Years of inclusion at the beach

STARFISH Nippers co-founder Janet Jones said her Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) was a credit to everyone who had helped support her passions along the way.

The Anglesea SLSC member was awarded her OAM for service to surf lifesaving and to the community in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Created by Ms Jones and Naomi Symington at Anglesea in 2011 and now operating at SLSCs across Australia, Starfish Nippers allows children and young adults with a disability to participate in beach and water/surf lifesaving-based activities.

Ms Jones stepped down from co-ordinating the Starfish Nippers at Anglesea SLSC last year and praised the many people that helped start the program and had kept it going since then, including new co-ordinator Matilda Cameron.

“I had Naomi there to help me and back me up and go through the process, and also I had amazing trainers, and the families involved have been an absolute credit to themselves and their families,” she said.

“This award is really for all those other people who have helped along the way, and especially for those people with disabilities – they’re the ones who have really given pleasure to us that we can help them.

“You see them improving, and their inclusion in the programs; we get so much out of them having so much pleasure.”

Ms Jones also worked in special education for 17 years at Ballarat Specialist School and was a board member of the Ballarat Sports Foundation between 2009 and 2019.

She thanked Ballarat Specialist School principal John Burt for his support and mentorship.

Fellow Surf Coast resident Prudence Campbell was also awarded an OAM this year, for service to the community of Birregurra.

Mrs Campbell is a stalwart of the Country Women’s Association of Birregurra, having been a member since 1965 including a period as the organisation’s secretary.

She was also one of the founding members of the Birregurra Charity Quilting Group in 2008, in which she still quilts, and has been a volunteer at the Birregurra Community Health Centre for the past 13 years.

Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia.

If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at the Governor-General of Australia’s website.