Excellence Awards
The annual Southern NSW LHD Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate the tremendous commitment and innovation of staff to improve what we do in all aspects of our health service. Staff and teams from across our District submitted entries leading up to the Awards, with projects focusing on ways better health results can be achieved for patients through innovation. The 2025 Excellence Awards Ceremony was held in Queanbeyan on Wednesday 11 June 2025.
2025 Winners
Individual Awards
Dr Allan Hawke AC Award for Outstanding Leadership
Winner: Alice McKellar, District Director of Pharmacy
Location: Goulburn
Care and Kindness Award
Winner: Clare Calo, Physiotherapist
Location: Queanbeyan
Commitment to Service Award
Winner: Victoria Holland, Associate Director People Services
Location: Queanbeyan
Collaborative Staff Member of the Year
Winner: Hayley Lewis, Safe Start Coordinator
Location: Bega Valley
Corporate Support Staff Member of the Year
Winner: Tracy Ryan, Manager Workforce Systems and Analytics
Location: Goulburn
Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Darian Jirrup-Jirrup McLeod, Palliative Care Volunteer Service
Location: Eurobodalla
Emerging Leader Award
Winner: Fauve D'Souza, Senior Eating Disorder Clinician
Location: Queanbeyan
Elevate Award
Winner: Emily Guy, A/Manager Community Health and Integrated Care, Inland Network
Location: Queanbeyan
Team Awards
Board Chair Award
Winner: Research Office
Location: District-wide
Chief Executive’s Award (Joint winners)
Winner: Nurse Unit Manager / Maternity Unit Manager Pathways 2024
Location: District-wide
Winner: DeliverEASE - Procurement Clinical Product Team
Location: District-wide
Transforming Patient Experience Award
Winner: SmartChain Traceability - Procurement Clinical Product Team
Location: District-wide
Closing the Gap Award
Winner: Physiotherapy, Coastal Network
Location: Eurobodalla and Bega Valley
Patient Safety Award
Winner: Queanbeyan Hospital in the Home (HITH)
Location: Queanbeyan
Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services
Winner: Mental Health Acute Access
Location: District-wide
Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare Award
Winner: Trauma Informed Care Overarching Project
Location: District-wide
People and Culture Award
Winner: Trauma Informed Paediatric Assessment Notes
Location: Cooma and Queanbeyan
Keeping People Healthy
Winner: Modernising Rural Healthcare: Virtual Antimicrobial Stewardship Rounding in Action
Location: District-wide
Delivering Integrated Care Award
Winner: LinkMyCare - COPD
Location: Inland Network
Health Research and Digital Innovation Award
Winner: Virtual Swallow Assessment Project
Location: Cooma and Queanbeyan
ACI Rural Innovation Award
Winner: Modernising Rural Healthcare: Virtual Antimicrobial Stewardship Rounding in Action
Location: District-wide
2024 Winners
Individual Awards
Dr Allan Hawke AC Award for Outstanding Leadership
Winner: Rebekah Bowman, Midwifery District Manager
Location: Moruya
Care and Kindness Award (Joint Winners)
Winner: Janelle Hopwood, Clinical Products Manager
Location: Queanbeyan
Winner: Susan Ahearn, Administrative Officer
Location: Queanbeyan Maternity Unit
Commitment to Service
Winner: Peter Lawrence
Location: Queanbeyan
Collaborative Staff Member of the Year
Winner: Christy Byrnes, Clinical Nurse Educator
Location: Eurobodalla Community Mental Health
Patient Safety Award
Winner: Dr Vimbai Kapuya, Visiting Medical Officer
Location: Yass Hospital
Emerging Leader Award
Winner: Nicholas Mason
Location: District-wide
Closing the Gap Award
Winner: Mob on the Imaging Job - Southern’s Bespoke Aboriginal Medical Imaging Traineeship Project
Location: District-wide
Elevate Award
Winner: Queanbeyan Maternity
Location: Queanbeyan
Team Awards
Board Chair Award
Winner: Voluntary Assisted Dying Service
Location: District-wide
Chief Executive’s Award (Joint winners)
Winner: Medical Workforce Unit
Location: District-wide
Winner: Surgical Service Improvement Program
Location: District-wide
Transforming Patient Experience Award
Winner: Paediatric Nitrous Oxide Project
Location: Bega
Volunteer of the Year
Winner: SERH and Pambula Spiritual and Pastoral Care Volunteers
Location: Bega and Pambula
Patient Safety First
Winner: Virtual Rural Generalist Service
Location: Braidwood, Bombala, Yass, Crookwell, Delegate
Excellence in the Provision of Mental Health Services
Winner: Safe Haven: Reducing Community Distress
Location: Bega
Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare Award
Winner: Culturally Aware: Learning Local Diversity
Location: District-wide
People and Culture Award
Winner: Procurement Team Gatekeeper Project
Location: District-wide
Keeping People Healthy
Winner: Preterm Birth Collaborative
Location: District-wide
Delivering Integrated Care Award
Winner: Moruya Maternity
Location: Moruya
Excellence in Aboriginal Healthcare Award
Winner: Moruya Cancer Services
Location: Moruya
Health Research and Digital Innovation Award
Winner: Dental Services Contact Centre Web Chat
Location: District-wide
Environmental Sustainability Award
Winner: Green Relief: Rethinking Perioperative Pain Management Beyond the IV Route with Paracetamol
Location: Bega and Queanbeyan
Nursing and Midwifery Awards
The winners in the Southern NSW Local Health District Nursing and Midwifery Awards are announced as part of local celebrations for International Day of the Midwife (5 May)and International Nurses Day (12 May). Our Southern winners are nominated for the NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
2025 Winners
Midwife of the Year
Winner: Liz Perks
Nurse of the Year
Winner: Emma Turner
Nursing and Midwifery Leadership Award
Winner: Kim Patton
Nursing and Midwifery Team of the Year
Winner: Community Health
Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year
Winner: Nicole Jorgensen
New to Practice Nurse/Midwife of the Year
Winner: Stephanie Merton
2024 Winners
Nurse of the Year
Winner: Rochelle Woolf
Midwife of the Year
Winner: Sonia White
2023 Winners
Nurse of the Year
Winner: Elise Coppins
Midwife of the Year
Winner: Hannah Bird
Excellence in Allied Health Awards
The winners in the inaugural Southern NSW Local Health District 2024 Excellence in Allied Health Awards were announced on 14 October 2024, Allied Health Professions Day.
These individuals excel in the delivery of compassionate and innovative service and play a vital role in providing patient-centred care to our community. Our Southern winners have been nominated for the NSW Health Excellence in Allied Health Awards.
2024 Winners
Allied Health Assistant of the Year
Winner: Chloe van Gool, Physiotherapy, Queanbeyan
Allied Health Educator of the Year (Joint Winners)
Winner: Jacqueline Hogbin, Social Work, Moruya
Winner: Kathryn Goldsworthy, Physiotherapy, Moruya
Allied Health Leader of the Year
Winner: Gretchen Buck, Physiotherapy, Batemans Bay
Allied Health Professional of the Year
Winner: Anna Jolly, Dietetics, Moruya