2022 Warrnambool and Moyne Youth Award winners

For the primary time since 2019, a big crowd gathered in-person to have a good time the winners and nominees of the 2022 Warrnambool and Moyne Youth Awards.

The award ceremony was held on Sunday September 11 at Deakin College’s Warrnambool Campus.

Warrnambool award winners had been Akira Fish-Laird (12-15 age class), Paris Nagorcka (16-18 age class) and Sidney Davies (19-25 age class) whereas Sahara Davey (12-15 age class), Tayla Spencer (16-18 age class) and Mitchell Spencer (19-25 age class) had been recognised because the Moyne winners.

Runners up included Rachel Nsubuga, Charlee Sutcliffe, Chloe Matthey, Hayley Nagorcka, Sam Niklaus, Jermaine Ferguson, Sienna Gladstone, Brianna Hallinan and Keneisha Ferguson.

Household connections had been a standard theme in 2022, with siblings Tayla and Mitchell Spencer each successful awards whereas siblings Jermaine and Keneisha Ferguson had been each runners-up.

Warrnambool Mayor Cr Vicki Jellie stated it was particular to have the ability to deliver everybody collectively in-person to recognise the Youth Award winners and nominees.

“An enormous congratulations to all the winners and nominees,” she stated.

“There’s an actual sense of event, a way of electrical energy virtually, that comes with bringing so many individuals collectively within the one room to current the 2022 Warrnambool and Moyne Youth Awards.

“It was nice to see some acquainted faces from final yr’s awards and to have the ability to meet them in individual and congratulate them on their continued achievements. 

“One of many targets of the awards is to encourage the nominees and encourage them to maintain doing the good issues that they’re doing, so I’m glad to see that they’re nonetheless reaching for the celebrities.

“And a giant congratulations to all of our first-time nominees. Being nominated for a youth award signifies that somebody on the market, a instructor, a coach, a mentor or another person, has seen one thing particular in them.

“And that in itself, being seen, being recognised for one thing that they’ve performed or that they’re persevering with to do, that may be a strong factor.

“Whether or not they realize it or not, these younger individuals are enjoying their half in making our area a happier place, a extra linked place, a kinder place, a greater place, for everybody.”

Moyne Shire Mayor, Cr Ian Smith congratulated the nominees, in addition to those that nominated for this yr’s awards.

“I want to congratulate all the nominees who had been recognised at this yr’s awards ceremony and have a good time what our superb younger individuals are reaching in each nook of the Shire,” he stated.

“The management, dedication and fervour of our native youth who dedicate themselves to volunteering and main initiatives is a big asset to our neighborhood and it’s essential that we acknowledge their achievements and present our help.

“All the nominees deserve recognition for his or her exhausting work and contribution to the neighborhood and we couldn’t be extra happy with their achievements because it’s these younger individuals who might be tomorrow’s leaders.”

The awards had been proudly introduced by the Warrnambool Metropolis and Moyne Shire councils with help from Rotary Membership of Warrnambool, the Gwen and Edna Jones Basis, Freeza Victoria and Deakin College.

Concerning the winners

Warrnambool 12-15 age group class winner
Akira Fish-Laird

Akira has a imaginative and prescient impairment however this doesn’t have an effect on her willingness to provide issues a go.

Akira is part of the Vacation Actors and Warrnambool Theatre Firm neighborhood, who carried out within the 2022 season of CATS. She was a valued member of the CATS manufacturing and contributed to the expertise of the forged in addition to the inclusive neighborhood ethos. Akira is extraordinarily enthusiastic about music. In addition to performing through dance and voice, Akira additionally performs the flute and piano.

Whereas different forged members may learn and study songs through a libretto e book, Akira couldn’t learn the small textual content attributable to her imaginative and prescient impairment. As a substitute, Akira needed to study the phrases and harmonies by ear and depend on her reminiscence. Akira demonstrated tenacity and diligence to carry out the songs and choreography to a excessive normal.

Moyne 12-15 age group class winner
Sahara Davey (Hawkesdale)

Sahara is a mature, dependable and diligent individual and is at all times keen to strive new issues. She is closely concerned in extra-curricular actions and enjoys collaborating in area people occasions and sport, together with enjoying netball for Hawkesdale-Macarthur FNC.

Sahara is a gifted particular person who enjoys quite a lot of craft work, particularly digital pictures. She at all times shows kindness and empathy, even utilizing her pictures expertise to supply calendars that includes her photographs to reward to members of the family. 

