Council
4 October, 2024
Locals nominated for Senior of the Year
FOUR locals have been nominated for the Victorian Senior of the Year award.
Kevin Sparrow, Bruce Cameron, Virginia Mack and John Parker have all been nominated for the prestigious award in recognition of their commitment and work with various community groups and organisations.
Kevin is well known across the district as author of ‘Plants of the Great South West.’
The book, now in its fourth edition, has become a bible for keen gardeners throughout the region and is also a crucial resource for multiple government agencies.
The latest edition of the book also includes invaluable insights from traditional owners, whose ancestors have lived alongside many of the plants featured in the book for thousands of years, with the cover art designed by local artist Lee-Anne Clarke.
As well as being a cataloguer of plants, Kevin is also an advocate, having played a crucial role in the conservation of Australian flora in south west Victoria for the past 30 years.
He has led scientific research of threatened landscapes and plant species and has established several volunteer agencies fostering community networks that have worked to leave a long-lasting positive impact.
He is a member of the Australian Plant Society Warrnambool and District, Ralph Illidge Sanctuary, Kurri Kurri Co-op Society and Warrnambool Nature Reserves Society.
He is also an active member of the Friends of Swan Reserve and the Tozer Reserve Management Committee - groups that were very much reinvigorated with Kevin’s input.
Bruce Cameron
Bruce has been blind since he was a baby, but he has never let his vision impairment stop him from caring for others, or advocating for change.
Bruce helped found the All Abilities Advocacy South West Victoria Group in 2010, and has been a constant presence in the group ever since.
The group is run by and for people of all abilities, helping to give them a voice in creating a better world for everyone.
He has advocated for many important issues over the years and just last month Bruce was featured in the media promoting sunflower lanyards.
These lanyards are worn by people to signify that they have a hidden disability.
And while Bruce has often used his voice for advocacy, he’s also used it for song.
In 2017 he was one of the founding members of the Find Your Voice Collective.
His membership in the group has encouraged him to explore his own creative side, and he has written and performed his own music.
And while Bruce has shared the stage with members of the collective at some very big events, from the Port Fairy Folk Festival to Australia’s Got Talent, he has become a reliable and community-minded leader within the group.
He is on the Find Your Voice Collective Empowered Voices disability advisory committee and is the voice of this committee at the group’s Governance Board level.
Virginia Mack
Virginia has used her extensive skills developed over a long career as a social worker to continue to make an outstanding contribution to improve the quality of life of some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
At Anglicare Victoria, Virginia works to provide essential support to people who might not know where else to turn.
‘Get out for Good’ is a post release prison program where volunteer mentors like Virginia help offenders as they transition from prison to community, aiming to break the cycle of reoffending and returning to custody.
Virginia works to empower offenders to overcome negative experiences in their lives and participate positively in everyday life by reconnecting to their family and community where possible.
She also provides support as an Emergency Relief Volunteer where she listens to the requests of people experiencing hardship and helps to provide the necessary support, from food to connections with other services.
She is also involved with the drop-in centre, which provides a place for people to rest, have a cuppa and something to eat, and to connect – whether it’s with a support service, or just a friendly face.
Virginia is also a leader of a weekly Heart Foundation walking group.
The Northern Walkers group grew in attendance under Virginia’s leadership, with the age of participants ranging from their late 50s to their late 80s.
That growth speaks volumes for her ability to create a group that enables community members to age well by being regularly physically active outdoors.
She has also volunteered for her tennis club, the F Project and the Port Fairy Historical Society.
John Parker
John works tirelessly to help make the Warrnambool Senior Citizen’s Club the wonderful organisation that it is.
It’s not uncommon to see John at the Archie Graham Centre five days a week, doing all of the things, big and small, that keep a club with over 200 members running.
The club currently has no less than 13 activity groups, catering for different interests and mobility levels, but all of them contributing to enriching the lives of the participants.
John is pivotal in ensuring their smooth operation and he is the driving force behind quite a few of them.
Whether its organising a walking group, preparing refreshments for club members, coordinating bus trips or collating the regular senior citizens club newsletter, John wears many hats.
And he wears them well; going about his work as a quiet achiever and enriching the lives of so many people in our community.
John is a great advocate of healthy ageing while fostering a better sense of connection, inclusion and wellbeing among everyone he works with.
Warrnambool’s four nominees were officially recognised during Wednesday’s launch of the Warrnambool Seniors Festival.
* Photos courtesy Warrnambool City Council.
