Renowned singer and performer Joey Chan has received the 2019 Volunteer of the Year award at a
special ceremony at Civic Hall last night.
Ms Chan has been a volunteer at the Eastwood Chinese Senior Citizens Club for eight years. During this
time, Ms Chan has organised and staged a large number of performances fo r the club while also
undertaking oth er activities that have reduced social isolation among club members.
In addition to her work for the Eastwood Chinese Senior Citizens Club, Ms Chan has also contributed to a
number o f other major local community events each year including the City of Ryde Lunar New Year
Festival, the Chinese Citizens Club Australia Day celebrations and the Mid -Autumn Festival concert.
Ms Chan undertakes all her volunteer work while working a s a sole trader. Her volunteer work has brought
a lot of joy to senior citizens living in Eastwood and the other areas that make up the City of Ryde, while
also fostering stronger community harmony and engagement.
Philip Brown was awarded the Highly Commended award for his work with Neighbourhood Watch. Mr
Brown contributes a large amount of his time, management skills and local community knowledge to
further the Neighbourhood Watch program within the City of Ryde and has helped the program grow to
become one of the biggest voluntary safety and security operations in NSW.
Isabella Wilks received the 2019 Young Volunteer of the Year award for her work with Sydney Community
Services, a not -for -profit organisation that helps residents to live an independent life in their own home and
in their community.
Through her v olunteer work, Ms Wilks works closely with those living with a disability, assisting them with
their care and helping them overcome social isolation. Ms Wilks also researches special projects for clients
to take part in while also writing an annual newslet ter that includes pictures and descriptions of each
client’s achievements.
The North Ryde Community Aid Linen Group was awarded the 2019 Group Volunteer of the Year award.
The group is made up of 12 volunteers who give up their time each week to provide a linen service for
those in need within the Ryde community. While this service is invaluable in providing clean linen for all of
its recipients, it also del ivers a range of other benefits such as assisting clients address other issues
around their home.
Stryder’s community transport volunteer drivers, meanwhile, received a Highly Commended award for their
work in providing connection services to those most in need. The Stryder service allows people in need to
live independently in their own homes.
City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jerome Laxale, who was a member of the judging panel for the awards.
congratulated all award recipients.
“Our local volunteers are the unsung heroes of our community and I am delighted th at we can recognise
the achievements of those who give up a great deal of their own time to help those in need or who are
experiencing hardship,” Clr Laxale said.
