Carevan Blacktown; Australia Day Awards 2021

Carevan began a terrifically HOT Australia Day Tuesday, at the Blacktown City Council’s Australia Day Awards. We were the very proud nominees in the category of “Community Event of the Year” and we couldn’t be more grateful for the accolade and kind attention … We are also very thankful to the lovely person or persons who nominated us for this honour… we don’t know who you are but we are humbled by your nomination.. THANKS

We were surrounded by inspirational people and organisations, their families and supporters, people who are the essence of community. These active members of the Blacktown Local area demonstrate the Australian spirit of care for our fellow countrymen and women, most particularly our most vulnerable persons, every day and it was lovely to be counted among them.

Lots of wonderful initiatives and programs were recognised from across all aspects of the community; health and social support for disadvantaged residents, volunteers caring for our wildlife and environment, young community leaders reaching out to care for their struggling peers and many other worthwhile and inspirational works besides.

It was a great honour to have been selected as finalists and for a small number of us to be able to attend the day, representing the Carevan Blacktown team for the special occasion

Congratulations to the worthy winners of our category, the Riverstone Neighbourhood Centre and to the other recipients and winners of the day’s awards, most especially to the Citizen of the Year, Ron Kelly – a long-time volunteer with the amazing organisation Foodbank, on which Carevan relies so heavily for food and supplies for our own Tuesday evening services.

Congrats too to the other nominees in all categories and those individuals and groups who may not have won or been present on the day, but who’s toil and efforts, makes things a little brighter for others every day of the year

Read about the other recipients, their work and quiet achievements on behalf of others, as recognised on Australia Day https://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/…/Blacktown-City…

Thanks to the Council for its enormous support of these and so many other community endeavours, including our own… such encouragement is invaluable in orchestrating and achieving community-based activities and goals and we are very thankful for it.

Following the award ceremony, the Carevan team threw on their fluoro green T-shirts and got to work on our Tuesday evening service – back to Carevan business as usual, but with an Aussie BBQ twist. We served up BBQ sausages with egg, bacon and coleslaw on a very hot summer evening to round out a great day…

Thank you to our wonderful local community and beyond, for the generous donations of clothing and books for this week as with every week and to our wonderful Volunteers  who are the engine inside the CareVAN!

And while on the subject of Australia Day, special  THANKS  to team lead Andrew Scott, CEO and last year’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year, upon whom has rested the responsibility of steering Carevan through a most extraordinary year.

It was a hot, hectic and rewarding day .. Good to be ( Carevan Blacktown ) Aussies