In conjunction with the Hokitika Lions, Westland District Council recognised local members of the community at an awards ceremony held during the final Council meeting of 2021.
Westlander of the Year was awarded to Jimmy Gordon for his work making 220 poppy bowls for every RSA throughout New Zealand. Using his craftsmanship he designed and turned each bowl into magnificent crafted pieces, adorned with locally sourced pounamu. The bowls are part of a collection gifted by Tane and are made from New Zealand and are made from New Zealand native trees,- Rimu,Totara,Matai,and Beech all grown here in Te Tai o Poutini, Te Waipounamu – The West Coast of the South Island. Each bowl is made complete by the addition of a piece of Pounamu (Greenstone) at its centre, gifted by local iwi members from rivers on the West Coast – a powerful reminder of the Mana this Pounamu carries. A penny has been placed under each bowl and numbered-a coin from the Realm as a gift of thanks from us.
The awards were also attended by Ian Gilbertson (Gibby), who was awarded the Senior Westlander of the year to recognise the 60 years of service he has given to the Westland district in a range of areas including a variety of sports, the Volunteer Fire Brigade, Restorative Justice, the Hokitika Chartered Club and RSA, and the Westland Industrial Heritage Park.
The Brian McCarthy Trophy for Community Involvement was awarded to Lucan Bradley for his community spirit and assistance with fundraising and events around the community.
The final award recipient who was unable to attend was Bless Groome who received an award for Community involvement to recognise her fundraising efforts for various charities and the masks that she made and gave away for free to help during the pandemic.