2025 Volunteers Christmas Dinner

I am delighted to welcome our distinguished guests:

• Hon Vincent Tarzia MP, Leader of the Opposition and Member for Hartley
• Ms Cressida O’Hanlon MP, Member for Dunstan – representing the Hon Nat Cook
• Mr Hamilton Calder, Chief Executive Officer, Volunteering SA/NT

And my fellow Elected Members:

• Cr John Callisto
• Cr Kevin Duke
• Cr Rita Excell
• Cr Garry Knoblauch
• Cr Connie Granozio
• Cr High Holfeld
• Cr Victoria McFarlane
• Cr Christel Mex
• Cr Kester Morehouse
• Cr Grant Piggott
• Cr Josh Robinson
• Cr Scott Sims
• Cr Sandy Wilkinson

With apologies from:

• Her Excellency, The Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia and Mr Rod Bunten
• Hon Nat Cook MP, Minister for Human Services
• Mr Jack Batty MP, Member for Bragg
• Senator Mariell Smith, Senator for South Australia
• Ms Claire Clutterham MP, Federal Member for Sturt

A warm welcome also to the Council staff with us this evening, including the Council’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Mario Barone PSM and Ms Ebony Provis, Volunteering Co-ordinator.

On behalf of the Elected Members and Council staff, I welcome you all to the Norwood Concert Hall for the 2025 Volunteer’s Christmas Dinner.

We have a wonderful evening ahead of us, with some great food and fantastic entertainment from ‘Jazz it Up.’

Importantly, we’ll also recognise several volunteers who have reached milestones in their years of service to our community.

There is also a raffle tonight, with some great prizes up for grabs. If you did not get a raffle ticket on arrival, please let the Events Staff know and they will arrange one for you. Prize winners will be drawn later this evening.

For now, please enjoy your entrée and entertainment.

(Entrée served)

Over the years, this dinner has become a highlight of the Council’s events calendar.

It is not just an opportunity to celebrate the upcoming festive season, but to honour something far more extraordinary—you.

Volunteering is not just about showing up.

It’s about showing up with purpose.

It’s about believing that even the smallest act of kindness can ripple outward and change some one’s day and, in many cases, change someone’s life.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of our community; the glue that hold clubs, associations and neighbourhoods together.

And as we look ahead to a new year, please remember this: the world needs more people like you.

People who care. People who believe. People who act.

And this year, you’ve proven that time and time again.

As volunteers, we know you are motivated by a cause not an applause.

But tonight, we applaud you — because you deserve it.

You have given your hands, but more than that you have given your hearts to something bigger than yourselves.

And, while recognition or reward is not the reason you volunteer, it is appropriate that the Council takes the time to pause and acknowledge in some way all that you do for our community – individually and collectively.

Tonight is one way to recognise your efforts, but there have been others.

For a number of years, the Council has hosted a barbecue lunch at Linde Reserve, Stepney as part of National Volunteer’s Week, and this year was no exception, albeit the spectre of rain meant the lunch was held indoors.

It was terrific to see Cressida O’Hanlon MP, Member for Dunstan and Jack Batty MP, Member for Bragg attend, as well as Sofian Saidi, from Volunteering SA/NT.

Cressida and Jack spoke passionately about the work you do and the role you play in helping communities become more caring and inclusive.

The Council also had the pleasure of hosting volunteers at Norwood Oval for Norwood’s home matches during the football season, and a number of volunteers also responded to the call-out to see one of the two AFL Gather Round matches played at Norwood Oval.

This year’s theme for volunteering is “Connecting Communities”.

I can’t think of a better theme that captures the spirit of volunteering.

Because who better than volunteers to facilitate and nurture connections in communities.

Each of you has helped weave a stronger, more compassionate community here in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.

But you didn’t just volunteer—you connected.

You connected people to resources, to hope, to each other.

In a world where electronic communication is increasingly challenging in-person contact and social isolation and loneliness is now a serious problem — so serious that there will be a parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of loneliness — the role of volunteers to build sand strengthen communities through connections has never been more important.

A friendly face and smile says, “everything is going to be ok”.

A helping hand says, “you are not alone”.

A visitor at the door says, “you have not been forgotten”.

All these small acts of kindness are important in themselves, but when combined thousands of times over, they paint a picture of a connected community where people look out for one another.

When we show we can come together, we can lift each other higher than we ever could alone.

As we do every year, tonight’s event is an opportunity to recognise volunteers for their years of service.

This year, there are 36 people being recognised.

I ask that you hold your applause until each volunteer has for the year of service has been announced:

For 5 years of service, we recognise the following volunteers:

• Julianne Ben (5 years – Pet Care and Aged Care visitor)
• Jennifer Chen (5 years – Events Volunteer)

And for 10 years of service:

• Henry Andryszczak (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Christopher Bennett (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Marcelle Bennett (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Barbara Rowe (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Greg Wilmot (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Kate Eatts (10 Years – Libraries and Aged Care Visitor)
• Joanne Wilmot (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Kerry-Anne McVeigh (10 Years – Pet Care)

Now for the 2025 years of service award recipients:

For 5 years of service:

• Mike Baldwin (5 years – Justice of the Peace and Graffiti Removal)
• Chang Cao (5 years – Aged Care visitor)
• Savia Coelho (5 years – Friends of the Billabong)
• Catherine Cox (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• Peter Duffy (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• Andrew Dyson (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• Peter Hastwell (5 years – Friends of the Billabong
• John Legg (5 years – Borthwick Park)
• Christel Mex (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• Naven Naidoo (5 Years – Friends of the Billabong)
• Andrew Pascoe (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• Glenys Ravaene (5 Years – Libraries)
• Joe Theil (5 Years – Graffiti Removal)
• Sara White (5 Years - Borthwick Park)
• John Patterson (5 Years – Justice of the Peace)

For 10 years of service:

• Georgy Ewing (10 Years - Events)
• Jim Harvey (10 Years – Justice of the Peace & Friends of the Billabong)
• Sonia McCarron (10 Years – Events)
• Sudhir Thakur (10 Years – Justice of the Peace)
• Nadia McLaren (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Lee Tong (10 Years – Library and Childrens Programs)
• Bronwyn Westcott (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)
• Jacqui Zientara (10 Years – Stepping Out)
• Meredith Scottney-Turbill (10 Years - Friends of the Billabong)

Finally, for 20 years of service

• Smilijka Pasic (20 Years – Libraries Processing)
• Colin Gameau (20 Years – Home Libraries Deliverer)

Please join me in congratulating your colleagues for their significant contribution to our community.

This concludes the official proceedings for this evening.

Please join me in thanking Council staff for their extraordinary efforts in organising tonight’s dinner for the superb catering from Indulgence Food and, and the entertainment from Jazz it Up.

Once again, on behalf of the Council and the Norwood Payneham & St Peters community, I thank you for your efforts over the past 12 months.

I sincerely hope you continue to be part of the volunteering team for years to come.

Cheers to an incredible year—and to an even brighter one ahead!

Please enjoy the rest of your evening.

Thank You.