The five winners: Esther Dijkstra, Liz Pollock, Larissa O’Brien, Jan Farr, and Sharon Aston. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
Members of the Carterton community came together to celebrate some of the district’s incredible people on Saturday evening for the Charles Rooking Carter Awards, held at the Carterton Events Centre.
A spokesperson for the judging panel said it had been difficult to whittle down the 55 nominations to 15 finalists across five categories.
“When we gathered around the table, it was obvious we had all taken our role in this very seriously – some of the nominations brought us to tears, sometimes laughter. Congratulations to all nominees. It’s been a tough decision, but we believe the best have been decided,” the spokesperson said.
The event was created by Carterton District Council in 1994 to publicly acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding volunteer work, business innovation, and achievements of members of the community.
Carterton Mayor Greg Lang extended his congratulations to all the nominees, finalists, and winners.
“The contribution these individuals, organisations and businesses make to Carterton is invaluable, and I’m proud our council can put on a prestigious event that celebrates the work they do for the benefit of our community,” he said.
While the event was scheduled to be held during the 2020 covid pandemic, moving the awards to 2021 gave the Carterton community more time to think about who had made a positive impact during that time and recognise them with a nomination.
The evening had a Fire and Ice theme, with the Carterton Events Centre team drawing on their collective skills.
Community services and facilities manager Glenda Seville said the team wanted to create a night worthy of the community.
“We wanted this to be something special, something that our community would remember, as well as show what our centre is capable of providing.”
This programme had been tweaked for this year, with the Charles Rooking Carter supreme award winner picked from the winners of the previous categories.
Charles Rooking Carter Awards winners
Carterton District Council Voluntary Community Services Award
Jan Farr
Gain Momentum Civic Award
Sharon Aston
More FM Boosting Business Award
Harvest Wine & Food Festival – Liz Pollock
Carterton Lions Youth Award
Larissa O’Brien
Carterton New World Environmental and Sustainability Award
Esther Dijkstra
Carterton District Council Charles Rooking Carter Award
Jan Farr
