that have resulted in damage to the community in recent years, preferably before the actual damage is done. The patrol has been in operation for about four years and has the support of both the Wellington City Council and the Police. It has proved its effectiveness during this time.
	Walter Wurms . Walter has been involved with delivering Meals on Wheels to the elderly for a number of years. Officially he now delivers when nobody else is available, but in reality he still often delivers meals on at least one day a week, travelling as far afield as Titahi Bay and Porirua East, as well as in the Tawa-Linden area. He is the secretary of Mana-Tawa Grey Power - "for his sins", as he puts it. And in its early days he was also a volunteer at the Tawa Community Centre.

The HEALTH & WELLBEING category received more nominations than any other. On this occasion the juding panel deemed it appropriate to have two winners, one group and one individual.

The winning group in the HEALTH & WELLBEING category ...
has been operating in Tawa for over four years. It is a volunteer organisation helping to make safer communities by acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for the New Zealand Police. The group is made up of more than 20 local citizens wanting to give something back to the community. They are making a real difference patrolling the streets of Tawa a couple of nights each week. Their aim is to detect and curb vandalism, graffiti tagging and other potential problems that have resulted in damage to the community in recent years, preferably before the actual damage is done. The local group was an initiative of the Tawa Community Board, Tawa Rotary, Tawa Lions and the Tawa Volunteer Fire Brigade, but also with the support from many other organisations, as well as the Ministry of Justice, Police and Wellington City Council. They could always do with more volunteers!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Tawa Community Patrol

The winning individual in the HEALTH & WELLBEING category is ...
the go-to person if anybody wants anything organised or completed at the Tawa Union Church. She assists young folk from pre-schoolers to teenagers and has a fantastic rapport with them in helping to do craft and cooking. For many years she worked as a teacher aide at Tawa Intermediate, putting in many hours of her own time to assist with administration, catering for staff functions including cleaning up, and organising and sewing costumes at school productions. The Union Church is blessed with her flower arranging, her caring nature when arranging funeral catering and her wonderful sewing ability. She is never one to sit back and wait for work to find her, she looks for things to do. She helps anybody she perceives to have a need.

CONGRATULATIONS to Barbara Russell

HERITAGE & ENVIRONMENT
- improving or revitalising the environment, culture or heritage.

Richard Herbert
Richard has been actively involved with Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves for most of its ten years of existence. As its President since 2008 he has maintained and extended positive working relationships both with local government and community service and conservation groups. He also leads monthly working bees to improve and care for Tawa's various bush reserves. Thanks to his leadership, Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves is able to continue to preserve and improve the swathes of bush on the hillsides of Tawa, and the tremendous growth in native bird numbers over the last ten years.

Peter Turney .
Peter is regularly seen picking up rubbish in the streets of central Tawa. He wears rubber gloves and carries one or more rubbish bags with him. Over the past few years he has been a common sight collecting rubbish from the Main Road and from around the shopping area = from streets, gutters and drains. No one has asked him to perform this service and he gets no acknowledgement for the hours he puts on a totally voluntary basis. We hesitate to think how Tawa streets and footpaths would look if it wasn't for the unpaid labour of this generous citizen of Tawa.

And the winner of the HERITAGE & ENVIRONMENT category is a person who ...
was nominated by seven different people for this award. That is well and truly a record. Here are some of the comments we received:

"I regularly see him picking up rubbish in our streets. This very quiet, unassuming and unsung hero makes Tawa a much more attractive, cleaner, tidier and healthier place for us to live."

"He is a most deserving cause for the hours he spends cleaning the streets, mostly the Main Road. I'd be happy to sponsor the plastic bags."

"He is an example to us all. I do hope he is recognised for his mammoth contribution."

"It isn't a pleasant job collecting and disposing of the rubbish that collects in the gutters and I admire him for his tenacity ..."

"He completely typifies the characteristics of a "good sort" for his wonderful service to our environment and community."

"No one has asked him to perform this service and he gets no acknowledgement for the hours he puts in totally voluntarily."

Well, he is getting some acknowledgement tonight.

