Vocation Report 2024-25
Director: Kerry Mann
Vocational Service is the shared responsibility of both the Club and its Members.
Our role throughout 2024 – 2025 continued to be the implementation and encouragement of activities that develop the vocational talents and skills in the service of the community.
To that end we conducted the following events during the past Rotary year:
Vocational Visits
Pride of Workmanship Awards
Pride of Workmanship (PoW) awards are an important part off the Club as they acknowledge the efforts and contributions of employees and businesses / organisations who consistently achieve high quality service and work performance.
The Pride of The Pride of Workmanship Awards Program is an approved Rotary program commenced in 1976 by the Rotary Club of Pennant Hills (Australia, District 9685).
Participating businesses promote the Pride of Workmanship theme of "Do it once-do it well" throughout their organisation and nominees are identified as worthy of recognition, not only within the organisation they work with, but the wider community. Nominees of the Pride of Workmanship Program are presented with a plaque in recognition of their achievements.
We conducted our annual award ceremony on 19 May 2025 at West Pennant Hills Sports Club where David Firth from the Rotary Club of Pennant Hills spoke on the history of The Pride of Workmanship Awards and the importance of recognising people who characterise the essence of Pride of Workmanship – “Do it once-do it well”
David presented the following awardees with a Rotary Pride of Workmanship Plaque inscribed with their names. The nominators presented the awardees to the member and invited guests with the following citations:
Awardee – Amelia Hansen
Nominated by Neville Hansen
Amelia completed a Bachelor in Sports Management and now works fulltime in a managerial role within the NDIS sector. This role keeps her incredibly busy with service and staffing responsibilities, regular interstate travel, not to mention a daily commute from Bondi to Blacktown.
And yet she still manages to find the time to assist our Club by way of the graphic design for our promotional material and brochures.
For the past 4 years, Amelia has put together the graphic design for the Flyers we rely upon for our Annual Giant Book Sale, Tree of Joy, Trivia Night, Mother’s Day and Christmas Markets. Amelia not only does all the artwork; she’s also been instrumental in moving us to adding QR Codes to these designs – a feature that significantly helps us promote and manage these important events. If you remember, this is something we tried to do ourselves, but proved so challenging, we gave up!
Just to complicate the workload we put on Amelia, most of the time we’re running tight for time, sometimes late in fact, as we always need the artwork and flyers for the next event when we are running the current – but Amelia always comes through on time with the design and the inevitable changes we request!
Amelia takes all of this in her stride because she’s one of those special people who genuinely gets what Customer Service is all about.
Thank you, Amelia for the valuable contribution you make to our Club. Your work ethic and commitment to service exemplify what “Pride of Workmanship” is all about.
Awardee – Veronica Kentwell
Nominated by Kerry Mann
Veronica is an outstanding individual and highly valued team member of Food Services team at Bella Vista Gardens; a 142 bed Aged Care residence in Norwest. Veronica a is the Food Services Leader and she leads her team with a can-do attitude and commitment to her role.
Veronica goes above and beyond, even working in her personal time, to ensure she and her team can deliver the highest standard of care and service to her residents. Veronica has a bounce in her step and a sparkle in her eyes and is always ready to assist where required. Veronica greets our aged care residents with a vibrance that makes their day. Her qualities add a burst of happiness, enriching the lives of those around her. We applaud you, Veronica for your unwavering dedication and professionalism and it has been my absolute pleasure to work with you. You embody the words I have often used when recognising the incredible work done by our team in Aged Care - ‘go the extra mile, it’s never crowded … you continuously ‘go the extra mile’. Veronica, you exemplify what ‘Pride of Workmanship’ is about; spirit of service and the value of doing one’s best in every aspect of life. Thank you for being you.
Awardee – Susan Young
Nominated by Sandra White
Sue is a dedicated volunteer who plays an integral role in our beautiful community. As a vital member of the executive committee, she brings energy and care to everything she does. In her role as our Social Event Coordinator, she ensures our gatherings are welcoming and memorable. She also manages the roster for our herb garden volunteers—fondly known as the Herbies—coordinating their efforts to keep this special space thriving.
Beyond her community work, Sue shows extraordinary personal dedication. She lovingly cares for her late husband’s elderly parents, both of whom are facing significant health challenges. At the same time, she is a remarkable mother to four adult children and a proud grandmother to six grandchildren.
Sue’s generosity, strength, and unwavering commitment make her a truly worthy recipient of the Pride of Workmanship Award. She exemplifies the spirit of service and the value of doing one’s best in every aspect of life.
Awardee – Nicole King
Nominated by Carol Russell
I have known Nicole for some considerable time now and her commitment to Riding for the Disabled is commendable
At Riding for the Disabled (NSW) at the Tall Timbers Centre, Old Pitt Town Road, The Gables, lives are transformed through the magic of equestrian activities.
Thanks to the unwavering support of the community, dedicated volunteers, as well as ongoing fundraising efforts, a range of enriching horse riding and related programs tailored for individuals with disabilities are offered.
For those with physical disabilities, the benefits of horseback riding extend beyond mere exercise and posture improvement.
Their diverse programs include
The skilled coaches collaborate with riders, teachers or carers to integrate literacy, numeracy, and social skills into the riding experience, leveraging the motivational power of horses to enhance learning.
In addition to the riding programs, our non-riding activities make the Centre accessible to a broader range of participants, relationships, effective communication, and decision-making skills.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Nicole King a Coach at Riding for the Disabled and very worthy recipient of a Pride of Workmanship Award.
Kerry Mann
Vocational Director
Our role throughout 2024 – 2025 continued to be the implementation and encouragement of activities that develop the vocational talents and skills in the service of the community.
