Thank you to all our very worthy Volunteers!
The winners were announced at the Paddle Victoria AGM last night.
Nominations for the 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award:
Our 2023 Winner of the Club Volunteer of the Year Award
Louise Greenwood – Cobram Barooga Canoe Club and
Sprint and Marathon Committee
Club: secretary of the club, also maintains all the social media and has had great success in submitting and managing grants over the past 5 years. She supports people in all forms of paddling and is always keen to try something new.
Countless hours put into multiple events at every level from come and try’s to Nationals. If there is something that you mention to Lou that might not happen she’ll find someone to fill the gap or decide to take it on herself.
Without her input Cobram Barooga Canoe Club would not be in the position that it is today, and would probably only have a couple of people paddling.
Louise is also Secretary of the Paddle Vic sprint committee and also on the Vic marathon committee. Always helping out at races even at the detriment of her own participation.
Winner of the Club Coach of the Year
Steve Vegh – Patterson Lakes Canoe Club
Totally selfless commitment to helping others of all levels get the most out of all disciplines of the paddling experience.
Steve is incredibly supportive in mentoring and coaching at our club, all on a volunteer basis. He volunteers his time to run group training session and will always spend time to help people of all abilities enjoy their paddling. Steve is always helpful in exploring, explaining, grabbing his tools to help on the spot whenever anyone has any issues with their boat, and does so with a smile. Steve has been very supportive in volunteering his time at least 3 days a week coaching junior to masters paddlers both on the water and in the gym. Steve also is often found loading and transporting boats on the trailer to allow people from the club to race or join events.
He is a pleasure to deal with due to his gentle nature and friendly demeanour. He is always available for advice and support. He recently was rewarded for his efforts by his athletes winning two national gold medals in Perth (U16 M K1 1000 and U16 M K2 1000). Steve spends hours paddling beside those that he is coaching, giving them technique advice and encouraging them.
Steve is always looking for ways to ensure our club and the sport in general is adaptable and friendly. He has been particularly supportive in helping junior members with “invisible “ disability as well as paddlers with physical disability to find the right gear and learn the best techniques to achieve their goals. Whether that be racing competitively or feeling confident to enjoy recreational paddling feeling safe and having fun.
Everyone knows Steve and has benefited from the generosity he shows sharing his knowledge with all aspects of paddling including equipment advice, technique and training programs.
A very worthy winner and recipient of our Coach of the Year Award!
Other Nominees:
Anna Taylor – Ballarat Canoe Club 
Anna has been an incredible driving force in Ballarat over the past year. She has been a steward for the club for a long time but over the past year has been a driving force in rejuvenating the club and bringing in new and younger members. Anna’s help and assistance at the 2023 Canoe Polo National Championships was immense, not only providing providing personal accommodation during the setup/packdown and competition to numerous members of the community, but also coordinating the BACC to providing warm food and drinks at the event which not only helped participants through a very wet and cold event, but also established a strong sense of community within BACC as many members came down and helped run the tent for the duration of the event. Anna has also spearheaded the introduction of canoe polo to the club, which has culminated in an ongoing agreement with the Ballarat Aquatic Centre to allocate sessions during the week for the club to run canoe polo and kayak skills sessions.
Sue O’Rourke – Vice Chair – Marathon Committee
For recognition of the significant work she has undertaken for the PV Marathon community over the past few years, but specifically over the past twelve months. The contribution includes:
1) Vice-Chair of the PV Marathon committee, helping in the smooth running of the committee which delivers one of the largest competition programs within Paddle Victoria.
2) Taking a leading role in designing, creating and publishing PV Marathon activities through high quality event flyers, social media communication and monthly newsletters.
3) Responsible for developing and creating on-line training content for Marathon officials and volunteers, which is now being used by disciplines in other states within Australia.
4) Taking a leading role in organizing the July 2022 race clinics for junior paddlers, with sessions delivered by former Australian champions and Olympic athletes.
