The Amy Large Volunteer Awards

A great congratulations to all of the nominees of the 2024 Amy Large Awards. We acknowledge and appreciate the work that you all do in the Inner West Community.

Discover more about all the nominees for the 2024 Awards via the 2024 Community Awards digital presentation.

• 2024 Community Awards digital presentation - PDF PD

Young Volunteer

Ebony Lagarez

Ebony has volunteered at Reception for the Asylum Seekers Centre for the past two years, and her compassion and determination to help refugees at the Centre is admirable and an inspiration to us all. She is now undertaking a Bachelor of Social Work so that she can continue to promote social change and enhance the wellbeing of others, volunteering still in a range of capacities where possible. 

Audrey Storer

Audrey is a co-founder and leader of the Addiroad Youth Collective. She has used her position to mobilise and organise youth under the age of 18 to participate in giving back to the community. She has supported and worked tirelessly on hamper making and providing entertainment to the 300+ residents of the Inner West who gather at Addi Road to make special Christmas Hampers. Her vision for Addi Rock extends beyond music, aiming to create an inclusive space where attendees can interact, learn about Addi Road's community initiatives, and forge lasting friendships.

Brendan Couley-Mehigan

Brendan Couley-Mehigan is an outstanding young person with strong leadership qualities and a commitment to contribute to our local community through his exemplary volunteer work, dedication to the Air Force Cadets, and commitment to St John's First Aid duties. As a high school student, Brendan has consistently demonstrated remarkable leadership skills, commitment, and a genuine desire to serve others. Whether it's assisting at local events on First Aid duties, organising mental health awareness initiatives at school, or participating in Peer Support, Lead Flag Monitor and supports the schools Remembrance Day Assembly. 

Matthew Vasic

Since 2020, Matthew has volunteered at the Exodus Foundation. The Exodus Foundation is a vital support service for homeless and disadvantaged people in the Inner West. Matthew continues to work in a frontline capacity serving customers food as well as assisting the catering staff with meal preparation. Due to his commitment for the foundation's charitable cause, Matthew ran the 2023 Sydney Marathon in order to raise money for Exodus, and then completed the 28km Cancer Council 7 Bridges Walk one-month later. Additionally, his efforts in organising Serbian community initiatives culminated this month when 70,000 people attended the annual Serbian Festival Sydney: the largest Serbian cultural festival outside of Europe.

Emma Peacocke

Emma has made outstanding contributions to the Good In The Hood charity in many ways. This is through delivering weekly meals to over 20 local recipients in our local community, taking on the role of social media coordinator for the charity and volunteering her time at many of the charity’s one-off events in the community to offer support to local residents in need. She is a beacon of positivity and enthusiasm, and she is always happy to take on a leadership role whilst always maintaining a respectful attitude.

Adult Volunteer

Ashley Wearne

Ash is an integral member of the volunteer team at Marrickville Community Nursery. He has been volunteering for one year, and within his year with us, has made such an outstanding positive impact through his restoration of natural areas and promoting positive ecological outcomes. On top of performing his nursery duties, Ash has drastically reduced the nursery's contribution to landfill by implementing a new composting system, creating a circular bioeconomy. He tends to his compost weekly, which highlights his hardworking and dedicated nature.

Morrigan Turner

Morrigan has been volunteering at Marrickville Community Nursery for almost two years and she is a credit to the nursery, generously contributing her time, labour and professional skillset. Morrigan has contributed to the nursery’s propagation of locally native seeds which strengthens wild plant populations, remnant bushlands and providing a habitat for insects, birds and small mammals. Morrigan has also been instrumental in establishing Pterostylis nutans stock at the nursery. Every year, she separates the bulbs into individual pots. With Morrigan's attentive love and care, the native orchid bulbs sprout into vigorous, robust plants. What started as a few bulbs, has developed into over 200 tubestock ready for planting within the Inner West.  

Dean Graselli

Dean began visiting an aged care facility in Lilyfield almost three years ago and provided social support to Italian residents at the facility. Currently, Dean continues his volunteer visits to a senior woman, who lives alone in Marrickville and provides social connection and companionship with her. Dean's dedication and willingness to help others have positively impacted the wellbeing of the local senior community.

