A 50 year veteran volunteer of community sport and fundraising, John Stoffels, has been named the 2022 Cronulla Senior of the Year on day one of the NSW Seniors Festival.
I announced John as the winner at a celebratory morning tea where the trophy was presented by Minister for Seniors Mark Coure.
John has been passionate about giving people from the Sutherland Shire the opportunity to play and enjoy sport. Over the years he has been a driving force across football, softball and more recently golf, always actively involved in fundraising to provide a better experience and facilities for players.
John’s enthusiasm for a cause is obvious, no more so than in his current role as Chair of the Woolooware Golf Club’s Legacy Committee, where he spearheads the annual push to help the families of fallen or ill veterans.
As an ex-serviceman himself, John throws himself into leading the fundraising effort, helping the club donate significant sums of money even when COVID-19 lockdowns have meant the yearly Legacy golf day couldn’t be held.
John’s passion, commitment and enthusiasm is infectious and has made a big difference to many people involved with both sport and Legacy.
John’s service to sport started with the Sutherland Shire Soccer Football Club, now the Sutherland Sharks Football Club, including a number of years as President, continued with the Sutherland Shire Softball Association where he was the President for more than a decade, and more recently he has been involved with the Sharks Social Golf Club, where he has served as President for almost 10 years.
The other finalists in the Cronulla NSW Seniors Festival Local Achievement Awards were:
- Patricia Cudmore – St Vincent de Paul Society Sutherland Shire regional president
- John Curtis – NSW State Emergency Service volunteer
- Michael Douglas – Sutherland Food Services volunteer including past president
- Ron Griffths – Lilli Pilli Football Club volunteer
- Betty Jacobs – Kurnell Girl Guides and Kurnell Pensioners’ Club volunteer
- Chris Murray – NSW State Emergency Service leading senior operator
- Norman “Buzz” Piddington – North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club volunteer
- Neil Reynolds – Caringbah Baptist Church and Skills4Me volunteer
- Russell Sullivan – Port Hacking Open Sailing Club rear commodore
- Brian Thompson OAM – Elouera Surf Life Saving Club patron, Tradies director
- Peter Turbet – Sutherland Shire Council Bushcare volunteer, Fred Hollows Foundation worker and history author.
The awards recognise the invaluable contribution seniors make to so many aspects of community life here in the Shire.
The finalists highlight how fortunate we are to have such incredible, dedicated volunteers in the Sutherland Shire, which makes it such a great place to live.
🐟 This week’s short op ed in The Leader:
Acting now for future generations
Conservatives should advocate not only living within our financial means, but also living within our environmental means.
The NSW Liberal Government has one of Australia’s most ambitious emissions reduction and renewable energy plans.
From next week, NSW also starts the next stage of one of Australia’s most ambitious single use plastic waste programs.
I’ve been passionate about plastic waste throughout my political career, especially after spending a day walking around Towra Point in 2012 observing the shocking accumulation of rubbish. Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW.
Left unchecked, by 2050 there'll be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish.
So in 2016 when I was Environment Minister, we legislated a modern container deposit scheme. Since then over 7.4 billion drink containers have been recovered and recycled through Return and Earn, dramatically reducing their number in local litter streams.
Next week we start a ban on single use plastic bags. From November this expands to single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds; expanded polystyrene foodware and cups; and rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.
These phase outs will stop almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering our natural environment and waterways over 20 years.
We’re helping small businesses get ready for the changes this year by engaging the National Retail Association to deliver a comprehensive education campaign to more than 40,000 businesses across NSW. The Association is running a retailer education campaign, conducting store visits, and providing online webinars and resources to help businesses make the transition away from problematic single-use plastics. There’s a free hotline (1800 844 946) to offer businesses, community organisations and consumers advice on the single-use plastic bans.
This is a commonsense plan to help preserve our precious environment for future generations.
www.theleader.com.au/story/7751620/shire-matters-with-mark-speakman-acting-now-for-future-generat...
Plastic Free Cronulla ... See MoreSee Less
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Thanks Mark, I had no problems as a child living without plastic, I believe our wonderful community can embrace this concept again.
Great initiatives Mark
New sexual consent laws start next week in NSW.
Today with Women’s Safety Minister Natalie Ward and survivor / advocate Saxon Mullins, I launched the NSW Government’s #MakeNoDoubt social media campaign aimed at 16-24 year olds, a group over-represented among victims and perpetrators.
Click on the link below for video extracts from the launch.
