The stars were out last night, as about 150 people gathered to celebrate Dunedin's unsung heroes in an awards ceremony hosted by The Star at the Dunedin Railway Station.
Wax Preston, Emma Rosevear, Netta Noone, Felicity Prescott, Sharon McKenzie and Cory Sutherland were named ‘‘Dunedin Stars'' for 2008 in The Star's fourth annual awards celebrating our city's volunteers.
The awards evening at Scotia Restaurant in the railway station was attended by nominees, their nominators, Allied Press management, Star staff and invited guests.
Star editor Helen Speirs, Dunedin Deputy Mayor Syd Brown and, via a pre-recorded video, new Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Tariana Turia addressed the audience at the event, held in the week of International Volunteer Day, December 5.
‘‘It has been a humbling experience for myself and other Star staff reading [about the nominees] and learning what energy and generosity of spirit is displayed by so many wonderful people in our community,'' Miss Speirs said.
The 69 nominees for this year's Dunedin Stars awards can be found helping others in all sectors of society, including the city's schools, sports, community and arts organisations, and range in age from teenagers to people in their 80s.
‘‘The Star is proud to be able to acknowledge these people in some small way for the very big deeds they do,'' she said. In conjunction with the Dunedin City Council Events Team, the 2008 award recipients will be invited to participate in several civic events.
The Supreme Winner of the Dunedin Stars 2008 ‘‘Young Stars'' award, 18-year-old Taieri College pupil Emma Rosevear, has distinguished herself across the board - in the academic, sporting and cultural life of the school.
She is student representative on the school's board of trustees, a member of the Dunedin City Council Youth Council, an active member of her church, a tireless collector for charity and a young woman with a great concern for others.
On her 18th birthday, Emma spent the night in a cardboard box to raise awareness of poverty and to raise money for charity.
At Taieri College's recent prizegiving, Emma received the ANZ award ‘‘for the student showing outstanding abilities to lead and inspire''.
‘‘It is a huge honour to be chosen and to be appreciated this way by the community,'' Emma said.
‘‘I hope I have given something back in any way I can.''
The Supreme Winner of the Dunedin Stars 2008 ‘‘Community Spirit'' award, Wax Preston (61), has devoted many years to serving the community, without seeking personal recognition.
An active member of the Lions Club of Dunedin South for more than 35 years, Mr Preston was the tireless coordinator of the Steptoe Auction and Lions fertiliser drives for many years, as well as participating in numerous other fundraising activities to benefit the community.
He is a trustee of the Otago Service Clubs Medical Trust, which came to prominence several years ago when it helped pay for grommet operations for dozens of Dunedin children - a project that has continued for several years.
A founding member of the Dunedin South Community Patrol, which acts as extra ‘‘eyes and ears'' for the Police, Mr Preston remains an active volunteer. He has recently added delivering Meals on Wheels to his list of community projects, helping out whenever he can.
What makes Mr Preston's contributions even more amazing is that, in recent years, he has carried on his voluntary work while battling ill health - even turning his hospital room into a ‘‘mini office'' for three months last year in order to continue his community work.
Being retired, because of his ill health, had only allowed Mr Preston to put more time and even greater effort into working for the community, his nominator said.
After the announcement, an overwhelmed Mr Preston said the award was a ‘‘real surprise'', and noted that a lot of good people had been nominated.
‘‘I am very pleased. It is a proud moment,'' he said.
Mr Preston's wife Gretchen Olliver-Preston said he took pride in his voluntary work and put a lot of effort into it.
The recipient of a merit award in the Young Star category, University of Otago student Sharon McKenzie (19) has contributed to the community from an early age, including as a volunteer at Otago Community Hospice.
This year, while tackling a huge workload studying botany at university and holding down a part-time job, Sharon has still found time to serve as president of Students for Environmental Action Otago - an active organisation with 300 members. She has also been involved with St Clair Surf Life
Saving Club for five years and is a qualified surf lifeguard.
‘‘I feel very excited and honoured to be here. There are a lot of great people in there,'' Sharon said.
Young Star merit award winner Cory Sutherland (18) is a busy young man, who has been heavily involved in the sporting and community life of Kaikorai College, both as a pupil and since leaving school.
A multi-talented sportsman, Cory has given his time as coach, organiser, and mentor of many teams, allowing pupils to enjoy a wide range of sports, including athletics, volleyball, football, multisport and cricket.
‘‘How he finds time to do all [these] things is nearly beyond belief,'' his nominator said.
‘‘I feel ecstatic - I really didn't expect this,'' Cory said.
This has been a doubly exciting time for Cory, whose partner Jessamine Solin gave birth to their baby daughter nine days ago.
Community Spirit merit award winner Netta Noone (75) is ‘‘the backbone'' of the Zonta Club of Dunedin and has taken on high-profile roles in Zonta at a national and international level. She has been actively involved in Plunket, her local church and tennis club, served on the board of trustees at John McGlashan College and for 15 years was a trustee on the Otago Peninsula Trust.
In the late 1990s, Mrs Noone became a volunteer for the Otago Theatre Trust and now she volunteers as an usher for the Southern Sinfonia.
‘‘I feel very humble . . . because you can't do these things on your own, you have to have the support of others,'' Mrs Noone said.
A ‘‘kind and giving person'', Community Spirit merit award winner Felicity Prescott (60) does a vast amount of voluntary work in the community, all while caring for her disabled daughter Monica.
Her focus is on working with intellectually and physically disabled adults, and with the elderly, expecting nothing in return.
‘‘The world is a better place for having her in it,'' her nominator said.
‘‘I'm just thrilled with this award,'' Mrs Prescott said.
‘‘Of course, in my situation with Monica, I have a lot of people helping me too.''
