The South Australian Volunteer Awards celebrate the important contributions of volunteers, managers, organisations and businesses to our community.
We are proud to recognise the 2024 winners and finalists.
Joy Noble Medal
South Australia’s highest distinction for an individual volunteer.
Dulcie Boag - Hutt Street Centre
Dulcie Boag has been an integral part of Hutt St Centre for over 44 years, contributing her time, skills, and compassion to almost all aspects of the organisation.
Dulcie has helped the Hutt St Centre through its Op Shop, front reception, sorting donations, coordinating fundraising efforts and events, and helping out in the kitchen.
Her steadfast presence and compassionate nature have been a source of comfort and support for countless individuals facing homelessness.
In a terrific recent milestone of her own, Dulcie has celebrated her 89th birthday — which equates to her committing almost half her life to Hutt St Centre!
Category finalists
Neil Davis - Sammy D Foundation
Linda Fisk - Seeds of Affinity: Pathways for Women
Aida Garcia - Philippine Honorary Consul, Adelaide
Dale Thompson - SA Country Fire Service
April Wilson - National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Australia
The Young Volunteer Award
Recognising an impressive young volunteer. The Young Volunteer Award is presented in partnership with Volunteering SA&NT and the Youth Affairs Council of SA (YACSA).
Atiu Kuot Madut
Atiu has volunteered with the Australian Refugee Association (ARA) since 2018 as a Peer Leader in its Youth Ambassador program.
After being a participant, she has returned each year as a mentor to new students undertaking the program. The program focuses on developing leadership skills and confidence for high school students who are passionate about refugee issues, so that they can be advocates for positive change.
Through her involvement as a volunteer, Atiu has played a meaningful role in helping young people identify their ideas, vision for their communities and discover their unique leadership style and capacity.
Category finalists
Daniel Jesudason
Meg O’Leary-Fletcher
Max Tavella
Amy Wallace
‘The Andamooka’ Community Project Award
Recognising a community or group volunteer project of significant community benefit.
APY Lands Shelter Project - The Rotary Club of Onkaparinga
Through the APY Lands Shelter Project, the Rotary Club of Onkaparinga designed and constructed a number of purpose-built roadside shelters with an accompanying water tank, wind protection and table setting which are placed adjacent to roadsides in strategic locations.
With the APY Lands covering over 103,000 square kilometres, this very remote part of South Australia poses significant issues for the indigenous people when travelling between communities.
Having a designated, known place to rest or to seek emergency shelter, to have access to shade, wind break and water is a vital component of keeping people safe in these remote areas.
Category finalists
ARC Learner Driver Mentor Program (LDMP) - Australian Red Cross
Share the Dignity SA Volunteer Program - Share the Dignity SA
The Wheelchair Restoration Project (The Wheelies)
The Excellence in Volunteer Management Award
Recognising a volunteer manager for their outstanding contribution to the profession. The Excellence in Volunteer Management Award is presented in partnership with Volunteering SA&NT.
Manju Shelke - Northern Healthcare Volunteer Association
Each year the Northern Healthcare Volunteer Association has provided an average of 97,000 hours of community service to patients and families across the Lyell McEwin Hospital, Modbury Hospital, James Nash House and Northgate.
Manju Shelke has made a huge impact as Volunteer Coordinator. Her review of the program helped to identify opportunities where volunteers could better support the needs of the Health System.
Manju collaboratively developed the greatly appreciated 'Comfort Care Program', where volunteers can cuddle, read, sing, play or just sit with infants or children to provide support when hospital staff are occupied performing clinical tasks.
She also revived and revitalised the much-valued Palliative Care Biography program at the Modbury Hospital, which enables patients in Palliative Care to share and record their life story as they near the end of life.
Category finalists
Nicole Bradtke - SA Ambulance Service
Dr Robyn Molsher - Green Adelaide
The Premier's Award for Corporate Social Responsibility
Recognising the community contribution of a South Australian for-profit business.
Beyond Bank Australia
Beyond Bank is one of Australia’s largest customer-owned banks with branches and offices across Australia.
It partners with more than 5000 community organisations around the nation to create and return value for its customers and communities and, through this, change lives.
Beyond Bank is a huge supporter of volunteering, facilitating corporate volunteering programs and providing staff with 2 fully paid volunteer leave days a year — with its SA team volunteering for nearly 740 hours in 2023.
Category finalists
Detmold Group
Freightmaster Semi Trailers Pty Ltd
Perk Accountants and Wealth Advisors
The Yoghurt Shop
The Joy Noble Medal
Stella Braund: Mental health and social justice advocate
Stella is a lived experience advocate at the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist who has served her community from an early age.
As a dedicated volunteer and champion of mental health and social justice issues – including as a Lifeline counsellor - Stella has made a significant contribution raising awareness of human rights, women’s safety, mental health and youth support services, to name a few.
