The awards are
held annually to honour the late Betty Makin, a tireless social activist and
advocate in the Redfern-Waterloo community. A leaflet prepared by Council’s
history unit was distributed to guests outlining “Aunty” Betty’s life-long
commitment to the local community.
The large number
of adult guests who attended to support young people was particularly
encouraging. Betty Makin’s daughter, Jill Edwards, addressed the crowd: “It’s
great to see the community come out like this. This is what it’s all about.”
Many guests
commented on the outstanding skills displayed by the Young Mob from Redfern as the night’s MCs. The Young Mob is a girls’ group from Redfern
Community Centre Youth Program whose members have been trained in public
speaking, etiquette and event coordination by Koori Toastmasters and World
Vision Australia.
“The confidence
levels of the girls who have done the toastmasters training have improved
dramatically,” said Mereani Cooke
from Redfern Community Centre. “They are now at the stage where they can MC an
event in front of hundreds of people. They’re very professional.”
Many of the
award nominees and winners were from low-income inner-city communities. It is
clear from the contributions they are making to their communities that Betty
Makin’s ethos of volunteerism and community participation is alive and well.
The ceremony
included a number of impressive dance performances by young people from Glebe,
Pyrmont and Ultimo. A closing performance by Paulini of Australian Idol fame
brought the house down.
Source:
South Sydney Herald May 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au