Nicklin MP Marty Hunt has launched a new community recognition program aimed at celebrating the people who keep local communities functioning, with nominations now open for the inaugural Above & Beyond Awards.
The awards will recognise individuals, businesses, organisations and community groups across 12 categories covering wellbeing, education, youth leadership, environmental work, agriculture, innovation and community service.
Mr Hunt said the program was designed to acknowledge the many people whose work often happened without fanfare.
“Every day across our community, there are incredible people stepping up for others without asking for recognition,” he said. “These awards are about celebrating the health heroes, teachers, volunteers, carers, businesses, young leaders and community champions who help make our region such a special place to live.
“I wanted to create an awards program that truly belongs to the community, one that acknowledges grassroots efforts and gives residents the opportunity to nominate, vote and celebrate together.”
The awards are open to Nicklin residents as well as Nicklin-based organisations, businesses and community groups. Nominations close on 26 June, with community voting to follow ahead of a gala celebration evening at the Nambour RSL Club function room on Saturday, 15 August.
What the Awards Cover
Among the 12 categories are Young Achiever of the Year, Environmental Leadership Award, Community-minded Business of the Year and The Great Neighbour Award, which recognises everyday acts of support and local kindness. The full list of categories is included below.
The Above & Beyond Awards add to a growing collection of local recognition programs already operating across the electorate. Mr Hunt also runs the monthly Community Hero Awards, which recognise individual volunteers and unsung contributors throughout the year, alongside other youth and sporting recognition initiatives.
Across the Blackall Range and surrounding districts, awards nights, volunteer acknowledgements and community honours have become an increasingly familiar part of civic life. Service clubs, sporting organisations, schools and environmental groups all maintain their own ways of recognising contribution, often because so much of regional community life depends on unpaid labour and behind-the-scenes support.
Environmental Work Often Goes Unnoticed
For Barung Landcare president Barbara Kelly, environmental work is one area where contribution often remains largely invisible.
“I think environmental work on the Range tends to go unseen by the general public, or perhaps even misunderstood,” she said.
Barbara said environmental projects often unfolded slowly and without the kind of quick, measurable outcomes that attract public attention.
“Small groups who meet monthly or weekly to weed natural areas may go unnoticed, as does large-scale bush maintenance work along streams and in high-value natural regions,” she said.
She noted that awards such as Sunshine Coast Council’s Biosphere Community Awards and the Queensland Landcare Awards played an important role in recognising environmental work, although long-term funding and volunteer recruitment remained ongoing challenges for many groups.
Recognising Collective Effort
Mapleton and District Community Association president Peter Gamgee said recognition still mattered because many contributions to community life were easily overlooked.
“Recognition of people and organisations for what they do to support a thriving community is all too frequently forgotten,” he said.
Peter said the challenge for awards programs was recognising that community achievements were often collective efforts rather than the work of one standout individual.
“I think the best awards are to those who may be relatively new to volunteering, or making a positive difference,” he said. “The award recognises them for ‘having a go’ and encourages them to do more.”
Volunteers, Funding and an Ageing Membership Base
At Blackall Range Lions Club, president Meryl Gamgee said recognition programs could help validate the work of volunteers and improve public awareness of community organisations, although practical support remained equally important.
“As a Lions member, I would prefer funding, facilities and more volunteers,” she said. “Recognition increases the profile and may attract more volunteers and help with retaining members.”
She said one of the biggest pressures facing volunteer organisations in the hinterland was the shortage of younger volunteers and the growing demands on ageing community groups.
Businesses Contributing Behind the Scenes
Community contribution is not limited to volunteers alone. Dani from The Barn on Flaxton said many small businesses quietly supported local organisations and events without seeking public recognition.
“Usually contributions offered by businesses are behind the scenes, informal and often ongoing,” she said. “The Range in particular is the most community-minded area I have ever been a part of.”
She said many businesses continued supporting local organisations despite rising operating costs, staffing pressures and broader economic uncertainty because of a genuine commitment to the community.
More Than a Certificate
Awards are valued, but they represent only one part of sustaining community life. Many local organisations across the hinterland continue to deal with ageing memberships, volunteer fatigue and increasing administrative demands. In some cases, the most meaningful form of recognition may not be another certificate or gala evening, but practical investment through grants, facilities, equipment, insurance support or simply more people willing to help carry the load.
Public recognition does carry weight in small communities, where contribution is measured less by status than by reliability. The people organising working bees, coaching junior sport, maintaining halls, restoring creeks, staffing markets or quietly supporting neighbours are rarely the loudest voices in the room.
Nominations are free, open to all, and take only a few minutes to complete. They close 26 June at martyhunt.com.au/above-beyond-awards.
Above & Beyond Awards: Category List
- Wellbeing Provider of the Year
- Nightingale Award
- Education or Skills Provider of the Year
- Young Achiever of the Year
- Community-minded Business of the Year
- Community Spirit & Collaboration Award
- Excellence in Prevention
- Supporter of the Year
- Environmental Leadership Award
- Agricultural & Rural Innovation Award
- The Great Neighbour Award
- People’s Choice Award
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