CONGRATULATIONS to Peter Turney

SPORT & LEISURE
- enhancing and increasing participation in physical sport, leisure activities and recreational pursuits.

	Graham Phillips Graham has coached the Tawa College football second 11 for the past seven years. In addition to this he has been the cornerstone of the Tawa College Football Club, collating results, organising gear and dealing with personnel issues. He has been a valuable link between the local football club and the club at Tawa College, doing all this on a fully voluntary basis.
	Juan McDonald . Juan helps run the Olympic Junior track and field club on weeknights in the summer, both at Grenada North and at Tawa College. He attends all inter-club meets throughout the season, supporting the Olympic athletes. He coaches Year 6 cricket at weekly training, and coaches and umpires on Saturdays. In the winter cross country season he leads training sessions for primary and intermediate age groups, and sets up cross country courses for the club on Saturdays. He is also the co-coach of the Tawa Barcelona 11th grade football team.
	Lynda Wightman . Lynda has organised and run the Tawa Bowling Club's annual "Have a Go" month each August for the last five years, bringing in 10-12 new members a season. This event is invaluable to the club, helping keep membership at a level which is the envy of most Wellington clubs. She runs corporate functions during the summer season where business teams from mainly the Tawa and Porirua area come and enjoy an evening of fun bowls, a barbecue meal and hospitality. A 500 card club is also run by Lynda every Monday afternoon during the winter. These are very important fundraising events for the club.
	Merv Parr . Merv has coached junior cricket teams in Tawa over many years. This year he has done a great job coaching the Tawa College first 11, despite no longer having children at the college. His people management skills and his attention to detail are quite superb.
	Russell Smith . The Taylor Park tennis courts and especially the building used by tennis were in the main put up through the management and care of Russell Smith. He used to visit the site several times a day and dealt with the people on the project to ensured completion was to an appropriate standard. He spent many years serving tennis on committees and associations over the years without the recognition he deserves. His crowning glory is the fact that tennis players of all ages now use Taylor Park.
	Shane Coburn . Shane has made a key contribution to Tawa College rugby over many years. His fully voluntary work on the committee has been exceptional. He has helped with the organisation of hosting visiting international sports teams as well as helping provide security at Tawa College socials.
	Trevor Rayner . Trevor has been an avid indoor, and at times, outdoor bowler for the nearly 40 years he has been part of the Tawa community. He has been a member of the Tawanui Bowls Club since 1976 and has held various roles including president. He has also held many positions on the North Wellington Indoor Bowls Association and is currently the selector. He has given many hours to develop, organise and participate in the sport. He has also served on various local school committees and was heavily involved in what was the Tawa & Districts Highland Pipe Band.
	Val Jarvis . Val is involved with coaching two leisure marching teams, one in the morning every Friday and one in the afternoon. She also leads an exercise group on a Thursday. The activities take place at the Tawa Rugby Club, making good use of the available facilities and keeping people active in the community.

And the winner of the SPORT & LEISURE category is a person who ...
has coached the Tawa College football second 11 for the past seven years. He is involved in overseeing all eleven of the college's football teams, collating results, organising gear and dealing with personnel issues. He has been a valuable link between the local football club and the club at Tawa College. He is hands-on in putting up nets and taking them down, organising pre-season games and assisting with registration. He is undemonstrative and quietly gets in and does things. Most people involved with school sports do so because they have a child involved in that sport. That has not been the case with this individual. His commitment is a result of his genuine passion to see young people involved in sport.

CONGRATULATIONS to Graham Phillips

YOUTH (15-24 YEARS)
- celebration and recognition of young people who provide outstanding service within the community of Tawa.

