Australia Day
2024 Australia Day nomination forms
Citizen-Young Citizen Nomination Form 2023
Community Group Nomination Form 2024
Environmental Award Nomination Form 2024
2023 Award Winners
Citizen of the year
Wendy Hoskins
Wendy Hoskins was nominated for her many years of tireless work for the community, with no thought of remuneration. She has been a member of Collie CWA since 1979, and has held all local executive positions including treasurer for 27 years. She has also held office at divisional level. She has worked for the Collie Hospital Comforts Fund for 40 years, helping to improve the lives of patients by providing extra items to make their hospital stay less stressful. She has worked for Red Cross and was a member of the Collie Welfare Council. Wendy is a serving Justice of the Peace, and tutors for Read Write Now, an adult literacy organization equipping this essential skill for those who missed out at school. Until recently, she was a committee member of the Collie Community Radio Station. She ran the local football club bingo night for some 25 years, and was a board member of Riverview Residence. She organizes not-for-profit bus outings to musicals and shows in Perth, Bunbury and Mandurah, providing a valuable service for those unable to drive.
Young Citizens of the Year
Alexis Milne
Alexis began volunteering at the Collie Agricultural Society at the age of 8 years. She was on the junior committee, running the kids’ free activity tent at the show. She helps with fundraisers and assists with the set up and running of the show.
She participates in gymnastics, and became a qualified coach at the age of 14. She volunteers five and a half hours a week, coaching gymnastics and FreeG (parkour).
She helps set up the Haunted House, with Bike Week events and Blue Light discoes.
She attended Camp Zero2Hero to learn about mental health issues so she could support her peers.
Beau Milne
Beau Milne started volunteering with the Collie Agricultural Society at the age of 8 years. He was on the junior committee helping to organize and fund raise.
In 2017, he began parkour, and qualified as a coach at the age of 14. He volunteers 2 hours a week at Kindergym and FreeG (parkour). Beau is an active member of the PCYC and offers support to his peers with his positive attitude and role modelling
Environmental Award
Donna Davies
Donna Davies is the only nomination for this year’s environmental award, but she is a most worthy one. As a member of the Collie Rotary she formed the Friends of the River group to work on rehabilitating and reviving the river. She organized clean-up days, weeding and planting the river banks and continuing to care for them. Working with the Shire of Collie and South32, she obtained funding for a three-year programme of revegetation. She brings an informed and scientific mind to the task, and is very dedicated. Donna has a pleasant style of leadership and is good at encouraging others to volunteer in this work.
Community Group of the Year
Retired Mineworkers’ Association
The Retired Mineworkers’ Association provide an active community for past mine workers encouraging friendship and camaraderie. In recent years, they have become active in preserving the history of the coalmining industry. They have taken responsibility for the restoration and preservation of one of Collie earliest mines, the Wallsend mine. They have taken a derelict site which was overgrown with weeds, and revealed its history with the mine workings. It is now fenced off to allow restoration. They commissioned silhouettes depicting miners and coal skips which give interest and context to the site. They have created a memorial to those who have lost their lives in the industry at Pioneer Park and commissioned a bronze statue depicting a miner and pit pony, pulling a skip. This year, they added to the memorial with a mural by Jacob “Shaky” Butler, of miners at the change of shifts, using photographs from the Coalfields Museum, and reuniting descendants of those in the photographs with their forebears. This memorial corner has become a popular tourist attraction for visitors and Collie locals alike.
Scout Callum Eatts raised the flag.
Photos by Nola Green
Sporting Scholarships
Sporting Scholarship Request Form
Assistance can be provided as a sporting scholarship of $250 for an individual or up to $500 where 3 or more residents are selected in a Western Australian State or Australian National representative team.
Sports Awards
The 2023 Sports Awards will be held in November. Nominations close Friday 13 October 2023.
Volunteer of the Year Nomination 2023
Wall of Champions Nomination Form 2023
Junior Sportsperson of the Year Nomination 2023
Special Achievement Nomination 2023
Sportsperson of the Year Nomination 2023
The 2022 Sports Awards were held on Friday 18 November 2022. The winners were:
JL Mumme Sportsperson of the Year: Gemma Buckle – Little Athletics, Football and Netball
This year Gemma has consistently put effort into club and personal training, holding 20 club records at the Collie River Valley Little Athletics Club. Gemma has also focused on organising and throwing events for the club. At the Regional Championships in Kalgoorlie, Gemma took out Gold in Javelin, Discus and Shotput, breaking the Javelin record by 11 metres – the record is now 43.56 metres. At the State Championships, Gemma won bronze in Shotput and Discus, silver in Javelin and gold in Hammer. After her success at States she was one of 65 athletes selected for the West Australian Emerging Athlete Program.
