Lester Pearson Recognised for Dedication to Youth
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A man who has given countless hours to those less fortunate has been named the inaugural Central Coast Citizen of the Year .
Mr Lester Pearson of Fountaindale received the honour tonight at Central Coast Council ’ s 2017 Australia Day Awards ceremony .
Lester has been volunteering for more than 30 years with his latest passion focused on helping local youth .
Council ’ s Administrator , Mr Ian Reynolds , said Lester was a great example of how volunteering can make a difference in a community .
“ Lester is a deserving recipient for the first Central Coast Citizen of the Year award , showing that his work in the community isn ’ t going unnoticed and it is truly appreciated ,” Mr Reynolds said .
“ He ’ s been instrumental in setting up a number of foundations to support our youth in crisis as well as those overseas .”
Lester and his wife , Sue , established ‘ Coats for Kids ’ through their dry cleaning business , collecting and cleaning more than 5000 coats , jackets and jumpers for Youth off the Streets programs to help keep young ones warm in winter .
His most recent achievement , the establishment of Save Our Kids ( SOKS ) has saved more than 190 young lives across the Coast since it started in 2013 .
Lester conceived the idea of SOKS to address the issue of youth suicide on the Coast , through raising funds for Lifeline . The program has now grown to also provide young achievers with opportunities to attend leadership programs .
“ Lester is truly one of the unsung heroes in our community ,” Mr Reynolds added .
“ He and his mates have now formed the Gosford North Rotary Benefactors Club to help raise funds and continue to support the kids on the Coast .
“ I would like to personally thank Lester for all the time he has given to improving young people ’ s lives and also congratulate him and all the other winners of this year ’ s inaugural Central Coast Australia Day Awards .
“ I would also like to thank the independent panel who had the hard job of considering all the nominees for our Awards and coming up with the winners . Thanks to Sarah King , Andrew Church and Ron Sharpe .”
Other Australia Day Award winners were announced at the first Central Coast ceremony included :
- Youth of the Year – Miss Courtney McDermott - Community Volunteer of the Year – Mr Peter Hurley
- Community Volunteer of the Year ( Highly Commended ) – Mr Michael Sharpe
- Community Activity and Service Award – Mrs Meg Champness
- Arts , Culture & Entertainment Award – Ms Meredith Gilmore
- Arts , Culture & Entertainment Award ( Highly Commended ) – Mrs Vivien Sale
- Environmental Award – Ms Carol Long - Environmental Award ( Highly Commended ) – Mr Ian Carr - Sportsperson of the Year – Mr Keenan Derry
- Business Connecting Communities Award – Mr George Abourizk
Congratulations to the 2017 inaugural Central Coast Australia Day Award winners .