To that end we conducted the following events during the past Rotary year:
Vocational Visits
- 17 September 2024
- 21 October 2024
- 13 February 2025
- 2 June 2025
Pride of Workmanship Awards
Pride of Workmanship (PoW) awards are an important part off the Club as they acknowledge the efforts and contributions of employees and businesses / organisations who consistently achieve high quality service and work performance.
The Pride of The Pride of Workmanship Awards Program is an approved Rotary program commenced in 1976 by the Rotary Club of Pennant Hills (Australia, District 9685).
Participating businesses promote the Pride of Workmanship theme of "Do it once-do it well" throughout their organisation and nominees are identified as worthy of recognition, not only within the organisation they work with, but the wider community. Nominees of the Pride of Workmanship Program are presented with a plaque in recognition of their achievements.
We conducted our annual award ceremony on 19 May 2025 at West Pennant Hills Sports Club where David Firth from the Rotary Club of Pennant Hills spoke on the history of The Pride of Workmanship Awards and the importance of recognising people who characterise the essence of Pride of Workmanship – “Do it once-do it well”
David presented the following awardees with a Rotary Pride of Workmanship Plaque inscribed with their names. The nominators presented the awardees to the member and invited guests with the following citations:
Awardee – Amelia Hansen
Nominated by Neville Hansen
Amelia completed a Bachelor in Sports Management and now works fulltime in a managerial role within the NDIS sector. This role keeps her incredibly busy with service and staffing responsibilities, regular interstate travel, not to mention a daily commute from Bondi to Blacktown.
And yet she still manages to find the time to assist our Club by way of the graphic design for our promotional material and brochures.
For the past 4 years, Amelia has put together the graphic design for the Flyers we rely upon for our Annual Giant Book Sale, Tree of Joy, Trivia Night, Mother’s Day and Christmas Markets. Amelia not only does all the artwork; she’s also been instrumental in moving us to adding QR Codes to these designs – a feature that significantly helps us promote and manage these important events. If you remember, this is something we tried to do ourselves, but proved so challenging, we gave up!
Just to complicate the workload we put on Amelia, most of the time we’re running tight for time, sometimes late in fact, as we always need the artwork and flyers for the next event when we are running the current – but Amelia always comes through on time with the design and the inevitable changes we request!
Amelia takes all of this in her stride because she’s one of those special people who genuinely gets what Customer Service is all about.
Thank you, Amelia for the valuable contribution you make to our Club. Your work ethic and commitment to service exemplify what “Pride of Workmanship” is all about.
Awardee – Veronica Kentwell
Nominated by Kerry Mann
Veronica is an outstanding individual and highly valued team member of Food Services team at Bella Vista Gardens; a 142 bed Aged Care residence in Norwest. Veronica a is the Food Services Leader and she leads her team with a can-do attitude and commitment to her role.
Veronica goes above and beyond, even working in her personal time, to ensure she and her team can deliver the highest standard of care and service to her residents. Veronica has a bounce in her step and a sparkle in her eyes and is always ready to assist where required. Veronica greets our aged care residents with a vibrance that makes their day. Her qualities add a burst of happiness, enriching the lives of those around her. We applaud you, Veronica for your unwavering dedication and professionalism and it has been my absolute pleasure to work with you. You embody the words I have often used when recognising the incredible work done by our team in Aged Care - ‘go the extra mile, it’s never crowded … you continuously ‘go the extra mile’. Veronica, you exemplify what ‘Pride of Workmanship’ is about; spirit of service and the value of doing one’s best in every aspect of life. Thank you for being you.
Awardee – Susan Young
Nominated by Sandra White
Sue is a dedicated volunteer who plays an integral role in our beautiful community. As a vital member of the executive committee, she brings energy and care to everything she does. In her role as our Social Event Coordinator, she ensures our gatherings are welcoming and memorable. She also manages the roster for our herb garden volunteers—fondly known as the Herbies—coordinating their efforts to keep this special space thriving.
Beyond her community work, Sue shows extraordinary personal dedication. She lovingly cares for her late husband’s elderly parents, both of whom are facing significant health challenges. At the same time, she is a remarkable mother to four adult children and a proud grandmother to six grandchildren.
Sue’s generosity, strength, and unwavering commitment make her a truly worthy recipient of the Pride of Workmanship Award. She exemplifies the spirit of service and the value of doing one’s best in every aspect of life.
Awardee – Nicole King
Nominated by Carol Russell
I have known Nicole for some considerable time now and her commitment to Riding for the Disabled is commendable
At Riding for the Disabled (NSW) at the Tall Timbers Centre, Old Pitt Town Road, The Gables, lives are transformed through the magic of equestrian activities.
Thanks to the unwavering support of the community, dedicated volunteers, as well as ongoing fundraising efforts, a range of enriching horse riding and related programs tailored for individuals with disabilities are offered.
For those with physical disabilities, the benefits of horseback riding extend beyond mere exercise and posture improvement.
Their diverse programs include
- Groundwork and Life Skills,
- Mechanical Horse and Wheelchair-based interactions, Occupational Therapy,
- Speech Therapy,
- Equine Facilitated Learning and Mental Health support.
The skilled coaches collaborate with riders, teachers or carers to integrate literacy, numeracy, and social skills into the riding experience, leveraging the motivational power of horses to enhance learning.
In addition to the riding programs, our non-riding activities make the Centre accessible to a broader range of participants, relationships, effective communication, and decision-making skills.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Nicole King a Coach at Riding for the Disabled and very worthy recipient of a Pride of Workmanship Award.
Kerry Mann
Vocational Director
|
|
|
|
Veronica Kentwell receiving her award
|
Amelia Hansen with her award
|
