Peninsula locals win awards
Peninsula residents took awards in two of the eight categories in the Gosford City Australia Day Community Awards.
Residents from nearby areas took another two of the awards.
Woy Woy's Margaret Royston won the Senior Citizen category for her active support of seniors groups.
Margaret is president of the Umina Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association and also supports children's causes.
She has raised funds for Woy Woy Hospital, Woy Woy Nursing Home, Childflight, Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade and Salvation Army among others.
She also arranges bus trips for seniors twice a month as well as two longer trips each year to various destinations.
Pearl Beach's Fay Austin won the environment category for her membership of the Pean Beach Dune Care Group and Progress Association.
Fay has worked for the dune care group for more than 10 years, planting ground cover wattle to help stabilise the dunes and clearing lantana and other noxious weeds.
She also checks the beach for rubbish every Monday.
Empire Bay's Kaye Lovie won the sport category for being a member of various sporting groups and committees.
In the last 12 months, Kaye has been president of the Central Coast branch of Athletics NSW and was involved in gaining funds for the Central Coast Regional Synthetic Athletic Track.
She is senior vice president of Gosford City Sports Council and has been involved with Woy Woy Little Athletics.
St Huberts Island's Pat de Carte won the cultural category for introducing the fund raising Hospital Art to the Central Coast and her presidency of the Central Coast Handweavers and Spinners Guild.
Pat has been president of the guild for three years and in that time has encouraged more members to join.
She also worked to renovate and improve the guild's cottage so members could enjoy workshops, meetings and socials.
Pat organised for 40 American artists to travel to Gosford as part of Hospital Art to demonstrate how art can be beneficial to patients in nursing homes, retirement villages and hospitals.
Mayor Cr Chris Holstein was full of praise for all the winners and finalists at the presentation.
"The community should be very proud of these special people," he said.
"They are quiet achievers touching the lives of so many others."
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