Celebrating Catholics in our community

The Community Leader Awards were held in Brisbane on Thursday 12 November. They recognise the outstanding service of Catholics who make a difference to the lives of people in their communities. CCI is proud to be among the prestigious awards' sponsors. 

Inspiring individuals

Award categories included:

• Volunteer of the Year, awarded to Joe Grogan of St Stephen's Cathedral.
• Professional Leader of the Year, presented to Annette Drew for her work with Centacare Community Services in Sunnybank.
• Young Leader of the Year, which recognised the efforts of student Sarah Fowler of St Kevin's Catholic School, Benowa, for organising fundraisers for a range of causes and her work with the John Maclean Foundation.
• School Leader of the Year, which was presented to Christian Brother Gordon Rochford of Shalom College in Bundaberg.

Well awarded

This year also saw the introduction of a People's Choice Award, due to a high number of nominations for Leigh Reddicliffe, a hardworking volunteer and parishioner at All Saints in Albany Creek.

CCI's Hugh Easton was on hand to deliver the Community Leader of the Year award. The award is designed to single out a parishioner who is very active in their parish and community. This year the award was presented to the inspirational Grant Richards, also known as 'Grant the Polite Guy'.

Eight years ago, Richards, a former head chef, became homeless for 18 months after suffering a spinal cord injury and being hospitalised for a long duration.

"To me, community is all about people coming together. It's not one person, it's everybody coming together – it's a community," says Richards on what community means to him. A belief that is reflected in his ongoing work with those doing it tough on the streets.

"The majority of the homeless, they're people's brothers and sisters. They're just people that have hit hard times and it was enough to make them homeless," shares Richards on what he believes is the biggest misconception of the homeless. "A lot of these people just need a helping hand to give them a good start, to get back on their feet."

When asked how we can make Australia a better place, Richards says: "By having more heart. To be honest, for me, everything's all about heart. Looking out for our fellow person. Really, it's the Aussie way."

 

CCI Personal Insurance was a sponsor of the 2015 Community Leader Awards.

Sources:

http://catholicleader.com.au/news/catholic-awards-honour-the-humble

http://www.theleaders.com.au/