Stella helped to establish the national domestic violence and sexual assault helpline 1800RESPECT. She brings lived experience of childhood domestic violence, sexual assault and trauma and has worked tirelessly to change attitudes, reform laws and pioneer change, particularly as a long term campaigner
for health reform.
She is committed to advancing progressive social issues through governance and policymaking structures and provides advice to committees for SA Health across South Australia.
Her dedication to mental health was recognised earlier this year when was named Citizen of the Year 2023 by the Australia Day Council of South Australia.
Category finalists
Christine Robertson
Eduardo Donoso
Jayne Bates
Patricia Ann Cooper
The Young Volunteer Award
Samuel Weavers
Samuel Weavers started Sam’s Popcorn, an online popcorn business, when he was just 10 years old. While many kids might be kicking the footy around, Sam was making, selling and delivering popcorn to customers across South Australia. As soon as he started making a profit, he was determined to use that
money to help others facing challenges in his local community.
Sam’s grandmother was diagnosed with cancer so Sam was driven to help children in a similar situation. He developed an innovative fundraising program called Kids for Kids where schools, businesses, sporting clubs, networking groups, rotary clubs and other groups could sell Sam’s Popcorn Pails, with
the profits going to the Childhood Cancer Association. To date he has raised more than $25,000 for the organisation.
Sam volunteers presenting to classes, entire schools, businesses and networking groups to raise awareness about the work of the Childhood Cancer Association - in some cases to national and international audiences.
He has spoken to more than 10,000 people to date, sharing the importance of volunteering in their local community with a generation of children and young people.
Category finalists
Callum Barrott Walsh
Cohen Nuske
Keagan Wallace
Nicolas Emili
‘The Andamooka’ Community Project Award
Grandcarers SA Village Program: Grandcarers SA
Formerly known as Grandparents for Grandchildren SA (GFGSA), Grandcarers SA is a city-based NGO staffed primarily by volunteers. It provides evidence-based support and advocacy services to grandparent carers across SA who receive no ongoing assistance from government agencies and who often fail to meet
the criteria for help from other NGOs.
The Grandcarers SA Village Program provides a central meeting point for grandcarers and aims to alleviate one of the most common causes of placement breakdown - social isolation - by connecting families with their community and culture and having a real and positive impact on carers and the future outcomes
of the children in their care.
The program, named after the proverb, 'It takes a village to raise a child', is supported by a small, dedicated team of volunteers who have contributed about 3,000 hours per year since 2018.
There are now thirteen Grandcarers SA Villages, with about 500 grandparent-led families represented across South Australia.
Category finalists
Bringing News to Life, Vision Australia Radio
Share the Dignity SA Team, Share the Dignity
Special Recognition
Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue (SKER) Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd
The Excellence in Volunteer Management Award
Erica Singh: Operations and Risk Manager, Community Care and Transport
Erica leads a small volunteer management team at Care in Motion, an organisation providing a Community Transport Network and Community Visitor Scheme. This is an essential service supporting thousands of disadvantaged people in regional communities and helping to prevent social isolation in older people.
In her role as Operations and Risk Manager, Erica empowers the 180 volunteers and 11 staff in her charge with the resources and support they need to achieve collective outcomes and consistently ensures that volunteering with the organisation is safe, inclusive, accessible and meaningful.
Regarded as a transformational leader who enables her people and organisation to consistently perform above industry benchmarks, Erica operates ethically and with humility, showing an inclusive and adaptive leadership style.
Erica is passionate about helping others stay independent and connected in their own homes. In the last financial year, she supported the Yorke Peninsula volunteer service to transport more than 2,000 clients.
Category finalists
Helen Davies, Adelaide Economic Development Agency
Mark Thomas, Operation Flinders
Tammy Shepherd, Tailem Bend Community Centre
The Premier’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility
SA Power Networks
SA Power Networks has a long and proud history of supporting the South Australian community through corporate partnerships, sponsorships, grants for local organisations, workplace giving and employee volunteering.
Contributing to the areas where staff live and work – including supporting community organisations and events – has led to a range of long term partnerships. It enjoys a particularly strong association with Operation Flinders and has provided valuable development opportunities for countless young people
since 2004.
In 2022, SA Power Networks sponsored or partnered with 44 South Australian organisations, as well as launched its inaugural community grants program, supporting a further 25 community groups, schools, and not-for profits with up to $5,000 to make a tangible difference in their local area.
In 2022, the organisation invested a total of $2 million into the South Australian community through its partnerships, sponsorships and grants program. The Employee Foundation gave away over $550,000 in donations in 2022 alone and is expected to reach $5 million in total donations in 2023.
Category finalists
Cadell Training Centre
Scouts SA