Desley Voigt and John Henry from Hawks Nest Tea Gardens were among the winners now etched in Great Lakes cultural history.

Desley won the individual visual arts section for her mosaic work, as a member of the Riverside Art Walk committee and for her community involvement in and promotion of the arts.

John won the individual performing arts award. John was the founding president of the Myall Coast Entertainers and has brought players, revues and opportunities to preform to the Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Community. He has also fundraised for the development of the hall as a performing venue.

“I was very honoured to be nominated for the award, however while I was the founding president it was my wife Mary who put the first show together,” John said.

“It was Mary who organised the show, wrote the scripts, directed and choreographed the show. I was recognised, but she was the one who really got the show going,” John said.

The awards and certificates of recognition were presented at the Forster Tuncurry Coastal Patrol on Saturday, November 10.

“We have never truly formally recognised the creative people we have in our midst,” mayor John Chadban said.

Other groups and individuals around the Myall Coast also received awards for being nominated for an award.

The Myall Coast Entertainers were recognised for the preforming arts, Natalie Foley was recognised for enlightened support, the Myall Riverside Art Walk Committee was recognised for the visual arts and Margaret Germon and Pearl Ingram were recognised for their community and visual art work.