The award categories in which nominees are judged on suitability for are Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Freeman of Port Stephens, the Port Stephens Medal, Sportsperson of the Year, Cultural Endeavour and Environmental Citizen of the Year.

The 2021 award winners will be announced at the Raymond Terrace Australia Day community event in Riverside Park on January 26.

The nominees are:

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens is one of Port Stephens' and the Hunter's leading environmental tourist destinations. Established more than 35 years ago, the Gardens have become a centre for research, education and knowledge sharing for all things botanical. It was recently included in the Australian Geographic's top 10 Regional Botanical Gardens in Australia.

Brigid Douglas

Brigid is a volunteer gymnastics coach at PCYC Port Stephens, generously volunteering an estimated 350 hours a year to support programs for young people. Brigid has built wonderful relationships with her students and the community, and is an example of hard work and dedication to the sport of gymnastics. Brigid also helps with the club's school holiday programs and works closely with NSW Police on the Fit for Life program.

Clontarf Foundation

The foundation helps to improve the education, discipline, life-skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. It has helped to make a difference in the lives of young people in Port Stephens by running programs with students at Hunter River and Irrawang high schools.

Brooke Roach

A rugby league stalwart and proud Aboriginal man, Brooke has been a guiding light for young players and the community. He not only coaches, but volunteers his time to mentor young Indigenous players both on and off the field. Read more about Brooke and his community work here.

Jacqueline Fordham

A proud Wonarrua Country woman, Jacqueline is the founder of U Do U Boo - an Aboriginal mental health and disability service. Jacqueline is known for her generosity and for giving her community a voice.

Kevin Stokes

Kevin is a founding member of the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. A passionate advocate for the environment, Kevin has spent more than 36 years volunteering at the gardens. He has worked tirelessly to develop and maintain the gardens' traditions, its volunteer basis and its focus on displaying and conserving Australian plants. Mr Stokes was in 2021 named the Senior Hunter Volunteer of the Year.

Leonie Bryson

Leonie is the vice-president and a key member of Climate Action Port Stephens. She has been actively involved in educating the community about climate change and sustainability and has worked on events such as School Strike for Climate. Through her dedication and hard work, Leonie secured grant funding to install renewable street furniture in Raymond Terrace - known as a Smart Solar Bench - that uses energy from the sun to enable users to charge their phones and connect to Wifi.

ALSO READ: Port's Australia Day celebrations scaled back

Madeline Crockett

Maddie gives back to her community by volunteering at the Fingal Twilight Markets, of which she is the founder. Among her many duties, Maddie helps to organise signs and COVID-19 updates, filling market spots, advertising via social media and providing updates to the community. Previously, she spent time volunteering to assist her fellow students with their school assignments. Read more about Maddie and her markets here.

Nikita Austin

Nikita is a practising speech pathologist who works closely with First Nations communities to ensure they have access to appropriate healthcare. Through her private practice in Taylors Beach, Nikita has implemented a number of inclusive strategies and programs to support local Indigenous communities. Read more about Nikita's work here.

November Sheehan

November is the founder of Heart Letter Pen, an online initiative created during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist people feeling lonely, anxious and isolated. November donates significant time to manage the group's Facebook page, coordinate drop-off and collection of boxes across the local community, and individually check, sort and mail card batches. Read more about November and Heart Letter Pen here.

Rachael and Neville McDermott

The McDermotts have helped to spread joy among the Port community during the COVID-19 pandemic. They established Brighter Bay Days, which delivers essential items to residents in need, along with gift boxes to people who have been nominated for their community spirit. Read more about Brighter Bay Days here.

Salamander Child Care

Salamander Child Care has been serving the families of Port Stephens for 29 years. In 2021, the centre partnered with the University of Newcastle to provide families access to a registered Occupational Therapist on-site one day a week. This partnership has resulted in over 50 children being screened to access any additional support required to help them reach their full potential. The centre also provides one-on-one and small group sessions to children.

Shiralyn Skelton

Shiralyn volunteers her time picking up rubbish from the streets, walkways and reserves around Fingal Bay, Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay and Corlette.

Taylah Witty

Through her involvement with the Nelson Bay Netball Association and Medowie Netball Club, Taylah has worked to further the sport of netball in Port Stephens. As well as playing and coaching, Taylor runs one-on-one mentoring for young players to help develop their skills. Taylor has taken on the role of publicity officer for the Nelson Bay Netball Association and junior coordinator at Medowie Netball Club.

Yolande Kruger

As centre director at St Nicholas Early Education Raymond Terrace, Yola developed a partnership with the Raymond Terrace Gardens Aged Care community. Since the onset of COVID-19, Yola has arranged regular Zoom meetings between elderly residents and children. She has also helped to arrange a number of bright and colourful cards and gifts, which were delivered to the residents to show care and compassion while they were unable to meet in person.

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