A volunteer with a focus of caring for those unable to care for themselves has been named as Northern Grampians Shire Council’s Stawell Citizen of the Year.
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Cherrelle Nicholson took out the top honour for 2019 at the Shire’s Australia Day ceremony on Sunday, recognising her ongoing commitment to several causes in the Stawell community.
Mrs Nicholson is the manager of charity store Bookworm Gallery, a volunteer run organisation that sells books, shoes, clothing, furniture and also provides specials to those in need.
Just last week, the group donated $10,000 to both Stawell Regional Health and Eventide Homes, taking its donation tally close to the $200,000 mark since 2003.
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Mrs Nicholson said she was honoured to win the award, presented by Robert DiPierdomenico and Ripon MP Louise Staley.
“I knew I was nominated but had no clue I would win. It was a great surprise and an honour, I feel quite humble,” she said.
“It’s definitely not all me though, the volunteers I work with at the shop do an amazing job too and are part of the reason why we have been so successful.”
The Bookworm Gallery has hit its strides since moving to the corner of Main and Patrick Streets in Stawell, with the amount donated by the organisation increasing to $8000 per month over the last year. Mrs Nicholson has also been instrumental in the success of the Winter Woollies festival.
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“The Winter Woolies is a baby of mine,” she said.
“It’s great to see kids having fun yarn bombing the street, and it also gives something to do for bored and lonely elderly people.”
Eventide Homes and Stawell Regional Health have been the main beneficiaries of the fundraising done by Mrs Nicholson and her groups.
Mrs Nicholson said it is a love for the town and the people in it which keeps her doing the work she does.
“I love and believe in Stawell. I have travelled a lot around Australia but I just love this town,” she said.
“I worked at Eventide for 21 years and I don’t think a lot of people appreciate how wonderful the facility it is.
“It is quite special to be able to give back to a place like that and the hospital to help them grow and improve the quality of life for people who are there.”
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