Colac Otway Youth Awards recognise outstanding efforts

Published on 12 April 2019

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More than 70 nominations for Colac Otway Youth Awards recognise outstanding efforts

Eight inspirational young people have been recognised for their achievements and contribution to their community through the 2019 Colac Otway Youth Awards.

The Awards, a joint initiative coordinated by Colac Area Health and Colac Otway Shire, and sponsored by local businesses and community-focused organisations, were presented tonight at a youth-led event at Colac Botanic Café.

Colac Otway Mayor Cr Jason Schram congratulated the nominees and award recipients of the seven categories and acknowledged the work by the organising committee and CAH Youth Engagement Officer Scarlet Cridland.

2019 Colac Otway Youth Award Winners are:

  • Mitchell Hall, who received the Colac Otway Great Mate Award
  • Penny Smith, who received the Colac Otway Sports Award
  • Georgia Howell, who received the Colac Otway Arts Award
  • Grace Gardiner and Eleni Neumann, who received the Colac Otway Environment Award
  • Samara Riley, who received the Colac Otway Community Award
  • Jack Holland, who received the Colac Otway Business Award
  • Tyson Williamson, who received the Colac Otway Inspiration Award

“The Colac Otway Youth Awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise, celebrate and acknowledge the young people in our community and the valuable contribution that they make every day,” Cr Schram said.

“There were more than 70 nominations across the seven award categories this year, with the majority of nominations made by young people.

“This shows the impressive number of young people who are making outstanding contributions in the Colac Otway community.

“This is also a great indication that our young people value these awards and want to recognise the efforts of their peers.

“I’d like to acknowledge the Freeza youth group and the work that members are doing to bring young people together through events and activities in our shire,” he said.

“Colac Otway is proud to sponsor this year’s awards event which has not only recognised the true calibre of our young people across the shire, but also provided a great opportunity for our young performers to showcase their talents.”