Branches & Regional Groups :: NSW :: Youth Community Service Awards

In 1992 Dr John Lincoln AM, on behalf of of the New South Wales Branch, created a new initiative for young people to be awarded the youth community service awards. Each year 20 candidates are selected and honoured at a special ceremony at government house in Sydney.

(Pictured: 2005 Awardees at NSW Government House)

Dr John Lincoln AM speaks of the Youth Community Service Awards:

In early 1992, I became concerned that secondary school students were unaware of the high principles and prestige of the Order of Australia. I thought that the Association should give recognition to students with an excellent record of community service. I thought we should involve all schools - Departmental, Systemic and Independent - by inviting the Principal of the School to nominate students worthy of consideration.

In implementing the idea two things were important - that the honour should be distinctive but yet quite separate from the Order itself. To achieve this we limited the awardees to twenty each year and the student would receive the Certificate and Medallion which could not be confused with the insignia worn by Members of the Order.

Implementation of the scheme necessitated co-operation by the Department of School Education and the Catholic Education Commission. Whilst Deputy Chairman of our Association I attended a dinner in Newcastle where I took the opportunity to discuss the proposal with the Hon. Virginia Chadwick, then Minister for School Education. On my return I received a letter from Dr Ken Boston, Director-General, which stated "the Minister for Education and Youth Affairs has approved your proposal and I am pleased to join her in supporting this worthwhile initiative". Both the Department and the Catholic Education Commission have been supportive of the scheme and have facilitated our contact with school principals.

Each year copies of the nominations and supportive material are given to the selectors and I arrange for them to meet at Macquarie University where the Vice-Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Di Yerbury AO is a selector. The other selectors have been Vice-Admiral David Leach AC, CBE, LVO and Emeritus Professor John Collins AM. The Certificate and Medallion are presented by the Governor at Government House.

	2005 Awardee with NSW Govenor & Family members
	13th Presentation, 23-11-2005 HE the Governor Prof. Marie Bashir AC with recipient Karla Ranby (Moree Secondary College) and her Family.
	11th Presentation, 19-1'1-2003 HE the Governor Prof. Marie Bashir AC with recipient Arthur Cheng & the Principal of Killara High School.
	6th Presentation, 30-11-1998 HE the Governor Gordon Samuels AC CVO with recipients Sarah Cassell (Molong Central School), Lisa Nguyen (Canterbury Girls' High School) & Vanessa Fenn (Asquith Girls' High School).

The initiative taken by some awardees is notable such as where two school girls upon visiting a village in Africa on vacation found the school children had no classroom and by their efforts the girls made possible the erection of a building for the school. I think it is appropriate that our Association should give encouragement by awarding our Certificate and Medallion.

AWARDEES...

CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION (presented at their school)...

• Certificate of Recognition 2004
• Certificate of Recognition 2005
  
Certificate of Recognition 2007
Certificate of Recognition 2008

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