Holly Goodwin

Holly has made an enormous contribution to mothers of the Inner West in her volunteer work with the Australian Breastfeeding Association over the last 11 years. Holly has given her time leading and facilitating many local group meetings over the years, providing local mothers with a supportive and friendly space to receive breastfeeding information and support. Holly gives countless hours to her role of breastpump hire officer, enabling mothers to access breastpumps as well as ongoing counselling to support their use. Holly continues to be a mentor to other breastfeeding counsellors in our local group. She continues to support the Breastfeeding Helpline and has answered 1129 calls from parents in Australia. Holly's work enables mothers to find support and connection in the local community with volunteers as well as other mothers.

Jean Kropper

Jean has volunteered with Greenway Bushcare for 5 years, giving up her time every 2nd Sunday,  regardless of the weather conditions to contribute to the revegetation along the Cooks River to Iron Cove Greenway. Jean has developed a comprehensive understanding of Bushcare and plant identification through her volunteer work at the Greenway. The success of this group relies heavily on volunteers like Jean who build social cohesion and make our working bees a joy to attend for all.

Natalie Hall

Natalie volunteers her time to coach clients on useful life skills such as preparing a resume and cover letter. She has managed to help numerous refugees build their confidence in writing, which has resulted in many finding a new job and a fresh start. She has attended workshops on How to be an Asylum Seeker Centre advocate and contributed feedback to the Asylum Seeker Centre’s strategic review process.

Judith John-Story

Judith volunteers at the Addison Road Community Food Pantry. Through her tireless efforts, countless families have found solace in times of hardship. Judith doesn't just distribute food; she listens, empathises, and uplifts spirits with her unwavering kindness. She has been instrumental in the creation of our Let’s Get Cooking program to help improve education and nutrition in the area. In her years of service, she's not only nourished bodies but also touched souls, leaving an indelible mark on our community.

Ngoc-Vu Dang has been working as a volunteer for Community Cultural Connections Inc for the last 7 years. Every week Vu attends and assists with social support group activities in Marrickville and the Social Outing Program, which involves taking out elderly clients from the Vietnamese and Arabic Communities, on various day trips and outings. Vu also works in the office in administration, such as booking the venues, checking risks to ensure they are safe and appropriate for the clients. These programs are an opportunity for Elderly clients to socialise, it stimulates their minds, it helps them stay active, and remain fit and healthy. Vu also offers one-on-one support to the elderly people, supporting them with their electricity bills and how to save money by avoiding peak times, and finding out information about things that they need or access to online services.

Julie Harrison

Julie has been volunteering for 5.5 years and is deeply involved in various charitable activities. At the Salvation Army Family Store, she volunteers in daily operations, which involve receiving and organising donations, pricing items, maintaining the store's appearance, and assisting customers. Additionally, she participates in Red Shield Bucket donation appeals, that support The Salvation Army's vital social welfare and community service initiatives. Outside of this, she volunteers at Hope Dinner, serving meals to individuals experiencing isolation and hunger, offering companionship and hope. Furthermore, her involvement in Sydney Mardi Gras parade, support for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and involvement with the Rainbow Recovery Club underscores her dedication to assisting LGBTQIA+ communities. 

Yen-Binh Ha

Yen-Binh has organised and provided social support to Inner West Vietnamese speaking families as well domestic support to parents and small children in the Inner West. Yen-Binh has facilitated a great deal of happiness and group bonding to parents and children of diverse CALD backgrounds through her support programs at Cultural Community Connections Inc and her ongoing commitment to help struggling parents. She takes initiative in both getting things done but also in inputting ideas for activities and for how best to carry out planned activities.

Yu Takahashi

Yu has been a member of the Connect Marrickville School as Community Centre groups for 8 years. She felt the loss of the Japanese Playgroup due to COVID and restarted the cultural playgroup in July 2022 leading songs, stories, craft and snack times in Japanese for the families. The group has seen a large increase in attendance from families across the Inner West Council and beyond, and Yu's dedication in learning proactively to support these families and children is evident. This year, Yu and her young daughter also volunteer their time to participate in Connect Marrickville’s Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club runs Mondays for the students at Marrickville West Primary school. Each week an average of 32 students attends, not only for a meal but also the opportunity to socialise and get to know their peers of different age groups. 