Sahara is a excessive achiever in school, having participated within the Faculty for Scholar Management Program (SSL), the Victorian Younger Leaders to India Program and the Ladies as Leaders in STEM analysis mission. 

Sahara at all times shows a form and pleasant angle in direction of others and is enthusiastic about her neighborhood. She has volunteered at quite a few neighborhood occasions together with Hawkesdale Campdraft, Macarthur Campdraft and the native soccer canteen. Sahara has additionally proven kindness and consideration for the setting by getting concerned in tree planting days at Hawkesdale P12 School.

Warrnambool 16-18 age group class winner
Paris Nagorcka

Paris has at all times stood out as a younger lady who’s the primary to place her hand as much as assist out, to volunteer, to help and to guide. She demonstrates initiative repeatedly and in her college neighborhood and is nearly considered an prolonged member of workers at Warrnambool School.

She is a robust, passionate and fierce advocate for the underprivileged, for these with no voice, for many who want somebody to face up for them, and for herself – as an individual who strives day by day to be higher a model of herself than the day earlier than.

For her Media mission final yr, she spent eight months researching, planning and making a documentary on homelessness, highlighting the plight of the susceptible and the invisible, strolling the streets of Melbourne and interviewing the younger and the outdated to impress empathy, help and respect in her remaining presentation that moved mountains.

Moyne 16-18 age group class winner
Tayla Spencer (Killarney)

Tayla’s entrepreneurial nature led her to start out her personal enterprise, promoting seedlings at native markets at eight years of age. She now sells an astounding 7000 seedlings a yr at neighborhood and farmers markets, in addition to donating round 5000 crops a yr to colleges.

Tayla is a rare younger one that at all times goals to encourage and contribute to her area people via volunteering with soccer, nippers, main performers, Associates of Tower Hill, the Nice Otway tree plant, assistant educating and donating. 

Tayla is an exemplary and inspirational younger one that can also be a eager advocate in the case of enhancing the setting. She volunteered in native tree planting and revegetation initiatives earlier than studying to develop natural vegetable seedlings. 

The worth of kindness is on the centre of every thing that Tayla does. Following her love of artwork, she has additionally participated in a senior citizen artwork group for six years, forming sturdy connections with the group. 

Tayla at the moment works fulltime as an apprentice hairdresser at Grayce the Salon in Warrnambool, in addition to working a second job waitressing.

Warrnambool 19-25 age group class winner
Sidney Davies

Sidney Davies is a proud Yorta lady who’s passionate, resilient and accountable past her age. Sidney has been an energetic participant in lots of neighborhood applications and initiatives and has represented Brophy and the Nice South Coast in a cross Authorities Group of Curiosity assembly held in Canberra to advocate for higher traineeship and apprenticeship fashions for younger individuals.

Sidney at the moment works at Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative as a Media and Communications Officer. An excellent intersectional function mannequin and optimistic affect on different Aboriginal and LGBTIQA+ youth in the neighborhood, she repeatedly places her hand as much as host and organise essential LGBTIQA+ calendar days at Gunditjmara. 

She confirmed initiative to guide the Profession Inspiration Video Sequence which have proved instrumental in selling agricultural roles to younger individuals each regionally and nationally. This mission has since been recognised by Dairy Australia to probably be replicated in different states.

Shedding her home and automotive via a fireplace in a neighbouring property in mid-2022 didn’t cease Sid and she or he is ready to use lived expertise to help others going via difficult instances and exhibiting that your previous doesn’t outline your future.

Moyne 19-25 age group class winner
Mitchell Spencer (Killarney)

Few 22-year-olds have the boldness to run a enterprise – Mitchell owns and runs Bottega Toscana Restaurant in Port Fairy.
In addition to working a profitable enterprise, Mitchell can also be an energetic member of the neighborhood getting concerned via volunteering, sport, work and enterprise.

Mitchell is consistently in search of methods to provide again to the neighborhood and assist others. Throughout COVID lockdowns, Mitchell displayed his resilience and diversified his enterprise by altering his buying and selling hours to incorporate espresso and lunch, using native musicians to play on the restaurant and offering free meals to the neighborhood. 

Mitchell is set to provide again to the neighborhood wherever attainable. Dedicated to serving to individuals and organisations doing it powerful, Mitchell has donated over 300 children meals to Port Fairy Nippers, donated over $3000 to flood victims, was the gold sponsor for Southwest Soccer and has additionally sponsored native occasions.