Motivated doers in the east Auckland community have been acknowledged for their determined efforts.
The Rotary Club of Pakuranga recently held its annual Community Service Awards ceremony at the Howick Club, “honouring people who have made outstanding contributions to the local community”, it says.
The event, attended by members of the Rotary Club of Pakuranga, friends and family of the awardees and members of the Howick Local Board, recognised four individuals for their service to the east Auckland area.
The awards were sponsored by Times Media, publishers of the Eastern Times.
Recipients of this year’s Pakuranga Rotary Club’s Community Service Awards are:
Sarah Kavanagh, who founded the Shop Local, Shop Howick social media during the Covid era, which created a vital online hub for local east Auckland businesses and consumers.
It now has 12,000 members and it’s a thriving community run by dedicated volunteers.
Shirley Pincham, a very committed Bellyful East Auckland volunteer, helps cook and deliver meals to local families once a week to parents of babies at the Kidz First Neonatal Care unit at Middlemore Hospital.
It’s part of a nationwide Bellyful effort that has delivered more than 200,000 meals in 13 years.
Barry Wood, a civic-minded Cockle Bay Beach resident and honorary fisheries officer, who protects local fisheries, combats illegal shellfish gathering, leads weed eradication and tree planting efforts, and cleans storm debris from the beach with his own equipment.
Using his tractor, Wood has also towed out drivers who have taken their vehicles on to the sand and got stuck at low tides.
Deanna Cao, who founded Seeds of Light, an educational project offering museum visits, skills training, and conservation-focused experiences.
She also leads Farm Cove Scouts and has inspired children through experiential learning projects on volcanic island research, and lighthouse tours, raising awareness of marine conservation, safety, and environmental education.
