The award is celebrated each year during Adult Learners Week to honour the memory of former Centre staff member Anne Pennington, who passed away in 2004.
Students are nominated for the award based on their enjoyment of, and engagement with, learning, as well as development of knowledge and skills, care and encouragement of others, persistence and teamwork.
Bronwyn was nominated after displaying her commitment to volunteering with the Volunteer Skillsbank program.
She volunteers two days a week, and initiates working extra hours when needed to ensure the success of the program.
Bronwyn’s learning is twofold; by developing her knowledge and skills she is then able to develop others’.
Jenna participates in The Centre’s Reconnect and Getting There programs. She has overcome many barriers that previously affected her access to further education.
The Anne Pennington Award recipients receive a framed certificate and a monetary prize, donated by Anne’s mother, the late Mrs Docker. They are also inducted into the perpetual Anne Pennington Awards book, which is on display at The Centre all year round.
The Centre chief executive Felicity Williams thanked Anne Pennington’s family for their continuing support of the award.
“It is a highlight of our year. Mary Paul and John Docker joined us in celebrating this award in memory of Anne,” she said.
“At The Centre, our learners and their stories are what gets us up in the mornings. We hear about how our learners take great leaps in their acquisition of knowledge and skills through our formal learning programs. But that is only a portion of their education.
“As our guest speaker, Gateway Health chief executive Leigh Rhode, observed through her own experiences, curiosity and learning from others are crucial elements of life-long learning — whether formal or informal.
“There is no doubt, listening to the nominees’ stories, that our learners at The Centre value learning opportunities presented to them in a myriad of ways, including through being curious and through the positive relationships they develop with their fellow learners.
“As always with the Anne Pennington award, the decision of who to bestow the award on is extraordinarily difficult.
“This year we had a record number of nominees representing all of our courses and programs — each with a compelling story of how they have engaged with and enjoyed their learning experiences. Faced with a tie, the judging panel chose two recipients for the award.”
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