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Social media campaign launches in NSW ahead of new consent laws taking effect
www.9news.com.au
Social media campaign launches in NSW ahead of new consent laws taking effectBy Savannah Meacham • Associate Producer1:20pm May 25, 2022 Tweet Facebook Mail The New South Wales government has launch...Comment on Facebook
Can we get your support to review old matters of no consent that police never wanted to know about, being our survivor testimonials naming men who were / likely still are serial rapists. Will your new Government form a directory of named rapists AND allow survivors to name names. These vile immoral men (& the disgusting women that aide & abet them) are STILL in the community living with dark secrets & an inappropriate clean record, & yet there are the worst of offenders ... Why should such predators who enjoy "privileges" "protection" & "immunity from prosecution" for decades remain free? I witness that it's mostly because they (or their parents) were members of the LNP. Will you allow survivors to speak a out 'historicsl' or attacks ignored by police ? Or will you ask other people to speak out about attacks at work in an beyond Parliament House, or at other Federal sites, or by Federal or Public Safety, or about Defence staff who did crimes to women not only AT WORK, but in the community when they were off duty, or whilst they were on Secondment beyond their core appointment (eg. at the Australian Institute of Police Management). Will you look into how bad men labelled survivors as "person non Grata"?! I have been speaking up since 1983. Why does nobody want to listen to me. These people who I have been up against ARE the same set that tried silence Brittany Higgins. I used to work with the Australian Federal Police at the Australian Institute of Police Management. What happened to me was frightening, but it was "Administratively silenced" & robbed of all my belongings, with police relying on slander fabricated by the sleazy guilty. I was professionally silenced so much so that they even pressed upon me the removal of my NAME & concocted a false life history. A total human rights abuses scenario & involving a "fix" manager by politicans "to protect the boys who were having fun with your body but what a shame that you didn't like it or simply shut up" (said a Federal LNP MP 2005). I look forward to hearing from you with confirmation that you will accept my account into the new Federal ICAC into the activities of the Murdoch social set and the LNP, as they were personally involved in silencing what happened to me. As a child and teen and young and older woman I NEVER gave my consent. It was the same attack group in excessive decades :-( whilst they grew on power in the 'leadership' of Australia. So I am very happy that the LNP got voted out.
Very well done Mark Speakman , always proud to say the NSW AG is writing laws for the future of NSW
🦈 The NSW Government rolled out a new listening station offshore at Cronulla this week to detect the presence of tagged animals, including white, tiger and bull sharks swimming within a 500 metre radius.
🦈 When a tagged shark comes close, everyone using the SharkSmart app or the Twitter page will know about it instantly, including Surf Life Saving NSW and Council lifeguards.
🦈 The Leader story is at www.theleader.com.au/story/7747061/listen-up-shark-about/?cs=12 ... See MoreSee Less
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Great thank you Mark👏👏
👷🏻♀️👨🏫👨🏼🔧The NSW unemployment rate of 3.5% last month was the lowest since records began in the 1970s.
👨⚕️👨🍳🧑🚒 An extra 93,200 people are employed in NSW compared with pre-COVID levels. ... See MoreSee Less
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The seasonally adjusted underemployment rate in NSW was 5.5%. This is the lowest since 2002 and the lowest of any State. See www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/latest-release. The figures are updated each month. The definition used by the ABS is very broad: “Underemployed workers are employed people who would prefer, and are available for, more hours of work than they currently have. They comprise: - part-time workers who would prefer to work more hours and were available to start work with more hours, either in the reference week or in the four weeks subsequent to the survey; and - full-time workers who worked part-time hours in the reference week for economic reasons (such as being stood down or insufficient work being available). It is assumed that these people would prefer to work full-time in the reference week and would have been available to do so.”
What's the under employment rate Mark? That is the more important stat. Also how many hours a week is the minimum used to determine someone is employed? These figures are never presented to the voting public so they can gauge an accurate account of the situation. Why is that?
Thankyou Mark. I will remember that when the next state election comes along.
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No answer then to a legitimate question. Thanks for making up my mind.
CONGRATULATIONS
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🏫 Over $8 million in Sutherland Shire school upgrades. 👩🎓
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Modern make-overs for schools
www.theleader.com.au
Ongoing school upgrade projects.Comment on Facebook
STOP WASTING MONEY ON INQUIRIES FOR CRIMINALS!
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Would be nice if Gymea Bay Public got air conditioning in their buildings.
⚽️ Congratulations Greg Storey, president of Lilli Pilli Football Club for the past 17 years, on a NSW Government Community Service Award for his outstanding service.
⚽️ In this time Lilli Pilli has grown to over 1850 players and 158 teams - the largest club in the Sutherland Shire Football Association and the largest amateur club in NSW.
⚽️ On a Saturday and Sunday, Greg is easily located at one of Lilli Pilli’s home fields snapping photos, chatting with spectators or helping other volunteers.NSW GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
A number of Lilli Pilli players, family, committee and past life-members were on hand at Lilli Pilli Oval on Sunday to observe our President Greg Storey receive a much deserved and prestigious NSW Government Community Service award. The award was presented in person by our local NSW MP and NSW Attorney General, the Honourable Mark Speakman.
Greg is a Life Member of our great club and has been a member of the Management Committee for over 20 years with the past 17 years spent as our tireless Club President. Throughout his tenure, Greg has fully immersed himself in all facets of the club's day-to-day operation for the benefit of all its members. With other volunteers, he has overseen the expansion of LPFC to its current membership base of over 1850 players and has ensured that LPFC remains a club for which players are proud to belong.
Greg is held in very high esteem within the wider SSFA and FNSW community for his dedication to the advancement of grassroots football and promotion of active participation in sport.
Greg has also previously been recognised for his service to the community with a number of awards including: the Cook Community Award; SSFA Merit Award; and a Football NSW Service award. We are extremely pleased and proud that Greg’s long-term devotion and passion to the club, community and football in general has been recognised.
Congratulations Greg. We recognise and appreciate your outstanding service to the local community and hope that we can continue to benefit from your vast experience and endless enthusiasm for many more years to come.
David Paget and David Gregson
Lilli Pilli FC Life Members
Mark Speakman Sutherland Shire Football Association ... See MoreSee Less
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