North Sydney Community Awards

Council recognised and celebrated the hard work and commitment of its community heroes at the North Sydney Community Awards Ceremony on 22 January 2021.

There are two Citizen of the Year Awards this year.

The first North Sydney Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Jane Boyd

Jane is a musical educator who has enriched the lives of her students and their families, nurturing a love of music in countless budding musicians and the people close to them. Her passion for music has contributed to the advancement of children’s music education through her unique teaching programs which combine Dalcroze, Kodaly and Orff-Schulwerk methods.

The second North Sydney Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Davie MacDonald and Zara the therapy dog

Davie and Zara support vulnerable people in the community through being a Canine Court Companion Team for the Department of Justice NSW Victim Services, and supported people seeking refuge at Bushfire Evacuation Centres during last year’s devastating summer fires. Davie is also a guide dog trainer, Rural Fire Service volunteer and member of the Hayberry Precinct Committee.

The Environmental Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Pool Pod

Pool Pod created a productive food garden in their apartment complex, initiated a composting program and regularly share their produce, knowledge and skills among residents. Pool Pod has grown more than 15 kilograms of fresh produce to date and have championed sustainable living within an urban context, while simultaneously building a strong sense of community.

The Young Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Pratham Gupta

Pratham was the Captain of Cammeraygal High School in 2020. Pratham played an important role in shaping the mentoring and peer support culture at this newly established school. He has also volunteered at the North Sydney Community Centre, fundraised for Jeans for Genes Day and has taken part in Council’s Youth-Councillor mentor program.

The Young Environmental Citizen of the Year Award was presented to the Student Green Team from Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College

The Student Green Team represents over 30 dedicated students who are passionate about protecting the natural environment. Guided by their Coordinator Mr Tenzing, the students were able to reduce the waste going to landfill from their school by 60 per cent by establishing a recycling and organic food waste collection program.

The Community Group of the Year was awarded to the Student Reference Group at Phoenix House Youth Services

This group of young people have been working hard, bringing to fruition two outstanding social enterprise projects: the Cream Bean mobile café and the Fig Jam podcast. These innovative projects have supported, inspired and empowered local young people by way of developing employment skills, creating work experience opportunities, fostering dialogue about important youth issues, and facilitating the active citizenship of young people in community life.