Group Volunteer Excellence Award 2026

Describe your group’s work/involvement and what you regard as your most important achievements?
Kids Art Bash began over 35 years ago, starting simply with drawing and painting, and has grown into a much-anticipated annual event over summer. It runs for around three weeks in January, open 10am–4pm daily, providing a space for both locals and visitors.

Over the year, volunteers look for good deals on supplies and prepare activities that can be offered at prices good for busy families. We now offer various mediums including painting on canvas, china and wood, as well as clay, mosaic and take-home art packs. It’s also a major fundraiser for the Art House, supporting classes and equipment for members.

Our most important achievement is creating a space where children can immerse themselves in creativity. Seeing their smiles of joy and satisfaction, and hearing about their connection to summer and the Art House, is our ongoing reward. We’re always looking to create new experiences, as many children return year after year.

How many people are involved and what does it mean to everyone to be acknowledged as Surf Coast Shire Local Legends?
We have a core group of four to six who organise and purchase items throughout the year, but during the program there are up to 12 volunteers each day. Altogether, that’s more than 1,500 hours of volunteering, with a lot happening behind the scenes as well as during the event itself, including set-up and pack-down.

Everyone is thrilled to have the program recognised by the Shire. We believe it’s a very unique project, not offered in this capacity with this many volunteers elsewhere in Victoria, or even Australia, so the acknowledgement means a great deal to everyone involved.

What motivates your group members?
Our motivation is definitely the kids, their smiling faces, and the beautiful energy that comes from being creative. Maybe we’ve even met a future professional artist!

There’s also a strong sense of connection among the volunteers. Many friendships have formed through working together, and at the end we come together for a thank-you afternoon to reflect on the event. It’s always filled with warmth and laughter, which really sums up the spirit of the group.

What would you say to people who might be considering contributing to a community group such as yours?
We’d invite people looking for community connectedness to come and join in. It’s a chance to be part of something positive and creative, to meet people, and to contribute to an event that brings a lot of joy to the community.

When flash flooding of Erskine and Cumberland Rivers struck in January, sweeping away cars, caravans and tents and flooding buildings, roads and bridges, Lorne community members responded with remarkable speed, care and heart.

Residents rescued people and possessions from rising water, organised buses to collect stranded campers and opened an Emergency Relief Centre to support hundreds of people in shock and distress.

Local businesses and organisations stepped up, donating clothing, food, sheets and towels and extending their opening hours so medical prescriptions could be filled and fuel accessed during the response.

Dozens of locals offered free accommodation to people with nowhere to sleep and no cars to take them home. Lorne Surf Life Saving Club provided beds for displaced campers overnight.

The community’s generosity didn’t stop there. Residents cooked meals for people hardest hit, the P-12 College donated blankets, and volunteers cleaned up debris-strewn beaches and bush.

Lorne’s response demonstrated the best of a community coming together – protecting and caring for visitors, supporting neighbours and caring for Country.

Many small but meaningful acts combined to become a significant whole response which helped people feel warmly and securely supported and cared for in hours of sudden need.

The Anglesea Community House is proudly governed by a dedicated volunteer Committee of Management whose work often happens quietly behind the scenes.

These community members generously give their time, experience, and care to ensure the House remains a welcoming, well-run, and responsive place for our community.

Describe your group’s work/involvement and what you regard as your most important achievements?

Anglesea Community House is a friendly welcoming place that focuses on supporting things the community wants. While our great staff are the front face of the organisation it needs the full team including the unseen back room governance function for it to work.

Most significant the committee is setting the tone and culture that makes the community house a great place to participate but also to work and volunteer.

For example, the community house provides the legal structure and boring back end support for many groups so that people can focus on the things they love. Groups like Community Garden, Mens Shed, Movie Club, Rock Choir, Rubbish Rangers, Repair Café, and SC for Reconciliation.

Additionally, our intimate Twilight markets provide a great place for locals to come together to enjoy good music, food and each other’s company. We show how sustainability can work at the local level with our operation of the Resale Shed at the Anglesea Transfer Station, provision of ewater, green hub recycling and of course we operate the only childcare services in Anglesea. We also produce a range of education and recreational programs, as well as producing the much loved Newsangle community newspaper.  It’s a very big agenda for such a small organisation.

All of these things happen only because of a group of dedicated and skilled volunteers behind the scenes make sure that everything operates as it should. eg strong financial management, compliance with legislation and regulation, employee awards, robust HR practices , setting an enabling organisational culture that makes people feel welcome and valued.

Most importantly, we do it because we love it, we know we are making a contribution to the kind of community we want to live in. Its fulfilling  – and its fun!

What motivates you?

There are currently seven members on the committee, but there is opportunity for more to join.

The acknowledgment of the Local Legend is important recognition of the contribution the often unseen, ‘back end’ governance role plays in our community focused organisations.

We particularly like that it celebrates the collective, as distinct from the individual, given that community houses are about participation, collaboration and cooperation.

What does it mean to you to be acknowledged as a Surf Coast Shire Local Legend?

Committee members usually share a range of motivations, both personal and more altruistic. Motivations range across the spectrum of being actively engaged in community, utilising current skills for community benefit, gaining new skills, and social connection and friendship.

Most of the committee like to do things that make a difference, and Anglesea Community House touches the lives of many in our community.

What do you love about our Surf Coast Shire community?

Should you be looking to become more actively engaged in community, for whatever reason, joining a committee of a group like ours is a great way to a) meet new people b) gain a sense of belonging as well as sense of contribution. What’s not to love!!