TOYOTA AFL NATIONAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS
The Toyota AFL National Volunteer Awards recognise outstanding volunteer contributions across the following categories.
- Toyota AFL Community Football Volunteer
- NAB AFL Auskick Volunteer
- AFL Diversity Ambassador
- AFL Primary School Ambassador
- AFL Secondary School Ambassador
- AFL Disability Inclusion Volunteer
- AFL Junior Coach
- AFL Senior Coach
- AFL National Community Umpiring Service
Each State / Territory announced their respective State / Territory volunteers of the year across each of these categories and they were nominated for the Toyota AFL National Volunteer Awards.
The national category winners each receive a $1000 cash prize and an additional $500 prize for their affiliated group (Club, Auskick Centre, Umpire Group, School) or a charity of their choice. The remaining nominees each receive a $200 cash prize.
2020 Toyota AFL National Volunteer Award winners
Toyota AFL Community Football Volunteer
Ron & Beryl Banbury (VIC) – Ron and Beryl Banbury have been volunteers of the Catani Football Club for almost 60 years. Catani, a small farming community with a population of around 250 people with no school, shops or pub has become home to Ron and Beryl along with their children and grandchildren.
Ron has filled roles as an umpire, secretary (for a record 21 years), treasurer, coach, selector, recruiter, timekeeper, league delegate, social committee member and still serves as a club committee member at 81 years of age.
Beryl is the ‘mother’ of the Catani Football Club and has helped with numerous roles over the years including fundraising, social functions, sewing numbers onto footy jumpers, coordinating umpires, and preparing meals.
Nominees:
- Merinda Roll (NSW/ACT)
- Daniel Buckler (NT)
- Taylah Pringle (QLD)
- Andrew Frazer (SA)
- John Ryan (TAS)
- Ron & Beryl Banbury (VIC)
- John Sobolewski (WA)
NAB AFL Auskick Volunteer
Stephen Walsh (VIC) – Stephen has been with the Daylesford Football Netball Club since he was a child having played football for the club through the juniors and seniors and continuing to volunteer after retiring from playing.
Many years ago, he saw the need for the club to establish an Auskick program to help introduce young children to the game and has continued running the centre since then. He takes great joy out of seeing the kids having fun and learning the skills of the game he once played and still loves.
Despite recent health challenges, Steve still gets on with the job of coordinating the Auskick program for the Daylesford kids and has trained another member of the club to run the Auskick sessions each week as he was no longer able to do this. He promotes the Auskick program by displaying Auskick flyers in business windows, at schools and community group facilities, he also advertises the program in the local paper and in all the local schools newsletters in the lead up to the program commencing. He also runs a footy pie night at the start of the season to welcome each participant and one to finish the season off where the kids are presented with their Auskick participation certificates.
Nominees:
- Belinda Tuckerman (NSW/ACT)
- Sharna Edwards (NT)
- Robin Cray (QLD)
- Scott Allison (SA)
- Joel Berry (TAS)
- Stephen Walsh (VIC)
- Mimma Rombola (WA)
AFL Diversity Ambassador
Natalie Althouse (NT) – Natalie has been involved in the Darwin Buffaloes football Club since 2012, in the capacity of player, coach, official and volunteer. Her coaching role has broadened beyond NTFL U15 and U18 youth girls and extended to assisting the Men’s Premier League coach.
In 2017, Natalie coached the U15 NT Kickstart Team to the GF in the National Diversity Championships, in Byron Bay. Six of these girls were subsequently selected in the Woomeras Squad. One of the recognisable elements of the team was the diversity of cultures and she proudly shared the fact that her team consisted of Aboriginal (from Tiwi, Nhulunbuy and Beswick) and Torres Strait Islanders, Greek, Italian, African, Filipino and Samoan heritage.
Natalie also volunteers for other grades including strapping players, running water, timekeeping, scoring, team managing, being a runner for other senior grades along with coordinating and participating in team fundraisers and being the club well-being champion.
Nominees:
- Mark Steed (NSW/ACT)
- Natalie Althouse (NT)
- Kelly Barron (QLD)
- Claire (Chen) Zhang (SA)
- Jim Ransom (TAS)
- Nabil Yassine (VIC)
- Sharon Kenney (WA)
AFL Primary School Ambassador
Michael Yeates (SA) – Michael has been an AFL School Ambassador for 13 years. He has run the Whyalla Primary School Football Competition after school for the past 11 years undertaking roles as coach & as an umpire whilst also convening this over the past 6 years.
Michael has also been the SAPSASA coach for the past 3 years for the Whyalla district and has helped facilitate visits from the Port Magpies, North Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Club and the Adelaide Football Club during AFL Community Camps.
Michael has also been involved in having Indigenous players speak with Indigenous students at his school about pathways to improving their academic and sporting futures. He has utilised the NAB AFL Auskick Program to assist his junior student lessons and has coached during the inter-school carnivals.
He has helped all the schools across Whyalla to form connections with the Whyalla Football league and the clubs in Whyalla. Michael has welcomed local clubs to be involved in school programs in an effort to build a transition and pathway from schools to community football.
Nominees:
- Beth Hilton (NSW/ACT)
- Carol Putica (NT)
- Kurt Gislingham (QLD)
- Michael Yeates (SA)
- John Treasure (TAS)
- Aron Lombardi (VIC)
- Will Hammond (WA)
AFL Secondary School Ambassador
Brett Nelson (WA) – Brett has been an AFL School Ambassador for 4 years. During this time, he has supported the students at Edmund Rice College (ERC) Bindoon including coordinating many high school carnivals in the Midlands Region.
