Two Forbes residents noted for helping fellow citizens in their hour of need, and a young woman who has put her town and school on the map, were named Forbes’ citizens of the year at the Australia Day ceremony on Saturday evening.
Forbes Can Assist president Kerry Dunstan and former Rotary president, Breast Cancer Support Network representative and tireless volunteer Yvonne Shaw, shared the Citizen of the Year honour at the presentation at South Circle on Saturday.
The Junior Citizen of the Year award was presented to 2007 Forbes High School captain Melissa Smith, who among other achievements, last year received a Certificate of Commendation for service to the community from the Order of Australia.
The winners were announced by Cr Robyn Miller, chair of the Australia Day Committee, and presented by Australia Day Ambassador, Shane Withington.
Each of the three have a long list of achievements, performed as volunteers for community or school organisations.
Kerry Dunstan, who with his wife Wendy, fronts Can Assist, help raise money to assist cancer patients with travel costs and other treatment expenses.
Mr Dunstan and his small band of Can Assist volunteers are often found selling raffle tickets in the shopping centre, visiting businesses to secure prizes or sponsorship for fundraisers, or spending time with cancer patients and their families.
He has also completed at least two endurance events to raise funds for cancer support services in the past and been a volunteer with Forbes Jockey Club and Forbes Junior Cricket Association.
Mr Dunstan shared the 2007 Citizen of the Year honour with Yvonne Shaw, a former community nurse and women’s health worker, who has also been a Rotary president and member of many council committees.
Mrs Shaw, the wife of former Forbes Mayor Ian Shaw, has a similar long list of achievements at Tottenham, where she lived before her move to Forbes in 1989.
These efforts were reflected in her winning the Lachlan Woman of the Year Award in 2007, but some of her achievements in Forbes include founding the Forbes/Parkes Breast Cancer Support Service, becoming the first president of Forbes Heritage Committee and the chair of the Forbes Youth 2000 and Beyond Committee, which was instrumental in establishing Forbes Youth and Community Centre.
She has also been a member of Forbes Tourism and Promotion Committee and was the chairperson of the inaugural Relay for Life committee.
Just recently, Mrs Shaw organised the Rainbow Ball, a Rotary initiative to raise money for a new humidicrib at Forbes District Hospital.
Though just 18, Forbes Junior Citizen of the Year, Melissa Smith has already built an impressive list of achievements.
The daughter of Raymond ‘Jack’ and Maree Smith, Miss Smith was captain of Forbes High School last year and also Dux of year 12 in the 2007 HSC.
She was a member of the school’s Student Representative Council for four years and headed the SRC in 2006.
She took this student leadership role beyond Forbes High School, representing her school at various regional conferences.
Last year she was one of only 12 young people chosen for the NSW Youth Advisory Council that worked with the State Minister for Youth Affairs and attended the National Young Leaders Conference.
She was also a long term member of both the Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) and the Youth Road Safety Team, with Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.
Melissa’s voluntary work for her school and community has also been recognised by others. At last year’s Forbes High School presentation she received the Australian Defence Force’s Long Tan Leadership Award, recognising her leadership within the school and the broader community.
She plans to spend six months teaching Englsih in China this year, after which she hopes to study an Arts/Law degree at the University of Wollongong.