A little recognition goes a long way
Posted on
Carmel Weatherburn never expected any recognition for the decades of volunteering she has done for Netball ACT.
Starting as an umpire when she was eleven years old, Carmel gradually gained umpire qualifications, achieving the National AA badge. She does it because she loves it, and she cares about supporting players and fellow umpires to play the best game possible.
But being awarded the WIN Network Outstanding Service to Sport Award as part of the CBR Sport Awards in 2017 was a highlight of the year for Carmel.
“I don’t do this sport and all the work I do to be recognised, I do it because I love it,” Carmel says. “So when Netball ACT let me know that they had nominated me, I thought oh, this is fantastic. I saw the standard of the other people that were nominated and I thought, this is going to be pretty tough for me to win.”
But win she did, and the recognition has been a great source of pride since last year’s awards night. It’s even subtly impacted how Carmel interacts with and engages with her peers on the court.
“People are aware I won the award and maybe they take more notice of what I have to say. But it really hasn’t changed what I do,” Carmel says. “It might have made people think oh, there is something to this and I want to stay involved, I want to get a higher badge.”
For Carmel, that would be the ultimate achievement – inspiring others to volunteer and stay active in their community sports club, a commitment she has made for the last 40 years.
The CBR Sport Awards are an annual opportunity for Canberrans to recognise and celebrate our amazing community of athletes, coaches and administrators who make our territory truly a sports capital.
The Award categories are varied, and recognise everyone from volunteers like Carmel to elite athletes, such as Peta Mackinnon, a former Hockeyroo who was inducted into the ActewAGL ACT Sport Hall of Fame in 2017.
Having represented Australia at the 2004 Olympics, being inducted into the ACT Sport Hall of Fame might have seemed like a lesser honour to some, but for Peta it was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on her achievements as an athlete, especially now that her focus is more on her family.
“There’s plenty of people out there in a similar situation [to me], where you go and devote 10, 15, 20 years to your sport, and then you go straight into having a family, and you’re kind of just like everyone else, parenting and going through all those challenges.
“You almost don’t have time to reflect on what you did do. So for me, last year being inducted, it gave me a chance to look back at those amazing achievements.”
Peta and Carmel might have very different experiences in sport, but they’re united in their enthusiasm for members of all different sporting clubs to get involved and nominate their peers for the CBR Sport Awards.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge the people that excel in their chosen field,” Peta says. In particular, she thinks it’s important that a wide range of sports are featured at the Awards, so that we can truly celebrate the diverse active community we have in Canberra.
Carmel agrees, and also thinks we shouldn’t underestimate the impact that being nominated for an award can have on a person.
“I think it’s important that different sports do nominate and think about who’s doing that little bit extra for them. Recognition goes a long way to make you feel accepted.”
The 2018 CBR Sport Awards are now open for nominations. Find out more and nominate at www.cbrsportawards.com.au.
Leave a Reply