Pride of Workmanship award presented at Rotary changeover

Finalists of the Rotary Club of Narrabri’s annual Pride of Workmanship Award were celebrated at Saturday night’s changeover dinner.

Narrabri Public School relieving principal Claire Allen and teacher Cathy Charles were announced as joint winners of the honour.

The two local educators have been responsible for the introduction of a therapy dog program to the Barwan Street campus.

Mrs Allen and Mrs Charles, both avid dog lovers, knew that a therapy dog could significantly affect children’s social-emotional and academic development.

The educators persisted through red tape, departmental policies, procedural guidelines, risk assessments, and naysayers. After two years of research and planning, a suitable dog was found, Daisy the black Labrador.

Cathy Charles, her owner and a learning support teacher at Narrabri Public School, alongside Daisy, has undertaken months of training through Sue Duncan (Narrabri’s dog trainer) and NSW Therapy Dog training.

“Claire and Cathy’s commitment to the education, social and life outcomes of the students at Narrabri Primary School goes well beyond the realms of their role descriptions, and that of Daisy’s too,” their nomination read.

“The incredible time and cost that Cathy has gone to, spending her own savings and many hours of personal time to working with Daisy to develop her to the incredibly high standards required of a service dog. Sue Duncan has worked closely with Cathy and Claire in developing Daisy and also Claire’s dog Shadow who is a ‘school dog’. Sue could attest to the immense effort over several years that has been invested for the benefit of students now and into the future at Narrabri Public School.”

“Claire Allen has spent an enormous amount of time also in researching how to bring such a goal as a school service/therapy dog to fruition. It is a long and complicated road that only the most committed and dedicated so to completion.”

Finalists included Eden Rozendaal, KR Property, and Nicole Conrad, Stoltenberg Flooring Xtra.

Rotarians and guests applauded the finalists on their contributions to their workplaces.

Outgoing president Dylan Smith presented the winners and Ms Rozendaal with their accolades. Ms Conrad was unable to attend the dinner.

Mr Smith, who sat on the independent judging panel, said picking a winner was difficult.

He, along with another Rotarian and one member of the local community, were tasked with the tough decision of picking the winner.

“I only wish we could’ve given them each the title, because they were all very deserving,” he said.

“The quality of the nominees was exceptional. Narrowing it down to just one winner was such a tough job.

“But we’re pleased to jointly offer Claire and Cathy the award. What they have achieved at Narrabri Public School is exceptional.

“Eden and Nicole can also be proud of their achievements in their workplaces.”

The Rotary Club of Narrabri has encouraged locals to begin thinking about candidates for 2024.

“Start considering who you might like to nominate,” Mr Smith said. “And that’s not just a message to employers – anyone can enter a nomination form.

“Rotary’s Pride of Workmanship Award is a very important measure in setting the standard, so we encourage you to highlight those going above and beyond in their day-to-day lives.”