	Daniel Kleinsman Daniel is a former head boy of Tawa College and is an excellent role model for young people. He continues to give of his time and talents to serve as a debate adjudicator at many collegiate debates. This is hugely appreciated by the College.
	Jack Marshall . Jack is a member of the Wellington City Council's Youth Council whose role is to provide a youth perspective on council-related issues. He regularly attends their twice-monthly meetings as well as other special interest meetings on behalf of youth, such as the future of the Tawa Railway Station. He represents the young people of Tawa In a quiet, thoughtful and positive manner. He has participated in a number of community forums and is an active member of the Tawa College Astronomy Club.
	Jono Moore . Jono makes a huge contribution to Tawa College in the area of service. He is the hockey first XI captain and also a hockey referee. He is on the Formal (Dance) committee, 40-hour Famine committee and Amnesty International committee. He is a student librarian and is a key member of the Breakfast Club at the College, as well as being a prefect and a peer tutor, and he does canteen duty. All this service is done with empathy and a positive spirit.
	Josh Wharton . Josh is currently head boy of Tawa College, a role which entails much responsibility and service. He has also been a key leader in the Breakfast Club at the College over the past two years. The Breakfast Club provides support for young students both in practical and educational terms. The whole enterprise including the funding is driven by the students.
	Michael Johnson . Michael is an outstanding young man who is very active in the Tawa community. At an early age he took an interest in lawn bowls at the Tawa Bowling Club and has since become a qualified bowls umpire. Three years ago he became an active member of the Tawa Community Patrol. He is currently the roster keeper ensuring there are sufficient members to cover the weekend patrols. He has attended two national training seminars and has subsequently recommended adoption of new and improved procedures and processes in the Tawa patrol's operation.
	Mitchell Bernard . Mitchell, a former head boy at Tawa College, used his own initiative in setting up "Christmas in the Cul-de-sac" which has been held in Woodman Drive over the past two years to raise money for the Salvation Army. He also gives of his valuable time to mentor marginalised students at Tawa College, having finished his schooling there at the end of 2010. As a key member in developing the Breakfast Club at the College, he shows genuine understanding and care.

And the winner of the YOUTH category is a person who ...
is an outstanding young man who is very active in the Tawa community. He is currently studying for Honours in Law and Political Science at Victoria University having completed his secondary education at Tawa College. At age 16 he became the youngest qualified bowls umpire in the world. He has been successful as a player in various local, regional and national bowls competitions. He has been involved in a number of community activities and three years ago became an active member of the Tawa Community Patrol. He has attended two national training seminars and has subsequently recommended adoption of new and improved procedures and processes in the Tawa patrol's operation. He is currently the roster keeper ensuring there are sufficient members to cover the weekend patrols and, as indicated earlier, the Tawa Community Patrol does play a valuable role in our community.

CONGRATULATIONS to Michael Johnson

TAWA ROTARY YOUNG EMPLOYEE AWARD
This is a new category this time around and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tawa. The criteria - displaying energy and enthusiasm in undertaking workplace responsibilities.

The summaries of the nominees below have been provided by their employers.