Joanne Baker

Jo volunteers her time every single week spending a few hours on Wednesdays and Fridays staffing the front doors on Free Bread Wednesdays and Pop-Up Pantry Fridays. She goes the extra mile to show people that she cares - she often brings her own home-garden produce in to give to the people that we support. She treats all customers with respect and empathy and over time has built a positive rapport with many the regulars. She also helps with working bees in our community garden and often volunteers her time supporting many of Together2’s one-off community events.

Anna Harvey

Anna is a dynamic force within our community, demonstrating the true spirit of activism. Her dedication to various organisations, including the Inner West Environment Advisory Committee (IWEAC), Friends of Iron Cove Creek, Inner West Families for Climate Action, Climate Change Balmain Rozelle, and Parents for Climate Action, is exemplary of her commitment to promoting a more sustainable and equitable future. Since joining the IWEAC in 2021, Anna has been at the forefront of driving change. She has spearheaded key submissions, such as the Electric Vehicle Encouragement Strategy in 2022 and the Making Cycling Easier strategy in 2023. Whether it's writing policy submissions, editing documents, or serving as a board member, Anna consistently goes above and beyond to champion causes that matter most to her community.

Frank Portegys

Frank is President of the Mort Bay Community Garden Association, which has 125 members. As the president since 2018, Frank has been instrumental in developing the group and community garden so that it offers a green, calm, cool, and beautiful environment that benefits the whole neighbourhood. Frank’s dedication to connecting beyond the group, for example with Council staff, other organisations and funding organisations has meant that the community garden has been able to generate new ideas, solve problems constructively and plan and resource projects to improve the garden, such as solar energy for the shed, improvements in accessibility and safety, a community composting system, drip irrigation and a new nursery area.

Senior Volunteer 

Mary Mastorakos

Mary joined the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme program at Sydney MCS more than three years ago. Mary has generously volunteered her time for two home visitations, visiting two elderly women living in Marrickville and Campsie, giving more than 300 hours of her time to the senior's community annually. Mary does various activities and provides a social connection for her visitation but also critical support too. Mary provides love, friendships, dedication and ongoing commitments which showcases her dedication to caring for others, Mary treats the recipients like her own family members, and being a volunteer is one of the most important accomplishments in her life. 

Bronwyn Jones

For over a year now Bronwyn has arrived every Thursday afternoon in her colourful apron, dedicating her time to help us pack reuse craft kits, sort and categorise fabrics as well as tidying our fabric section, often left in a messy state after customer rummaging. Bronwyn will often taking home donated fabrics whipping up lengths of bunting or sewing needle cases that we then sell in our space. Kits around reuse help us with our mission to advocate and educate as many people as we can - with Bronwyn packing these for us we know we have a steady supply of beautifully packed kits. . When we have festivals or events to prepare for we can rely on Bronwyn to help us make decorations that truly enhance the Reverse Garbage vibe, while demonstrating reuse principals in action. 

Glynis Johns

Glynis has volunteered with Greenway bushcare for over 5 years. giving up her time every 2nd Sunday- rain, hail or shine. Weeding, planting and taking part in all aspects of Urban revegetation work along the Cooks River to iron Cove Greenway. Glynis has developed a comprehensive understanding of our local vegetation communities. her advanced understanding of the identification features of local native plants has enabled Glynis to act as mentor to less experienced volunteers. Glynis is a much-loved member of the group and plays a valuable role in building the robust social side of this group.

Gillian Delbridge

Gillian volunteers her time at her local Bushcare group at Mort Bay Park. Within the group, Gillian has been one of the most reliable and consistent members, joining the program in early 2020 and attending almost every Bushcare event since. Gillian has an advanced understanding of the principles and practices of Bushland management and applies her wealth of experience and knowledge in the field whenever she attends Bushcare. She is exceptionally hard working, often requesting to work outside of normal Bushcare scheduling and is an inspiration to all other members in the group.  She frequently demonstrates leadership and is first to notice and report new challenges to the sites she works within. She has contributed to one of the most successful Natural area restoration projects in the Inner West - Mort Bay Park.

Holly Lui

For 12 years, Holly has been supporting CASS activity groups with various responsibilities include managing audio, music, and video broadcasts for participants while participating in weekly activities and crafting effective performance management plan for performances in the community. Additionally, she actively participates in numerous fundraising events for the community. Even amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she remained deeply engaged in her volunteer duties. As participants could not meet and do their usual activities at the time, she assisted and encouraged participants to use technology like mobile phones, created chat groups, using Zoom to keep participants active.  Her volunteer efforts keep seniors feeling safe, connected with the community, reduced their feelings of fear, isolation, loneliness which greatly supports participants mental health.

