Warilla pastor honoured for giving to needy

A Warilla-based pastor who volunteers thousands of hours to help the region's disadvantaged has been named Shellharbour City's Australia Day Citizen of the Year.Brian Pember is the executive director of Shellharbour City Baptist Church Assist, a small, volunteer-run emergency relief program."Whatever the needs were, we do whatever we could to help," Mr Pember said."It might be providing a meal for the homeless or helping a mum put food on the table for the kids."When calls for help went from a couple each week to several every day about five years ago, Mr Pember began setting the organisation up as an agency.It has become an important and much-relied upon service for the needy.Mr Pember also played an active role in Warilla Pride, a community group which aimed to promote and spruce up Warilla.He is a member of the Warilla Community Services Forum and helps serve children breakfast as part of the Warilla Breakfast Club. "This award is really a reflection of the efforts of people who work with and for me," he said."I guess I came up with a different model of what it is to do church."After talking to past recipients of the award, I realise I need to take it seriously and take advantage of the opportunity it provides to maybe do a bit more in the community."Winner of Shellharbour City's Australia Day award for service to sport is Eino Okkonen, for his work in both founding and running the Wollongong Roller Hawks as well as organising the annual Slam Down Under wheelchair basketball tournament in Shellharbour.The award for corporate social responsibility went to Kmart Stockland Shellharbour for its support of schools, sporting teams, community organisations and other events. Shellharbour council's general manager Brian Weir said all winners were shining examples of the community spirit in the city."We are extremely lucky to have such dedicated and hardworking community volunteers," Mr Weir said.