2020 Citizenship Awards

2020 Citizen of the Year Award: Barry Joseph

Barry is a well known and highly respected member of the Woollahra community for his wonderful long-term contribution as a volunteer. He has been a very active member of Rose Bay Rotary for more than 30 years and an active participant in Rose Bay Rotary charity and fundraising events. He was Federal Executive Director of the Australian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for 15 years prior to becoming the Honorary President of the NSW Division. Barry has been a Board Member for 18 years of Montefiore. He is a member of the investment committee and co-chairs the admissions committee.

2020 Youth Award: Anika Deva

Anika, a Year 12 student at Ascham, has been recognised for her remarkable efforts as a volunteer and as a proactive young community leader. She has volunteered at Crown Street and Double Bay Schools at their after school care programs and Tech@Ascham, a program assisting community seniors with the use of their personal IT devices. Anika has committed herself to many projects outside of Ascham, including crocheting and selling items with 100% of sales going to the Sparcle Foundation, her own charity. Anika also designed and undertook a fundraiser for the Fred Hollows Foundation, and more recently completed some knitting for the Aminata Foundation, Koalas and Kangaroos affected by the bush fires and blankets for the homeless.

2020 Seniors Award: Colin McQueen

Colin has been a volunteer with the SES (and its predecessor agencies) for more than 50 years. He has had an enormous influence on all the volunteers he interacts with. He is the ‘go-to’ person in the unit whenever someone isn't sure how to do something. He is a supportive mentor and a skilled trainer and team leader.

2020 Contribution to the Community Award: Laya Slavin

More than 10 years ago, Laya and her husband, Rabbi Dr Dovid, created Our Big Kitchen, an industrial-sized kitchen in the heart of Bondi, to provide a space for the community to connect and cook hearty nutritious meals to serve the needy. Laya’s contribution and commitment to the community is nobody in the kitchen’s vicinity goes hungry and that members of the local community from every denomination can have a place where they can connect with other individuals in a meaningful way. She is constantly looking for new ways to make the lives of those around her better by continuing to make regular visits with other compassionate volunteers to hospitals, nursing homes, women's refuges, homeless shelters and individuals’ homes. She has also opened a wig lending library to provide those suffering cancer with a wig as beautiful as their own hair.

2020 Contribution to the Community Award – Highly Commended: Merle Ware

Merle has supported mothers by visiting them on a weekly basis as a volunteer in the Mum For Mum NCJWA program. Merle has been hailed as a ‘lifesaver’ by many local mums and friends. Merle has expanded her volunteer role within the program and helps the paid professional staff doing intakes of new recipient mothers to deal with the ever-increasing demand for the Mum For Mum NCJWA services.

2020 Contribution to the Natural Environment Award: Robert Joyner

Rob is the President of the Paddington Community Garden, which celebrated its 10 year anniversary this year. Rob led the garden's construction team which installed raised garden beds, built a rotunda and pergolas, installed water tanks and compost tumblers and facilitated many other projects that have seen the garden develop into the wonderful community asset that it is today. Rob's commitment to preserving the local natural environment influences all of the practices adopted in the garden relating to organic gardening, recycling of green waste and watering wisely.