The Cobar community came out to support the nominees of this year’s Australia Day Awards which were presented in a ceremony at the Cobar Memorial Swimming Pool on Friday.
Colleen Boucher was awarded the Bossie Mitchell Services to the Community Award.
She had some tough competition with 15 nominations in the category.
Colleen was nominated for her tireless efforts and continual community service as treasurer of the Country Women’s Association; the RSL Sub Branch; the Brennan Centre; and she is also a committee member of the Memorial Hostel.
She is a dedicated Legatee, providing assistance and care through Legacy as well as being the Captain AAC Officer commanding the 221 Army Cadets.
Colleen manages to do all this volunteering while also running her own business.
The Cobar Miners Memorial Committee’s A Night To Remember Our Lost Miners was named the Community Event of the Year.
Barry Knight headed up the organisation of this event which was the first memorial service to honour those who have lost their lives in the mines of Cobar Shire.
Well over 200 people attended the inaugural event in October, 40 of which travelled to Cobar especially for the service.
The event included guest speakers and was hailed as a success and was the perfect official opening for the 2017 Festival of the Miners Ghost.
There were seven deserving nominees for the Citizen of the Year award, with Shane Josephson named the winner.
Shane was nominated for his fundraising efforts and his tireless support of Cobar’s community events.
Over the past year Shane provided entertainment for multiple local fundraising events including: the Light Horse Ride to Hermidale; ANZAC Day; Reclaim the Night; A Day on The Green; at Cobar Roosters events and he has also provided music at no charge for funeral services.
For large paid events Shane has gone to extra lengths to bring in more musicians and allocates extra payment for their travel and accommodation costs, often leaving himself unpaid as he appreciates the time and willingness of these musicians to continue to travel to Cobar.
The Young Citizen of the Year award was split between the three nominees.
Three young girls, Molly Barraclough, Jordyne Brilley and Tiana Jones all shaved their heads for charity in 2017.
Molly volunteered alongside members of her family to shave their heads in the ‘Be Brave and Shave’ campaign, raising over $6000 for cancer research.
Best friends Jordyne and Tiana worked together to raise approximately $6500 for the construction of the Miners Memorial when they shaved their heads. The girls also donated their locks to make wigs for children who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatment.