John Sawkins

John Sawkins is our only volunteer who gives up his time three days a week (at least) to do three different roles. He helps in the morning crew, the afternoon crew and the weekend crew at Addison Road Community Organisation. At the heart of the bustling community centre stands a beacon of altruism and initiative: John, a dedicated volunteer whose resolute commitment and boundless generosity illuminates every corner. No task is too small or daunting for him, as he approaches each opportunity with a steadfast determination to make a difference. Whether he is lending a listening ear to a person in need or rolling up his sleeves to tackle the most demanding roles, John's presence radiates warmth and compassion, embodying the very essence of community spirit.

Robert Mitchell

Robert has volunteered with Greenway bushcare for over 5 years. giving up Sunday mornings every 2nd Sunday. Weeding, planting and taking part in all aspects of urban revegetation work along the Cooks River to Iron Cove Greenway. This includes rubbish removal and beatification of Richard Murden Reserve, Haberfield and Cadigal Reserve, Summer Hill. Robert is one of the only bushcare volunteers to date who has worked on and revisited a separate project area on site - making the area his own. Robert requires very little supervision and demonstrates revegetation techniques at a professional level. This provides the program with fantastic on-ground results and a great example of correct bushcare technique.  

Sue Hyde

Sue Hyde facilitates and teaches free English Classes at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre every Monday and Wednesday. Sue was assisting her partner Cliff's classes, but over time as she completed her qualifications, took on her own group of students on a Tuesday to provide more intensive learning for those who needed it. Sue is held in the highest regard by her students, and her consistency, warmth and easy-going nature have made students feel welcome and relaxed, with word-of-mouth recommendations seeing the group almost double in size over the last two years since Sue began teaching. For them, it has become a weekly social opportunity that breaks through cultural and language barriers and is a safe space to be their authentic selves. Through Sue's work, a class has become a loving international family. 

Yeung Suk Lee

Yeung Suk Lee has demonstrated exemplary dedication to our Inner West community through her selfless volunteer work at our Senior group, Cheong Chun, which consists of 23-25 members in Ashfield. Over the span of seven years, she has tirelessly served as an activity volunteer, leading various engaging activities such as exercising, folk dancing, group exercises, and game leading. Her commitment to enriching the lives of our seniors extends beyond recreational activities. She has also played a pivotal role in promoting cultural understanding and vibrancy by teaching Australian culture, including the Australian anthem, history, and other aspects, to our members.

Geraldine Byrne

Geraldine volunteers her time every single week spending a few hours on Wednesdays and Fridays staffing the front doors on Free Bread Wednesdays and Pop Up Pantry Fridays at Together2. She treats all customers with respect and empathy and over time has built a positive rapport with many of our regulars. She also volunteers her time supporting many of our one-off community events. She is a complete joy to have around, and her positive spirit is infectious throughout the organisation. She enjoys the many positive interactions that she often has with particularly our regulars, and she understands that small things can often make a huge change in people's lives.

Sports Volunteer

About the Amy Large Volunteer Awards

The Amy Large Volunteer Awards honour local resident and much loved volunteer Amy Large. Amy was widely known for her long years of service supporting Birchgrove Public School committees, the Birchgrove Scorpions Junior Rugby League team, the Balmain Town Hall and the Back to Balmain Day Committees, as well as volunteering for the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Formerly known as Volunteer of the Year Awards, the Amy Large Volunteer Awards celebrate the enormous contribution volunteers make in the Inner West.

Celebrated each year during Volunteers Week in May, the Amy Large Volunteer Awards are part of Inner West Council's Community Awards program.

For more information see the Community Awards webpage.

1. Young Volunteer of the Year (an individual aged 24 years or under at time of nomination)
2. Adult Volunteer of the Year (an individual aged 25-64 at time of nomination)
3. Senior Volunteer of the Year (an individual aged 65 or over)
4. Volunteer Team or Group of the Year (groups made up of more than one individual)
5. Sports Volunteer of the Year (an individual award for someone who has significantly contributed to a sporting club or association)

Eligibility

• Nominees must have undertaken the volunteer work in the previous 12 months,
• Communities in the Inner West Council area must be significant beneficiaries of the nominee’s voluntary work OR the nominee must reside in the Inner West.
• Previous award recipients are ineligible to be re-nominated

Further Information

All nominees who give their permission will be nominated by the Inner West Council at the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.

