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Jeremy Warren
Last November, Jeremy saw what looked like a head popping up in the mudflats about 100m away. A man of 150 kg had jumped off a boat into the mud and sunk up to his neck. Jeremy spent the next two hours, sometimes up to his armpits in mud, trying to get the man out before the tide came in. Painstakingly he managed to get the man on to planks of wood to spread his weight. Jeremy became exhausted but with sheer determination, finally heaved the naked man into the boat.
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Graham Tomkinson
At 18, Graham became a blood donor (over 60 donations) and also joined a Hospital Auxiliary, raising funds for the local hospital. He joined the State Emergency Service, formed the Bankstown Unit and was appointed the Local Controller, a position he held for 13 yrs. In his professional life, Graham works for the NSW Police, holding the position of District Emergency Management Officer, and dedicates his life to ensuring that communities are prepared and protected from emergencies and disasters.
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Ashley Moran
Ashley joined the Army in 2001 and has served his country in East Timor, Malaysia and Iraq. He has had three tours to Iraq. During his last tour in 2006, he was promoted to command his own section and stayed for a further three months after his tour had finished to work with another battalion. He has also been an instructor on infantry tactics and weapons.
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John Blunt
When his property was scarred by a major landslip in 1993, John formed the Emu Swamp Landcare Group. Its first project involved students planting 600 trees down the slip on John’s property. On the back of this success the group’s work snowballed. John managed a three-year project to revegetate the upper reaches of the Emu Swamp Creek, creating a massive 60 square kilometre wildlife corridor linking 20 properties. For 14 years John has followed his vision to inspire landowners to improve not only their own properties but the public land.
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Susan Grant
Susan is the originator of the Songbirds charity that performs musical variety shows in nursing homes. The shows are performed by volunteers. Susan writes the scripts and finds music then creates backing tapes. Each Thursday she directs rehearsals in her home. Her purpose-built garage contains the trailer and many costumes and props she has collected over the years. Susan puts her own funds into Songbirds as required. Despite having a full time job Susan does the administration for Songbirds, contacts the nursing homes and manages the calendar of monthly performances.
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Abdallah Tabbaa
A pillar of the Sydney muslim community, Abdallah was instrumental in establishing the Australian National Sports Club. He wished to have a place where boys of all nationalities and religion could go to play sport. He says: "I just wanted to give them something to do. They can come here and form a team, not go on to the streets."
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Ruth Elliott
Ruth is still teaching at the age of 76. She has been teaching children with special requirements for the Department of Education for over 50 years. Ruth started her career teaching a number of disciplines to deaf and blind students, a position she held for over 35 years. Being a qualified interpreter to the deaf, she also took up teaching Ausland at various TAFE institutions. Ruth has never seen teaching as a job, but more of a way of life.
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Lue Byrne
Lue Byrne is the only enrolled nurse in a small township in the Riverina district of NSW, some 65km from the nearest hospital. For 20 years, she has been the person the township comes to in a time of need. She has been known to give initial treatment to everything from broken limbs, injections, removal of stitches, post op dressings and even palliative care to cancer patients. She is the mode of transport for patients to get to the hospital and has been know to do the washing for patients who have no family.
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Annie Grindrod
Annie Grindrod is 15. At eight she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She suffered swollen joints, pain, joint injections and major life/health adjustments. Over the last four years, whilst still in pain, she’s given speeches at Starlight Children’s Foundation and National Conferences advocating for improvements for children in healthcare, she’s given interviews on radio and TV to promote better understanding by the community for all kids with chronic illness.
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Molly Wood
In 2003, 50 per cent of Molly’s body was burnt to the bone in a terrible accident. Today, she still receives treatment twice a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This process will continue until her early teen years. She has rarely complained about the contstant stretching routine, the daily sores that breakout in the still-healing skin grafts and the gruelling twice-weekly gym sessions designed to restore core stability and to rebuild the muscle, tissue and cells that were taken away by the fire. As her father says, she displays the truly Australian character of 'just playing the cards that have been dealt and getting on with it'.
