Business representatives from around the Gwydir shire joined with students from Bingara Central School and Warialda High school at the annual Vocational Education and Business awards night at Warialda Town hall last Thursday night.
The Bingara Sporting Club and Bingara Wattle Arts and Crafts were named the winners of the large and small business of the year awards.
Sharon Baker Manager of Naroo Aged Care hostel was named Senior Employee of the Year, while Nikki Adams who works at the Gwydir Shire Council was named Junior Employee.
Winners: Nikki Adams Junior employee of the year, Bingara Sporting Club team, Peter Houlahan, Jill Carmody, Judy Northcott and President, Tim Cox, Senior Employee of the year, Sharon Baker, and Judy Adams, Gail List and Pam Holland from Bingara Wattle Arts and Crafts.
The winners
Junior employee: Nikki Adams
As a Tourist Information Officer Nikki does an outstanding job of promoting Warialda as a place to visit and live as well as the events that happen in our town and Shire. Nikki is always willing to help organisations with the promotion of an event often assists with graphic design, photography and other aspects of the coordination.
Nikki also operates the RMS services which she does calmly and efficiently.
In her spare time Nikki runs her own photography businesses Nikki Rose Photography providing professional photography services.
Nikki shows professionalism and maturity beyond her years and is a proactive and engaged member of the Warialda Community.
Nikki is a great ambassador for our town and Warialda and the Gwydir Shire Council is fortunate to have such a dynamic young employee.
Senior employee: Sharon Baker
Sharon has all the traits of a great leader. She inspires and pushes staff to achieve excellence in all areas. This includes house-keeping, kitchen and care staff. She is enthusiastic about Naroo and what the future holds. Sharon has provided many opportunities for her staff since starting at Naroo. With her extensive health knowledge the staff have gained important and valuable knowledge that will benefit themselves and the residents at Naroo. Sharon is compassionate person that is always willing to lend a hand when needed. She has a warm and cheerful attitude that makes coming to work a pleasure. Sharon has many qualities like being passionate, helpful, respectful, and humble and most importantly she is fun. Sharon’s presence at Naroo has been overwhelmingly important and has lifted her staff and the residents. All the Naroo staff are grateful to have her as their manager.
Sharon is a registered nurse with over 30 years of experience ad has extensive knowledge about health and aged care and is willing to share that with her staff. She is always willing to broaden her knowledge about health and aged care and is willing to share that with her staff. She is always willing to broaden her knowledge and has recently enrolled in a dementia specific course to assist the residents of Naroo.
Sharon has only been at Naroo for a short period of time but has made a huge positive impact. Staff and residents are looking forward to the changes that are still being made to create an even better environment at Naroo. These positive changes are due to Sharon. She is an excellent manger and leads a great team.
Large business: Bingara Sporting Club
The Bingara Sporting Club in recent years has gone from strength to strength financially as well as operationally, and not only as a Sporting facility provider but as a community hub. The Club engaged with a number of sectors of the community and formed valuable partnerships which have seen the continued growth of the business and the level of services the club delivers.
In a year where the club faced the huge obstacle of having to fund from reserves a complete new roof for the clubhouse at a cost of over $65,000, it is remarkable that the Club still managed to deliver $45,769 in comprehensive income for the year. The business continues to expand with the gross turnover improving markedly for the third consecutive year and averaging at around 20% increase per annum. This stems from increased membership, patronage and improvements in business practices and management that have been implemented at the club in recent times.
Other notable highlights for the year included the acquisition of a new Greens Mower ($34K), commencement of the extension to the Bowls Shed, and other asset purchases such as the new storage facilities, storeroom upgrade, catering facilities, upgraded beer systems and cool rooms and a new ice machine and drink dispensing unit.
The club has hosted some outstanding events this year which has on quite a few occasions seen the club full to capacity and beyond. Last year started with the 20th Anniversary Barney’s Day after which came the reintroduced Bingara Sporting Awards, the amazing fundraiser for Bingara’s beautiful friend Raelene, some of the best Open and Championships Sporting events hosted in decades, huge home games with the wonderful Bingara Bullets (who the club proudly sponsors) and culminating just last week where the club hosted the Australian Caravan Club for two wonderful evenings entertaining over 400 guests over two nights.
