The tiny community of Bobin proudly boasts two finalists in the NSW/ACT Regional and Community Achievement Awards.
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The Bobin School of Arts Hall is a finalist for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) Crown Land Manager Excellence Award, and Kim MacDonald is a finalist in the DPIE Individual Excellence in Crown Land Management Award category. There are only four finalists in each category.
The Bobin School of Arts Hall is an asset of Crown Lands that is managed by a committee drawn from the local community. For years, it has become a social centre, evacuation centre, donation centre and was a recovery centre for families severely impacted by fires. The Hall's survival of the 2019 bushfires became a vital rallying point for the community. It provided a place for people to shower, wash clothes, feed themselves, and work 'from home'. It acted as a hub for essential services and information.
Kim MacDonald of Bobin is the vice president of the committee that manages Bobin Hall. During the November 2019 bushfire, Kim and her partner Gary lost their own house across the road from the Hall as they protected the Hall from fire using only a garden hose. Despite being forced to live a considerable distance away from Bobin, Kim ensured that the Hall had the resources to offer those who had nowhere else to go. She established the Hall as a bushfire recovery centre and arranged for the loan of a generator to provide power to the Hall and for a cool room for food storage.
"In spite of personal catastrophe, Kim works tirelessly to improve the amenities of the Hall, and in doing so, the lives in the community," the nominee wrote in the nomination form.
Winners will be announced on Friday, November 20, 2020 via a Virtual Awards Presentation.
