Griffith City Council Aboriginal Liaison Officer Roger Penrith Receives State Achievement Award
Friday September 19, 2014
Griffith City Council is proud to announce that staff member Roger Penrith, Aboriginal Liaison Officer, has been selected as the NSW Council Employee (Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander) of the Year for 2014.
Roger was announced as the award recipient at the Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) conference held in Narrandera September 10-12. The conference brings people across the state together to enhance the profile of Aboriginal communities, their skills and their culture and also to discuss and explore emerging issues for Aboriginal groups in NSW.
Each year at this conference, an award is given to a Council employee who has demonstrated high achievements in both their professional and personal life.
Griffith Mayor John Dal Broi said Council is proud of Roger’s achievement, which reflects the many contributions he has made to the local community since he joined Council in 2010.
“Roger has worked tirelessly in his role over the past four years to strengthen partnerships and develop new initiatives for the Griffith Aboriginal community and he is an excellent role model for local government employees,” Mayor Dal Broi said. “Roger, a proud Wiradjuri man, has created opportunities through employment and training, researching local Aboriginal history and art, access to early education and mentoring senior students to name a few of his efforts.”
Roger said he is honoured to receive the award and grateful for the acknowledgement of his local government peers.
“All this wouldn’t be possible without the support and guidance from my team, who nominated me for this award, and the other staff at Council, along with Senior Management, Councillors and the Mayor, who have supported me in my role,” he said.
A member of many local committees and boards, Roger has broad knowledge and commitment to improving the lives of everyone in Griffith. Other examples of his commitment include volunteering for the Griffith Carevan and Clean Up Australia events, NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation Day, Sorry Day and other significant Aboriginal days.
Roger added that there is still a lot of work to be done and he will not rest on his laurels. “I plan to keep working closely with senior staff for any employment opportunities for Aboriginal people,” he said.
To learn more about the Local Government Aboriginal Network (LGAN) conference 2014, please visit http://lganconference2014.com.au./
