A LOCAL hero who has spent decades of his life volunteering has been named Kingston’s citizen of the year for 2022.
Ted Gibbs received the award at a ceremony last week. Mr Gibbs co-founded the Mentone Women’s Refuge, and has served as president of both the City of Kingston Interfaith Network and the Kingston for Human Rights Committee. He has also served other roles with the St Augustine’s (Mentone) and St David’s (Moorabbin) Anglican Church communities, the Salvation Army, the Masonic Lodge, the 8th South Moorabbin Scouts, and the former Moorabbin High School.
A separate award for most outstanding citizen was handed to Robyn Cochrane. She has been secretary of the Bayside Glen Eira Kingston Local Learning Education Network, and has helped run the Hullo Neighbour campaign to assist residents in Highett during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Pets of the Homeless Australia was named the community group of the year. The charity helps pet owners at risk of experiencing homelessness. It has set up a dedicated pet food bank.
Kingston mayor Steve Staikos congratulated the award winners. “The award recipients, and indeed all of the nominees, have made outstanding contributions across a wide range of areas in Kingston,” he said. “We have some amazing volunteers in Kingston and these awards are a great way to thank them for their efforts and acknowledge the positive impact they make.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 2 February 2022
