HUNDREDS of local volunteers were recognised during a breakfast hosted by Logan City Council (LCC) at Logan Metro Centre on Saturday, May 6 attended by premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and mayor Luke Smith as part of National Volunteer Week.
The Logan Loves Volunteers Awards have been staged by LCC since 1988 to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations in the community.
The awards were presented by Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey.
Premier Palaszczuk addressed the enormous crowd and thanked the gathered volunteers, including those from the Queensland State Emergency Service (SES).
“Not just the volunteers that assisted us during the floods following the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Debbie, but all of our amazing volunteers in our communities right across this city,” she said.
The premier also thanked the mayor for his leadership during the flood, and “the way that this community responded to the worst flooding they have seen in a lifetime”.
In responding, mayor Luke Smith said: “We acknowledge the tremendous work of the volunteers right across the city of Logan.”
“This is the largest volunteer breakfast we have ever seen.
“We particularly wanted to acknowledge those who work tirelessly each and every day in our community to make this city the greatest city in the universe,” he said.
The Davida Steele Memorial Award for outstanding community organisation went to Crowson Park Riding for the Disabled (RDA) and was accepted by Trish Hollis.
A non-profit organisation in Greenbank that offers traditional riding tuition for physically and intellectually disabled people of all levels of ability and ages, the centre is run entirely by volunteers.
As reported by the Jimboomba Times in February, RDA currently has 20 core volunteers, but with a large waiting list for lessons, more volunteers are needed to support the riders.
One of the finalists for the Frank Lenz Memorial Award for Volunteer of the Year was Simone Hague, first officer for Logan Village Rural Fire Brigade and a board member for the Yarrabilba Community Association.
The award went to Trent Becker, a member of Logan SES who has been volunteering for approximately 10 years and currently serves as group leader of the Logan East Group.
Trent assisted with various traumatic events including ex-Tropical Cyclones Oswald and Debbie.
Bravery awards went to Claire Browning, Christopher Holloway and James Ferguson of the SES, and resident Sam Elliot, for the dramatic rescue of the Gallo family of Luscombe during the recent Logan region floods.
Video footage courtesy of Logan City Council.