	Aisling Anderson "Aisling has been a retail officer involved in counter customer services at Take Note Tawa since April 2010. We have been impressed with Aisling's bright friendly personality. She has proved herself a quick learner with excellent customer service skills, and is cheerful, helpful, patient and understanding. We have received wonderful positive feedback from customers regarding the service she has provided. She is very much a team player and is a shining example of what great qualities a young person can bring to the workplace environment."
	Andrew Fearnley . "Andrew initially worked for one year as a labourer at Hawkins Plumbing. His enthusiasm and dedication to the job impressed us to the point that he was offered an apprenticeship and has worked in that role for the past three years. Andrew is always willing to do whatever is asked of him, and often shows his initiative by starting work early - when the need arises - or leaving late, without any prompting. He is keen to learn and is excelling at his trade studies and courses. He displays the qualities of enthusiasm, diligence, responsibility and politeness which we at Hawkins Plumbing cherish."
	Daniel Clark . "Daniel is a cold storage supervisor, second-in-charge at Toops Wholesale Grenada North where he has worked since August 2007. Dan has a flair for handling people. In our often cold and harsh environment he displays the leadership necessary to get the job done and look after members of the team. As second-in-command he has taken on more responsibilities. This year he has completed a Foodstuffs "Stepping up to Supervisor" two day course. Most satisfying has been seeing his growth in ability and increasing effectiveness as second-in-command for our team."
	Gerard Roach . "Gerard is a sheetmetal worker who has worked at Aquaheat Industries for the past five years. He is a shining example of how a young person can succeed through hard work and dedication to their chosen path. Gerard completed his light fabrication apprenticeship in December 2010, six months ahead of time which was a marvellous achievement. Outside of work he enjoys playing rugby, cricket and softball - a good all-round Kiwi lad."
	Greg Stoebener . "Greg started as an automotive apprentice at North City Motors Tawa Ltd in January of this year. He is diligent in doing his assignments and to date has passed all his papers. We have found him keen to learn and he works well with the team. He also has a pleasant and courteous manner when dealing with customers."
	Kalim Kelemete . "Kalim has shown fantastic talent as a new customer service consultant to BNZ Tawa where he has worked for one year. He always displays enthusiasm in his role and goes the extra mile to ensure satisfaction from our customers. He is regularly praised by staff and customers on his efforts. Kalim is professional and always undergoing new training to develop knowledge in his role. His contribution to BNZ and the Tawa community is outstanding."
	Kelly Pentecost . "Kelly is a newly qualified pharmacist who has recently joined Drummond�s Pharmacy. She communicates with clients regarding their health and medication needs in a clear and respectful way that provides a level of care that well exceeds expectations for a newly graduated pharmacist. She also undertakes a wider interest in the impact that proposed changes in pharmacy care are likely to have on our community. Kelly�s overall caring attitude together with her positive relationship skills provide the Tawa community with service that is greatly appreciated and results in better community health outcomes."
	Lucy King . "Lucy is a young teacher in her second year at Tawa Intermediate School. As well as being an outstanding classroom practitioner she has already had an article about her teaching experience published in a national educational magazine. Lucy runs the school's drama academy and was the assistant producer for the school's major production in 2011. She is a leading innovator in digital technology in the classroom and this year is trialling the use of iPod touches with her students. This work is gaining the attention of educators from other schools around the country."
	Mathew Gillett . "Mathew started working at Nada Bakery straight after leaving Tawa College seven years ago and has become a valuable team member. He began as a general assistant, became an apprentice baker and has now been fully qualified for approximately four years. Mathew treats Nada as he would his own business. He has developed several products including his shortbread which is a top seller. His dedication has extended to training other staff to Nada's high standard. He is honest, reliable and trustworthy and is a most valued team member."
	Samantha Judd . "Samantha has been providing salon support at Fiona's Hair Design for the past three years and is a great worker. She has shown a really positive attitude and works well with both clients and other staff members. Samantha is a good learner, receives instructions well, and takes on responsibilities beyond her years. She is honest, reliable and friendly, and makes an outstanding contribution to our workplace."
	Scott Johnson . "Scott has been employed at The Roundabout Bar & Restaurant for about four years. He started as a kitchenhand after leaving college and quickly progressed to become our commis (junior) chef. During this time he showed he was very capable and hardworking. In the last six months Scott has started to work front of house at The Roundabout, and has learned very quickly the duties he has to perform. In his time with us we have not heard a negative comment from customers or fellow staff members. He is now assistant manager which shows how quickly how quickly he has progressed in his new role."

And the winner of the TAWA ROTARY YOUNG EMPLOYEE AWARD is a person who ...
has been in his place of employ for seven years and a fully qualified baker for approximately four years. He never leaves before completing every task for the day and will come in after hours if necessary. He always arrives 15 minutes early for his shift and at the end of the day always preps fully for the next day. As has already been stated, he is now involved in training other staff to his employer's high standard. He is honest, reliable and trustworthy and a most valued team member. He treats Nada as he would his own business. How many employers could say that of their employees?

CONGRATULATIONS to Mathew Gillett

The 2012 winners:
Mathew Gillett, Peter Turney, Marie Prescott, Tawa Community Patrol trustee Brett Gillies, Graham Phillips, Annelise Havill, Barbara Russell, Michael Johnson, Mike Harmon.
[Click on pic to enlarge]

The photos on this page have been provided courtesy of Neil Price, Wellington City Council photographer

Tawa Community Civic Awards information
. Award Ceremonies in other years: 2006 2008 2010 .