Honours for top volunteers

PROLIFIC Point Lonsdale volunteer Liam Petrie-Allbutt has earned recognition as the Borough of Queenscliffe’s top community servant.

Mr Petrie-Allbutt won the honour at a community event at Point Lonsdale Primary School on Saturday morning,

The local winner won commendation for his dedication to a range of volunteering and leadership roles including to Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club, Queenscliffe Maritime Museum, Queenscliffe

Historical Museum and the Point Lonsdale Christmas Tree Lighting Committee.

He’s also event director of the Rip View Swim Classic and founder of the Q180 Family Swim.

It’s Mr Petrie-Allbutt’s second community service award, after he won the Young Citizen of the Year honour in 2016.

Restauranteur Barry Iddles and disability consultant Jacqui Pierce were other nominees for the top gong, while BOQ recognised 17 total nominees across its five award categories.

Other community awards announced on the weekend included:

• Young Citizen of the Year: Eleanor Macleod, for service with aquatic and surf live saving groups
• Community Event of the Year: Queenscliffe Literary Festival
• Community Organisation of the Year: Point Lonsdale Primary School, for a beach safety program called Nippers in School
• Community Environment Project of the Year: Boomerang Bags, a Queencliffe Neighbourhood House initiative that makes shopping bags out of recycled materials, shared the award with Queenscliffe Climate Action Group.

Borough mayor Ross Ebbels said he was proud of the immense contributions from local volunteers.

“I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand the relentless energy this community puts into making the borough a caring, connected and welcome place to live,” Cr Ebbels said.

“Congratulations and thank you to all of our nominees. It takes a special kind of contribution to be nominated for such a prestigious award, and I am honoured to be able to call you all members of our community.

“This year’s nominations were again of a very high standard, and I look forward to seeing more of the same next year.”