Local Member of Bathurst Paul Toole has congratulated three well deserving local ladies who have been added to the NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll. The Hidden Treasures Honour Roll acknowledges the important volunteer roles women and girls play within NSW regional, rural and remote communities.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole met with each recipient to present their certificate and thank them for their contributions.
“Each volunteer in our community is invaluable, and it is a treat to honour three of our own on this prestigious list,” Mr Toole said.
“These are unsung heroes whose efforts often go unseen, but the impact they make is deeply felt in every corner of our community.
“Because of individuals like Patricia, Kellie and Tanya-Lee, our community is stronger, more connected, and more resilient. We are truly grateful for their generosity and unwavering selflessness.
“As the honour roll grows each year, we uncover more hidden treasures who are a making a lasting, positive impact on both the individual lives they touch and society as a whole.”
There are three recipients within the Bathurst Electorate who have been acknowledged for their tireless volunteer efforts.
Patricia Southwell – Pictured Top
Pat is a dedicated and caring volunteer that helps run the school canteen at St Phil’s primary school. Without fail, Pat arrives for a full day, Monday and Friday each week of the school term. Pat does not drive, so she catches the bus to and from the school, the first to arrive and last to leave. Pat has fostered a brilliant connection with staff, students and families, and is a valued member of the team. Pat is loving, generous and kind, and takes it upon herself to ensure all children have a full tummy, providing also for those that arrive without recess and lunch.
Kellie May –
Kellie is a strong advocate for volunteering and community sport. Since moving to the Bathurst area, she has contributed significantly with Bathurst Archers Inc, the local archery club. Kellie is the club’s President, this year’s Treasurer, and one of several volunteer coaches. Kellie works with the club’s coaching team and leads the weekly ‘beginner’s program’. She has established a ‘women and girls’ program’ that provides dedicated time and space for women and girls to get involved with a shooting sport. Furthermore, Kellie is championing the revitalisation and development of the ‘youth squad’ to help young archers develop their skills and achieve their goals. She is working diligently to ensure access to the sport and participation levels grow. Kellie championed the update of the club’s constitution, and enshrined positive changes including greater recognition and support of volunteers through the creation of the volunteer charter, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and expanded committee leadership roles and voting to ensure young members of the club have representation and a voice in decision making. Kellie’s volunteering doesn’t stop there—she also leads the club’s fundraising activities where she seeks grants to upgrade facilities, buy equipment, support learning and development of the club’s volunteers, and develop archery programs. Kellie has been successful in bringing over $280,000 in funding which over an 18-month period enabled the club to become more accessible, functional, safe, and inclusive. When she isn’t at the archery club, she also volunteers with the local SES Unit in Bathurst.
Tanya-Lee Holmes –
Tanya-Lee was born and bred in Bathurst and runs a small business called Imperfectly Perfect Sugar Cookies. Through her business, she provides free disability inclusion consultancy to businesses and people with a disability. She also volunteers as a health and wellbeing volunteer for Veterans providing support with doctor appointments, home support and answering calls from veterans all over Australia at all hours of the day and night when they are in need, usually during post-traumatic stress disorder events and even for suicide attempts. She also helps people find the support they need. What is remarkable about this is she does this whilst living with PTSD, anxiety, and a spinal cord injury herself, plus, running her business. She fund raises money for Young Veterans Australia every year, helping provide support to the repatriation hospitals looking after veterans.
Hidden Treasures is a NSW Government initiative coordinated by the NSW Rural Women’s Network. Honourees receive a certificate and letter of acknowledgement for their service, a Hidden Treasures digital Credly badge for professional use and listing on the online Honour Roll for their achievement.
Nominations are currently open for 2025 applications for the Hidden Treasures honour roll. For more information, please see website linked – https://hiddentreasures.awardsplatform.com/
