Narooma volunteer finally receives trophy

Narooma VRA Rescue operator trainee Taliya Smith finally received her trophy on Thursday night for the Dorothy Hennessy OAM Emergency Services Youth Scholarship, one of Rotary NSW’s 2021 Emergency Service Community Awards.

The awards were announced mid-August when Sydney was in lockdown. She was to receive her trophy the following day in Narooma, but by then Narooma, like the rest of NSW, was also in lockdown.

Narooma Rotary President Andrew Lawson presented Taliya with her trophy at a Rotary meeting at Narooma Golf Club joined by her mother Christine Fisk, several VRA well-wishers and, via Zoom, Dot Hennessy (in Sydney) and Rotary D9705 Area Manager Adam De Totth (in Canberra).

Taliya thanked everyone involved for the great honour they had given her.

Nineteen-year-old Taliya joined VRA Rescue last year after the Black Summer bushfires when she decided she wanted to help her community and saw a post calling for VRA volunteers.

Taliya works five days a week at Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Regional Health and Community Services and will soon start her Certificate 3 in Community Services. She also works weekends at Narooma Home Timber and Hardware

Taliya will use the scholarship to support her training in indigenous mental health initiatives.

Above: Narooma Rotary President Andrew Lawson finally presented Taliya Smith of Narooma VRA Rescue, second from left, with her trophy for winning the NSW Rotary Dorothy Hennessy OAM Emergency Services Youth Scholarship. She is shown here with her proud mother Christine Fisk and Narooma VRA President Jacqueline Smith.