February Bites

Moss Vale Services Club  

The Board of Moss Vale Services Club have been given a plaque of appreciation from Moss Vale RFS, after the Club donated $10,000 to help improve the amenities at the Moss Vale RFS headquarters. 

The headquarters were not much more than a tin shed, leaving firefighters with nowhere to sit down for a cuppa, and nowhere to have a meeting or to do training. 

The Club used ClubGRANTS to provide $10,000 toward the renovations which are still on going. 

Moss Vale RFS worked through the 2020 bushfires which swept through the Southern Highlands destroying homes. 

The Club’s General Manager Phillip Hill told ClubLIFE that the board was proud to be able to support local, especially something like the RFS. 

Club Duty Manager Named Citizen of the Year 

A very special staff member at the Mulwala Waterski Club in the state’s Riverina region has been named as the Yarrawonga Citizen of the Year. 

In a ceremony hosted by the Moira Shire Council on Australia Day, the accolade was handed to local legend and Club Duty Manager John Wright, with the Club’s CEO Peter Duncan saying he was extremely proud of his long-term staff member — but not surprised by the recognition of the much-loved employee. 

"John is very customer-focused, he goes out of his way to help people and he's a very, very popular staff member at the Club,” Peter said. 

“He is popular with the members and popular with his staff, and he always does a good job.” 

John began working behind the bar at the Mulwala Waterski Club 15 years ago before becoming Duty Manager — a position he has held for over 10 years now. 

The ambitious local is the Chair of the Social Committee at the Club, meaning he is the “head of fun and social events”, but that’s just the start. 

“He's also the President of the local Table Tennis Association, he’s the President of the Show Grounds Committee, and he’s involved with the tennis down here. He's very heavily involved in the community,” Peter said. 

The Moira Shire Australia Day Awards are awarded to individuals or organisations that have made a significant voluntary contribution throughout the year, or who have given outstanding service to the local community. 

Comments of adoration flooded in when the Club shared the news of John’s award on its social media pages, attracting almost 400 likes and more than 80 comments. 

“Couldn't go to a nicer guy, John is truly a wonderful man,” wrote one local. 

Peter said that John’s recognition further proves why it is important that the Club continues to support staff in their passions through flexible shifts and other opportunities that arise. 

“We try to help them do anything they want to do, whether it's education or being involved with community events,” Peter said.  

2024 C.ex Group Tertiary Education Scholarship Recipient 

The 2024 recipient of the C.ex Group Tertiary Education Scholarship has been named as Coffs Harbour Seniors College’s Jonathan Gilliland.  

Jonathan has made significant contributions to performing arts during his secondary schooling in Coffs Harbour, including the Coffs Coast Youth Orchestra, Coffs Con Stage Band and the Coffs Harbour City Orchestra where a highlight was their regular performances at Marian Grove Retirement Village bringing joy and excitement to the residents and a sense of communal belonging to himself. 

Due to his dedication to performing arts, Jonathan was given the opportunity to perform as a soloist at the 2023 Regional Compass Festival and placed First in his HSC class for Music 2 at Coffs Harbour Senior College.  

Since 2015, C.ex Group on the NSW North Coast has been handing out annual Tertiary Education Scholarships to a student who is a member, or the child of a member of the C.ex Group. 

The selection process is run by a panel of three board members who collectively interview each applicant and comb through each application as well as the applicant's history both inside and outside school. 

Jonathan will pursue a tertiary education at the University of Sydney studying a Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Arts with an ambition to improve communal life in Australia as a whole.