Heart Letter Pen founder November Sheehan named the Port's citizen of 2021 in annual awards

Corlette resident November Sheehan created the Facebook group Heart Letter Pen at the peak of the pandemic to support elderly residents in aged care who were feeling lonely or anxious.

She was one of eight people and groups recognised in this year's Port Stephens Annual Awards, which announced at the Australia Day celebrations in Raymond Terrace on Wednesday.

"There's people in our community who go that little bit further, give that little bit extra and inspire all of us to make every day better, and the Port Stephens Annual Awards are our way of formally recognising their amazing contribution to our region," Mayor Ryan Palmer said.

"2021 was another year of challenges, with lockdowns and border closures due to COVID-19, but through it all our community remained resilient.

"Each of our annual award recipients stand out as shining lights, whether it's through donating their time to community programs, championing local sports, or raising environmental awareness.

"They're fantastic role models for our community and it's an honour to be able to recognise their service."

The 2021 Port Stephens Annual Awards winners are:

Citizen of the Year - 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 community, and individually check, sort and mail card batches.

Young Citizen of the Year - Brigid Douglas

Brigid is a volunteer gymnastics coach at PCYC Port Stephens, volunteering an estimated 350 hours a year. 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.

Sportsgroup of the Year - Clontarf Foundation

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

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Cultural Endeavour - 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.

Environmental Award - Leonie Bryson

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

Freeman of Port Stephens - 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. He has worked tirelessly to develop and maintain the gardens' traditions, its volunteer basis and its focus on displaying and conserving Australian plants.

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Freeman of Port Stephens - John Nell

John contributed 34 years to Port Stephens Council as an east ward councillor and mayor. He is the second longest-serving Port Stephens councillor. John is passionate about the environment and sport and was a long-standing member of many committees. During his tenure on council, John was a strong advocate for the environment and oversaw improvements to Nelson Bay town centre, more shared paths and new sporting infrastructure.

Freeman of Port Stephens - Ken Jordan

Ken was first elected to Port Stephens Council in 2004 and represented the west ward community for 17 years. During his tenure, Ken helped to reshape the developer contributions plan to increase funding for local projects and was a strong advocate for the Men's Shed movement locally. He was also a passionate member of the Seaham Park & Wetlands Committee and West Ward Sports Council.

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