In 2016, Brett encouraged a group of boys to play community football and a handful of boys joined the Chittering Bronco's JFC. The following year the number more than doubled and girls started participating. Since then, Brett has implemented a range of initiatives to engage students to play in community football competitions across the region.
Brett is a proud Noongar man from Northam, with family in Tammin and Merredin. Brett played football in Kununurra for 19 years and his connection with other Indigenous families in these areas has inspired the young people at Edmund Rice College to play football. Brett has also been instrumental in getting the girls to join clubs across the region.
Edmund Rice College staff meet every Monday and the football achievements of students from the weekend is highlighted at the meeting. Brett writes an article in the school newsletter and is featured on the College website.
Nominees:
- Rick Joyce (NSW/ACT)
- Matthew Aird (NT)
- Andrew Grubba (QLD)
- Peter Tokarski (SA)
- Kade Munday (TAS)
- Jabyn Hogarth (VIC)
- Brett Nelson (WA)
AFL Disability Inclusion Volunteer
Heather Timms (WA) – Heather Timms has volunteered for over 10 years across a variety of roles including coordinating fundraising, Volunteer Manager, Team Manager and sitting on the State Team Advisory Committee.
She has provided loyal service to Fremantle CBC Football Club, the CBC All Abilities Team and has been the WAAFL State Team Parent Representative for approximately nine years. Heather has also had a strong involvement in the WAAFL Integrated Football Competition since 2009, driving sponsorship, increasing new membership and has a proven track record when it comes to increasing volunteer opportunities within football. She is extremely giving of her time and does her utmost to promote football in WA as a sport that is accessible and available to all people, particularly those that are from non-traditional demographics.
She spends an estimated 35 hours per week carrying out duties for her numerous roles in football and is affectionately known as the mum of CBC. Heather uses her extensive network to build the capacity of the club and indeed for the state team for people with intellectual disabilities.
Heather has two sons living with a disability and understands the barriers that often prevent people being welcomed. Heather continually displays a strong ability to positively influence clubs/groups to improve culture & provide a fair, safe & inclusive environment.
Nominees:
- Francine Trenerry (NSW/ACT)
- Coen McKinnon (NT)
- Cheryl Haack (QLD)
- Paul Eichner (SA)
- Darrin Geard (TAS)
- Phil Ryan (VIC)
- Heather Timms (WA)
AFL Junior Coach
Kym Laube (SA) – Kym has provided over 15 years of service as a Junior Coach, Club Coach Coordinator and Zone Coach Coordinator. He was appointed the Club Coach Coordinator for the Goodwood Saints Football Club junior program in 2017 after numerous years of coaching at the club. Kym identified the need to develop our coaches who will then work with developing our players and that we needed to align ourselves closely with our SANFL league side – West Adelaide FC.
In his role as Club Coaching Coordinator he developed a club coaching manual, chaired the panels for all grades of junior coach selection and created a Coaching Group Facebook page to reduce the number of meetings. He also identified Coach Coordinators for U7-U11 and U13-U16, planned oval training allocation for preseason and in season training times, liaised with the Nathan Bassett Academy to deliver coach development, delivered 6 x classroom sessions and 8 hrs one on one with selected coaches and oversaw coach accreditation across the Club.
As a Zone Coach Coordinator he also worked with all clubs within the West Adelaide FC zone to establish and support a coach development Club Coach Coordinator Program and liaised with the State Coaching Manager to help guide coach development and support models across the state.
Nominees:
- Alan Martin (NSW/ACT)
- Andrew Rock (NT)
- Wayne Poole (QLD)
- Kym Laube (SA)
- Stuart Percey (TAS)
- Craig Nuttall (VIC)
- Jack Lewsey (WA)
AFL Senior Coach
Scott Bertus (NT) – The values Scott brings to the Katherine community reflect exactly what football should be about. A strong passion for both people and the game are projected in the form of an energetic coach, dedicated not only to the Katherine Camels Football Club, but to the wider Katherine community.
Scott creates an environment that makes people want to take ownership and pride in the game, with players contributing as much off the field as on it. With Scott’s mentoring and an increase in professionalism, Camels players now have the confidence and sense of responsibility that has seen the club lead the way in assisting with the community junior programs and becoming involved in umpiring.
In addition to his own coaching commitments, he regularly attends all other club matches too, taking hours out of his weekend to familiarise himself with each team and identify players across the region. He regularly assists with the women’s matches – as an extra coach on the bench or running water / messages, and facilitates training sessions that encompass the whole club, including women and younger players.
Nominees:
- Darren Bird (NSW/ACT)
- Scott Bertus (NT)
- Mark Wallin (QLD)
- Ben Hunt (SA)
- Colin Lockhart (TAS)
- Shane Morwood (VIC)
- David Lewis (WA)
AFL National Community Umpiring Service
Daniel Gibbons (WA) – Daniel has been the Umpires Manager at the Demons District for the last 9 seasons. Throughout this time the recruitment and retention of umpires in the Demons District continues to grow. Dan has set up a number of strong systems and plans both administrational and coaching to ensure the best environment possible is provided to umpires.
Daniel has been a leader amongst the Junior Community Umpiring ranks in WA and has set a high benchmark for the way in which other districts have learnt from his example. Dan's willingness to provide support to assist other groups has been an example of the pride he takes in not only his group but for umpiring across the community.
Nominees:
- Nick Angelos (NSW/ACT)
- John Rawsthorne (NT)
- Luca Bisogni (QLD)
- Peter Angel (SA)
- John Moroney (TAS)
- Graeme Collins (VIC)
- Daniel Gibbons (WA)
