2025 Volunteer of the Year Awards

The 2025 Volunteer of the Year Awards was a huge success! Our Community Volunteer Celebration took place on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Nala Bardip Maya - Margaret River HEART, in partnership with Arts Margaret River, MindEd, Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, Margaret River Community Centre, and the Margaret River Community Pantry. 

Congratulations to Our 2025 Winners and Nominees 

We were proud to celebrate the incredible contributions of volunteers at the 2025 Volunteer of the Year Awards. Here are the 2025 award categories and recipients:

Volunteer of the Year Award
Recognising an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the community through their volunteer efforts.
Winner: Anthea Redding - St John WA 
Nominees: Tika Baxter - PALM,  Keanan Hardegon - Margaret River SES

Youth Volunteer of the Year Award (12–25 years)
Celebrating young volunteers who have shown exceptional dedication and enthusiasm in their roles.
Winner: Izzy Forte - Margs Youth Collective 

Lifetime Achievement Award
Honouring an individual with 15+ years of volunteer service whose commitment has left a lasting impact.
Winner: Brendan Jordan - St John WA 

Volunteer Organisation of the Year Award
Recognising a volunteer organisation whose efforts have significantly benefited the community.
Winner: Margaret River Lions Club

A huge thank you to all volunteers in our community.

Become a volunteer

Want to volunteer but don’t know where to start? Volunteer South West provides a volunteer referral service, linking individuals wanting to volunteer with relevant not-for-profit organisations in the South West region. To find out more, visit the Volunteer South West website.

To find out about local groups who may have volunteering opportunities, visit My Community Directory.

Benefits of volunteering  

Volunteering your time willingly is an invaluable contribution of your work skills and life experience and makes a significant difference in many sectors of the community. Without the commitment of volunteers, many local organisations, events and services would cease to exist and function.

Some of the benefits of volunteering are:

• It’s good for your health:  Studies show that having a good social network extends your life, keeps you healthy, and staves off mental deterioration
• You meet new friends: Get to know new people and work with them on things you all care about 
• You make new contacts: Extending your networks opens you to opportunities when they come up
• You learn new skills: You can learn workplace skills from being a volunteer including governance skills such as committee management and business planning from joining a committee
• It’s good for the community: The more people that work together, the more people that can support each other through the tough times
• Follow your interests: Whatever you like to do, there are other people out there who like it too. Join a group you can share your passion with
• Build up your CV: If you’re applying for a tertiary place, or a new job, it helps to be able to point to the efforts you’re putting in for the community
• Make a positive contribution: We all want to make the world a better place, even if it’s only by making sure our team has its turn at taking the flag
• It’s good for the country: Australia needs a strong civil society, where the government and business don’t run everything and people manage their own organisations for community goals.

(Source: www.ourcommunity.com.au)

Tips to ease your way into a community group

• Follow your heart: Find a cause or a social activity you’re passionate about – one that involves and satisfies you
• Two’s company: Take a friend along. You can support each other, and you’ll have someone to discuss it with while you’re getting to know the scene
• Read the manual: There should be an induction manual and some other materials that will help you to get to know the group a little better
• Find a mentor: Ask one of the longer standing members to show you the ropes. Get them to write down people’s names, too!
• There are no stupid questions: If you don’t understand something, don’t hesitate to say so
• There’s no such person as somebody: When you see something that needs doing, don’t just say “Somebody ought to fix that,” and walk away. Fix it yourself. 
• Look to the long haul: Don’t expect to have everything hunky-dory immediately, and don’t expect people to let you run the place on your first day
• Play to your strengths: If you’ve got specialist skills and things you’re particularly good at, make sure the group knows what they are so that they can play to your strengths
• The first time is the hardest: You don’t have to confine yourself to one community group. Widen your horizons and lend a hand over the road as well. 

(Source: www.ourcommunity.com.au)

More information and contact

For more information about the Volunteer of the Year Awards contact the Shire on (08) 9780 5255 or email [email protected]