THE WOMAN who who has been the driving force behind the Westlakes NAIDOC Family Fun Day for a decade, Anita Barker, has been named winner of the coveted Uncle Bob Sampson Award.
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Ms Barker was among the recipients of the 2017 Origin NAIDOC Community Awards.
The awards recognise the contribution people have made to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in western Lake Macquarie.
Westlakes NAIDOC Family Fun Day coordinator Nicole Charlesworth said the awards were “significant recognition of our people” and the contributions they make to the Westlakes community.
Ms Barker has chaired the Family Fun Day planning committee and was a member of the newly formed NAIDOC Westlakes Inc.
“It was due to Anita that the Westlakes NAIDOC Family Fun Day won an Australia Day Award for the best event. The event also won the Heritage Award in 2015 through the Tidy Towns Awards,” Ms Charlesworth said.
Ms Barker was also praised for her involvement with the women’s group, Na Ya Boo Larng, and her work with locals at both Toronto and Wyong court houses.
Ms Charlesworth said Ms Barker’s workload for the Westlakes area was to be commended.
Other award winners were: Elder of the Year, Westlakes Elders; Community Worker of the Year, Eleanor McCall; Community Member of the Year, Aunty Zelma Moran; Uncle Jim Ridgeway (Biyang Award), Cara Simon; Uncle Ken McBride Education Award, Amos Simon; Youth of the Year, Brayden Jenkins (leadership), Kristelle Manderson (dance), Nick Charlesworth (sport); and Acknowledgement Award, Morgen Smith.
