Federation Chamber Date: 9 October 2025
Andrew Wallace MP:
On 19 September this year, I hosted Fisher’s eighth annual Community Awards. It has become one of the Sunshine Coast’s most anticipated events. For the first time, we celebrated with a gala dinner, and we had over 300 locals attending. Incidentally, we had over 300 nominations for the various awards, which I will go through, we had 11 categories and that number has been growing.
Fisher is home to some of the most generous, resilient and community-minded people in the country. I’m sure some of my colleagues might dispute that! But on the night, the following were recognised for their great feats.
Winner of Educator of the Year was Darren Freeman from Kairos Community College.
The Education Provider of the Year was the Australian Air Force Cadets 223 Squadron.
Young Achiever of the Year was Maya Teerink.
Employee of the Year was Daniel Giles from DV Safe Phone.
Environmental Leader of the Year was Jodi Salmond from Reef Check Australia.
Sports Club of the Year was Caloundra Panthers Australian Rules Football Club, go Lions!
Senior Community Group of the Year was Glasshouse Country Men’s Shed.
Senior of the Year was Ian “Warby” Warburton.
Sportsperson of the Year was Greg Toman from the Mooloolaba Surf Club.
Business of the Year was 4 Ingredients, and well done to Kim McCosker, who’s an outstanding advocate for the Sunshine Coast.
The final award was the Andrew Wallace Award, which was won by Coast Guard Caloundra QF4 for all the amazing work that they have been doing, particularly since the Bribie breakthrough. Some people would be aware that, as a result of Cyclone Alfred in February, Bribie Island broke through and endangered not just the Caloundra community but also the Golden Beach area; it really has substantially changed our waterways. So well done to Coast Guard Caloundra QF4.
Every finalist and nominee represented a story of dedication and service, whether it was Warby’s 2,000 hours on patrol at Mooloolaba Beach, Maya’s leadership in STEM outreach or Coast Guard Caloundra’s work, as I’ve said. These are people who are making our region stronger. They are the salt-of-the-earth Australians who very rarely get recognised, and this is my way of saying thank you to them.
I want to thank our sponsors, the community judges, the Caloundra RSL, our MC Annabelle “AB” Brett from Mix FM, and my hardworking staff for making the evening possible. To cap things off, we had Chris Cobb from The Voice as our entertainment and I was really sorry to see that Chris didn’t go all the way through; I think he was robbed!
Most of all, I want to thank the people of Fisher who took the time to nominate their neighbours, teachers, coaches and local businesses. The Fisher Awards remind us that our community is more than just a place to live; it is a place to belong. It’s my privilege to be their federal member as I continue to fight for the people of Fisher.
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Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