The club’s success is largely due to the huge amount of volunteer support offered year round by the Board members and the many volunteers that make the club what it is today. The amazing contribution by many individuals assists the club in being able to provide the outstanding sporting infrastructure and facilities the club has become recognised for by the local and visiting communities. President, Tim Cox, received the award on behalf of the club.
Small business: Bingara Wattle Arts and Craft
Bingara Wattle Arts and Craft is an excellent example of a cooperative approach to business. Run by a committee of enthusiastic and dedicated members Wattle Arts and Craft has become a valuable asset to Bingara, and a delight to tourists who enjoy shopping for a wide selection of handmade homewares, gifts, and arts and crafts. Not only is this a great business that offers a fantastic shopping opportunity, it also showcases the work of local crafts people and artists, with a percentage of the profits are go back to the community on a regular basis.
Funds from the shop have gone towards funding many great causes including the Black Dog Ball, Bingara Central School, Bingara Orange Festival, Bingara Toy Library, Touriandi Aged Care Facility and the Bingara Preschool.
Wattle Arts and Craft is run solely by volunteers who keep the shop doors open six days a week, and by prior arrangement on Sundays. The staff of Wattle Arts and Craft, are friendly and welcoming, go above and beyond to help their customers, and are very deserving of this award.
Highly Commended: Leanne’s Sewing Shop
Leanne’s Sewing Shop is a welcome addition to the Warialda shopping precinct. Leanne provides a much needed service for clothing alterations, mending and the creation of new garments all of which she completes to a very high standard. Since opening her business Leanne has added to her offerings by providing an extensive range of haberdashery and sewing needs, and stocks items which make life easier for Warialda residents.
Highly Commended: Ray White Rural Bingara
After gaining decades of experience as a producer of Stud and Commercial cattle in both Queensland and New South Wales, Russell and Christene Smyth have recently opened Ray White Rural Bingara and have been instrumental in the upturn of the Real Estate Market in Bingara. Christene, Russell and their staff, provide professional advice on the purchase or sale of residential, rural or commercial property and expert opinion on the optimum market for livestock.
Christene and Russell are proactive and involved in the community and want to see Bingara thrive and prosper.
Students of the Year:
Senior Pathways Officer, Wayne Squires, with Students of the Year, Lachlan Butler (Bingara) and James Gilmour (Warialda) with Council’s Deputy Manager, Leeah Daley.
Lachlan Butler is an outstanding student in all areas of his study in both traditional subjects as well as vocational education. Academically Lachlan has excelled. He received the ‘Overall Achievement Award’ for both his Preliminary studies in 2016 and for his HSC Year in 2017. Lachlan has been the School Captain of Bingara Central School in 2017 and a leader and role model. He has undertaken his leadership duties very conscientiously and has been a credit to himself and his school.
An outstanding sportsman, Lachlan has excelled on the sporting field. He is Captain of his sporting house, Fraser, and in this capacity, has shown excellent leadership, sportsmanship and mentoring of younger students. He has represented the school in cricket; rugby league; athletics and swimming and was awarded the Bingara Central School Sportsperson of the Year 2016.
Lachlan is hard working and dedicated to his Vocational Education Studies and has achieved a high standard in his chosen course while excelling in all other areas of his schooling. Lachlan has a bright future ahead of him.
James Gilmour is dedicated and hardworking student who has shown boundless enthusiasm towards his Vocational Education studies. Over the past three years James has completed and extensive range of VET and TAFE delivered VET subjects including Agrifood Operations, Automotive, Primary Industries, Wool Clip Preparation and Property Services. In 2016 James was awarded a highly commended award for Automotive and this year he has continued his success wining a highly commended, and a coordinators award for Wool Clip Preparation.
James epitomises the spirit and ethos of these awards with his determination and enthusiasm towards his studies.
