Local volunteers took out all three categories at the virtual New England ceremony for the 2021 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.
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Gretel Kempster, as well as Michael Kean and the entire volunteer team at 2ARM FM community radio were all announced winners for the New England region.
Gretel Kempster was announced as senior volunteer of the year in New England and as overall New England/Northern Inland 2021 Volunteer of the Year.
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Ms Kempster has been leading classical music courses for U3A since 1992. The sessions include notes and morning tea provided by her in a special music room at the family home.
Always been an active participant in the Armidale community, Ms Kempster has served on the Musica Viva Armidale Committee from its beginnings in the early 1980s and captained the Armidale Golf Club. After a COVID hiatus last year, and at the age of 91, Gretel restarted the much-loved sessions of recorded classical music, before the latest COVID safety measures called another halt.
Volunteer of the Year for New England is Michael Kean from Black Mountain.
Mr Kean is the deputy president of the management committee for Armidale Community Radio 2ARM FM. He has improved the quality of on-air presentation by replacing and upgrading the aging studio equipment, updating the station website and introducing social media channels.
Mr Kean kept the station going during lockdowns, helping it become an important source of information and feedback for the local community and also to win in the volunteer team category of the New England awards.
Armidale Community Radio, 2ARM FM has been broadcasting for over 42 years to Armidale, Walcha, Uralla, Guyra and all areas in between. 2ARM FM has aired continuously since its inception and is almost completely run by volunteers, including 32 announcers.
In the last seven years 2ARM FM has boosted locally generated content by 30 per cent. Since early 2020 the station has played a pivotal role in keeping the local community up to date about COVID-19.
Armidale mayor Ian Tiley represented council online at the annual New England/Northern Inland Volunteer of the Year Awards and he congratulated the winners.
"It was exceptional to learn that Armidale secured all four awards," Cr Tiley said.
"The Adult Volunteer of the Year recognised volunteers between the ages of 25 and 64 and was awarded to Mr Michael Keene for his involvement and contribution to local community radio.
The radio station was also awarded the category of Volunteer Team of the Year, which recognises volunteer groups of two or more people.
"Gretel Kempster won the Senior Volunteer of the Year accolade and, to her profound surprise, was then announced as the New England/Northern Inland Volunteer of the Year."
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