News
10 October, 2024
Honouring heroes amongst us
Four Moreton Bay first responders were awarded Officer of the Year awards in their respective categories at the Combined Service Clubs 11th First Responders Officer of the Year Awards on September 30 at North Lakes.
Hosted by the Combined Service Clubs of the Lions Club of Caboolture North, Lions Club of Morayfield & District, and Rotary Club of Caboolture, the event aims to recognise and honour the men and women who serve the community as first responders in Moreton Bay.
The ceremony names one officer from the Queensland Police Service (QPS), Queensland Fire Department (QFD), Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), as well as volunteers from the State Emergency Services (SES) and Rural Fire Service (RFS), as Officer of the Year for their dedication and service to community.
Bribie Island Police Station’s Constable Zachary Russ was a awarded QPS Officer of the Year, due to his high motivation in his general duties as a uniform officer, as well as the work he does with youth of Bribie at the Bribie Big Arvo and Blue Edge programs.
Mr Russ also coaches rugby league at Burpengary Jets Junior Rugby League Club and junior Oztag teams, fostering community spirit among young athletes.
Station Officer Tom Simpson took home the award for QFD for his exceptional leadership and dedication to firefighting operations.
Advanced Care Paramedic II (Extended Scope) Jamie Hibbert took home the top honour for the QAS, with District Director Lisa Dibley presenting the award.
Jamie was celebrated for his outstanding contribution to the Local-area Referral and Assessment Unit (LARU), having worked across Queensland to develop LARU paramedics and undertaking a substantial body of work to create a document to help LARU paramedic’s access the appropriate referral pathways for their patients.
The SES and RFS combined category recognised Senior Field Operations Member Carl Edwards and Volunteer Community Educator Christine Howitt, with MS Howitt being presented the award for her eff orts in educating the community on fire safety and preparedness.
The evening was made even more special with the presence of Bob Atkinson AO APM, former Commissioner of QPS, who served as Master of Ceremonies.
After 44 years of dedicated service, including 12 years as Commissioner, his participation highlighted the importance of the occasion.
Many political members expressed their support for the event, as well as its winners and nominees for their hard work and sacrifice on the front lines.
Attendees included Member for Morayfield, Mark Ryan, Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell, Member for Bancroft , Chris Whiting, Federal Member for Longman, Terry Young, and Moreton Bay Division 12 Councillor, Tony Latter, and Division 2 Councillor, Mark Booth.
Congrats to all winners and nominees for their achievements and hard work in keeping their communities safe!
