Eden Marine High School student Tom Burn has received a prestigious accolade from the NSW Governor.
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General David Hurley AC DSC (retired) on Friday presented 26 students from across the state with a John Lincoln Youth Community Service Award,which recognises outstanding service or engagement with their local community, or to Australia in general.
Both Tom and Sapphire Coast Anglican College’s Emily Smith were first nominated by their school principal as being exemplary community role models before being named as award recipients by a selection panel.
Tom was elected community development prefect for Eden Marine High School for outstanding service to his school and local communities. At school, he is a leader in the Rural Fire Service cadet program and bugler for the Anzac Day ceremony, and is currently completing an apprenticeship in engineering.
He is a member of Nethercote Rural Fire Service and promotes youth engagement in RFS training and in wider community service, which led to his selection as representative of the Far South Coast at a youth forum in Sydney in 2015. In that year he also won a Premier’s Award for student volunteering, in recognition of his service to the BUPA Aged Care Facility in Eden.
Tom has an entrepreneurial spirit, fundraising through the sale of his own preserves and produce at local markets, using profits to support local community organisations such as the Red Cross and Nethercote Resident’s Association.
In her citation, Emily was described as having “an amazing compassion for others and a desire and drive to do something about sadness and inequality in the world. She is humble and rarely takes praise for her work.”
In her three years at the college, Emily has demonstrated a compassion for others, with proactive responses to emerging situations. In 2015, she organised a fundraiser for the victims of the Nepal earthquake and in a short time raised $400 for the disaster relief fund by making traditional Nepalese dumplings and selling them to the school community.
In 2016 she raised $850 by busking, organising a mufti day, and making butter chicken for the World Vision appeal. This year she has operated, cooked and raised funds at the local market every month and has so far raised $2200 for the Red Cross Syrian Crisis Appeal. Emily has also cooked and frozen a range of meals for distribution to the less fortunate in the local community.
Order of Australia Association (NSW) branch chairman John Archer OAM congratulated the students, saying they were exemplary community role models and “a beacon of inspiration for others to follow”.
“Emily and Tom did not seek recognition for their actions, but today we honour them with the highest recognition available to NSW high school students.
“We are fortunate to have such role models active within our communities,” he said.