A separate nomination form for each group or individual is required. Four or more individual nominations received who volunteer for the one organisation will be regarded as a group nomination. 

Nomination forms become the property of the Inner West Council and information submitted may be used for publicity purposes.

A message from Amy's family

Volunteering comes in so many forms and impacts all walks of life. For our family, it was sewn into the fabric of our everyday lives. As children, we grew up knowing & understanding that volunteering was something we just did. In our world it was through sports like rugby league.

Through Mum and Dad's efforts, we had an endless stream of people coming to our house to help out with various tasks. Many young men of the time were able to be part of a club, a community and enjoy a nice meal with a family they felt part of.

Previous Amy Large Volunteer Award Recipients

Explore the incredible contributions that have been acknowledged as part of previous Amy Large Volunteer Awards.

2023 Amy Large Volunteer Awards

2022 Amy Large Volunteer Awards

2021 Amy Large Volunteer Awards

2020 Amy Large Volunteer Awards

2019 Amy Large Volunteer Awards

Help and Support

Contact awards@innerwest.nsw.gov.au or via 9392 5177. 

Translation Services

Council staff can help you submit a nomination in English. If you need our help, please call us using the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). This is a FREE service. TIS phone number: 131 450 Ask the TIS interpreter to call 9392 5177.

消委会工作人员可以帮助你用英语提交的提名。如果您需要我们的帮助，请通过翻译和口译服务（TIS）给我们打电话。这是一个  免费的  服务。TIS电话号码：131 450询问TIS的传译员致电何超仪在9392 5177

يمكن لموظفي المجلس مساعدتك في تقديم ترشيح باللغة الانجليزيه. إذا كنت بحاجه إلى مساعدتنا ، يرجى الاتصال بنا باستخدام خدمه الترجمة والتفسير (TIS). هذه خدمه مجانية. tis رقم الهاتف: 131 450 اطلب من مترجم tis للاتصال جوزي في 9392 5177.

Nhân viên Hội đồng có thể giúp bạn gửi một đề cử bằng tiếng Anh. Nếu bạn cần sự giúp đỡ của chúng tôi, xin vui lòng gọi cho chúng tôi bằng cách sử dụng Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). Đây là một  miễn phí  dịch vụ. TIS số điện thoại: 131 450 Hỏi người phiên dịch TIS gọi 9392 5177

Consiglio personale può aiutare a presentare una candidatura in lingua inglese. Se avete bisogno del nostro aiuto, si prega di telefonare utilizzando il servizio di traduzione e interpretariato (TIS). Si tratta di un  libero  servizio. TIS numero di telefono: 131 450 Chiedi l'interprete TIS di chiamare 9392 5177

Το προσωπικό του Συμβουλίου μπορεί να σας βοηθήσει να υποβάλουν υποψηφιότητα στα αγγλικά. Αν χρειάζεστε βοήθεια μας, παρακαλούμε επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας χρησιμοποιώντας την Υπηρεσία Μεταφραστών και Διερμηνέων (TIS). Αυτή είναι μια  δωρεάν  υπηρεσία. ΤΗΣ τον αριθμό τηλεφώνου: 131 450 Ζητήστε από το διερμηνέα TIS να καλέσει 9392 5177

परिषद कर्मचारी तपाईं अंग्रेजी मा एक नामांकन पेश मद्दत गर्न सक्छ। तपाईं हाम्रो सहायता आवश्यक छ भने, अनुवाद र व्याख्या सेवा (TIS) को प्रयोग गरेर हामीलाई कल गर्नुहोस्। यो एक हो  मुफ्त  सेवा। TIS फोन नम्बर: 131 450 मा कल गर्न TIS दोभासे सोध्नुहोस् 9392 5177

Pessoal do Conselho pode ajudá-lo a enviar uma nomeação em Inglês. Se você precisar de nossa ajuda, por favor contacte-nos através do Tradução e Interpretação (TIS). Esta é uma  LIVRE  serviço. TIS número de telefone: 131 450 Pergunte ao intérprete do TIS para chamar 9392 5177