Representing WA in Sydney at the Australian National Championships in Athletics, Gemma qualified for Shotput, Hammer and Javelin. Placing well in both Shotput and Hammer and despite fierce competition and inclement weather, her grit and determination saw her take the gold medal in Javelin making her the current Australian Champion. From this achievement Gemma has been selected as one of the 12 WA athletes to attend the Coles Little Athletics National Under 15 Camp and is the chosen face of the Coles Media Campaign.
In Netball Gemma’s Team took out the grand final. In football she was awarded 3rd Fairest and Best and has been selected for the South West Football Talent Squad for girls aged 13-18yrs.
Junior Shire of Collie Sportsperson of the Year: An-ne Pelser – Little Athletics
Collie River Valley Little Athletics saw An-ne achieve 23 personal bests throughout the season, she now holds 9 club records including U16 Shotput – 11.18m, U16 Discus – 34.42m, U16 Javelin – 28.47m and U16 300m Hurdles – 1.05.74 s
As part of the Bunbury Regional Athletics Club, An-ne holds 2 club records for U16 Discus and Javelin.
At the 2022 CSHS inter house carnival she took first place with 3 record breaking throws in Shotput, Discus and Javelin, breaking the41 year record.
An-ne took part in the State Country Championships in Kalgoorlie, where she broke 2 records and won the U16 Discus, Shotput and Javelin and placed 3rd in the Long Jump. At the Little Athletics State Track & Field Championships in Perth she placed 1st in U16 Discus and 3rd in Shotput & Javelin. The 2022 Track and Field Championships in Perth saw An-ne place first in U16 Discus and Hammer Throw as well as second in Shotput.
An-ne represented WA in Sydney and threw a personal best in Discus placing 5th and was 10th in Shotput.
Volunteer of the Year: Emma Whiteaker – Nominated by BMX and Police Rangers.
BMX
In 2016 Emma joined the general committee, and by 2017 she had willingly accepted the role of Registrar of the Collie BMX Club. With over 5 years of tirelessly volunteering her time, Emma is still currently our Registrar and has taken on the following responsibilities:
- Meets and welcomes riders every week at race meetings
- Takes payments and enters riders nominations for weekly racing
- Orders transponders (timing devices) and activates them for riders to use using the MyLaps software
- Sets up the race schedule using the OurScorz software system and prints the race order
- Analyses rider data including gate times and race lap times
- Assists in getting donations for the club for fundraising
- Upskills with new software programs as required
- Assists in organising presentation events, working out winners in each age category
- Assists in opening up the track for racing
- Advertises and keep members up to date with BMX events on Facebook
WA Police Force, Collie Police Rangers
Unit Leader Emma Whiteaker has been an integral part of Collie Police Rangers for 17 Years. The Police Rangers program is a volunteer run, free to join program which encourages 12-17 year olds to become community minded individuals as well as developing excellent transferable skills for future employment.
Emma started at Collie Police Rangers in 2005 at the age of 12, while in the first year of senior school. She quickly became involved in the running of the unit and was running the Unit as a Ranger before she was 18. This involved planning and delivering the program and organising fellow Rangers.
She officially took the full responsibility of the Collie Unit at 18 years old and ensured the continued delivery of the program. This involves managing the budget and unit expenditure, registering and reporting to Department of Communities, carrying out risk assessments to ensure the young people under her responsibility enjoy safe and well-planned activities, ordering and maintaining the Unit uniforms and equipment.and liaising with PCYC and venue operators to book and plan activities.
Under her direction and as a result of her dedication to the young people, the Collie Unit has improved and increased in size.
She attends the Police Rangers Unit Leaders meetings and training which involves travel to Perth and Joondalup as well as online.
She has also attended and organised activities including Camps at Mornington, Ern Halliday and Mundijong Activity Centre. As well as day events including ANZAC day parades and activities such as mountain biking. These all develop the Rangers’ confidence, teamwork, discipline and community awareness.
The Collie Unit under Emma’s direction has developed into a cohesive and friendly group which was seen at the 2022 State Camp at Manjedal. The Unit worked hard as a group and won the Best Camp award. This was a well-deserved and unanimous decision.
Without Emma’s dedication and support of the young people, the Collie Police Rangers could not operate and would have closed, depriving the Collie area of an important youth program. I congratulate her on her dedication and interaction with the Police Rangers.
