Clarence Valley Council has acknowledged the contributions of some of its top-performing staff of 2021 in the STRIVE Awards ceremony.

The annual awards are held in recognition of staff members who are considered by peers to have performed outstandingly in line with the organisation’s STRIVE values through seven awards that reflect these values.
While the Award ceremony celebrates the specific achievements of a few staff, Acting General Manager Laura Black said it was important to acknowledge all staff working at Clarence Valley Council this year. For the first time staff from across the organisation were brought together in one location.
“As an organisation we cover a large geographical footprint and it’s fair to say the logistics of being in the one place at the one time, while maintaining essential services, is not easy. However, after 17 years of being an established organisation, I believe it was an essential element of operating as one organisation and I thank the staff working group who assisted me in making this happen”, said Ms Black.
“This has been another challenging year for our employees”, she said.
“Although unsurprisingly, they have shown amazing resilience and commitment to the purpose of the organisation and to servicing the community and it’s important to recognise them for their contributions in 2021.”
The end-of-year event was held at Clarence River Jockey Club in Grafton and blended staff development activities with celebrating success.
The event was opened with an Acknowledgement of Country by Yaegl staff member Chris Mitchell, and featured talks by inspirational speakers Michael Crossland and Jennifer Dowd from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Strive Champion of the Year, Leah Munro, said it was a career highlight to be recognised by her peers.
Leah received her award for stepping up into a project management role and in the Prince St office refurbishment, delivered her first major project.
“I would like to thank my project team and their enormous support during the build,” she said.
“The project was a huge learning curve for me, but I enjoyed the challenge and like all projects, came with many obstacles that the team overcame together.
“The most exciting part though was seeing the positive reactions of my workmates when they first entered the finished building.
“I sit back now and look around and say, wow we really did it.
“The awards today have showcased some extraordinary people here at Clarence Valley Council, and I am proud to be celebrating their achievements with them.”
Through Council’s merit-based recruitment process Leah has now attained a role as a permanent Project Officer and will go on to add to her career highlights delivering major community asset construction projects across the Valley.
A full list of winners can be found below:

Award winners
Trainee – Apprentice Achievement Award: Kasey Shannon
Health & Safety – Safety Star Award: Lyndsay Carmichael
Innovation – Ideas Champion: Cliff Dredge, Josh Gorman, Zac Allen
Customer Focus – Above & Beyond Service Award: Louise Tyrie, Tracy Sowell, Jacqui Hinshaw
Community Engagement Champion: Shirley King
Cross Unit Collaboration: Lindy Johnson, Doug McKenzie, Vicki Marsh, Denis Banks, Ben McPhee
Strive Champion of The Year: Leah Munro