Not one but three winners!
Sandra and Ken Wheatley, and Alan Ronxin.
Sandra and Ken
Sandra and Ken are the silent people behind the scenes of the Jersey Special Gymnastics Club. Always there to provide support at anything the club does, be it fundraising events such as the half marathon water station, baking cakes and running refreshments at the open days or by providing manual support.
Especially, in the last 18 months when of course the club had to clear out of Greenfields and move items to Maufant and subsequently to Fort Regent, Ken spent many hours assisting in setting up the equipment and providing the manpower.
Sandra was also with us for the day when we moved out of Greenfields and gradually cleaned the hall as the removal men cleared it. They have been involved in the gym club for many years and are the backbone of the club and always go the extra mile.
Alan Ronxin
Alan plays such a crucial part in the Wheelchair basketball program delivery. Simply put, without him it could not continue. His diligence to ensuring our equipment is in the best condition it can be is unrivalled. All done with a smile too. Alan also relishes the opportunity to referee when able to.
The incomparable Jeannine Carey has become the 2022 Unsung Hero.
Jeannine is a part of so many people’s lives; she gives up so much of her own time to work with and give people the opportunity
to take part on sports, events and occasions they wouldn’t have the chance to otherwise.
Having stepped into lead with the gym club over the last few months, Jeannine has done a terrific job in keeping things going and getting the club to a UK competition against the backdrop of losing their training facilities.
We all know that Jeannine is an absolute cornerstone of JSAD and, as our chairman once famously remarked: "Heaven knows what we would do without her."
Enough said!
Alan Ronxin is the Unsung Hero of 2021.
A very longstanding member of JSAD, Alan takes great pride in his work behind the scenes with the wheelchair side of our activities, but he is also there to support all our sportsmen and women.
It would be very easy for Alan’s tireless efforts to go unnoticed, so he richly deserves this award.
Alan was presented with the trophy by Sam Walker, Howard Walker's daughter, at the Hotel Ambassadeur.
The 2019 Unsung Hero award, now in its seventh year, was won by Trudi Gallichan, in recognition of more than 20 years service with the JSAD.
She continues to help in many different ways, both up front and behind the scenes. In particular, her work as marathon controller each year has been absolutely invaluable.
Trudy also has a great many contacts who she uses to assist and support the JSAD when required.
Another popular winner on the night was Sally Ahier.
Sally often "flies under the radar", but for years she has helped out at Gateway on a Thursday night and at a variety of JSAD events.
She's also been a regular at committee meetings. Though she is now stepping back from her JSAD commitments, she deserves to be honoured for her massive contribution over the years.
Samantha Walker presented the award.
The other nominations for this award were:
Alan English (Hon Treasurer)
Alan Ronxin (Wheelchair Sport)
Simon Larbalestier (Wheelchair Sport and Special Olympics)
Dave Ware is the latest Unsung Hero.
He's been the backbone of Centre Club, (formerly Gateway) for 40 years, and is always there, come rain or shine, on a Thursday night, and at many events throughout the year.
Quite simply, Centre Club would not be the same without him, and at 80 years young, Dave still puts our members first.
Sadly, Dave was unable to be at the Merton Hotel to receive his award from Samantha Walker, but Tina Ware and Hazel Copp did the honours.
The other nominations for this award were Alan Ronxin (Wheelchair Sport) and Alan English (Honorary Treasurer).
Our Unsung Hero for this year is Jeannine Carey.
Jeannine has been a dedicated supporter and committee member of JSAD for over 25 years, many of which were as Vice Chairman.
She is always working behind the scenes to ensure one-off events like the Jersey Marathon and JSAD Games run smoothly, as well as giving freely of her time, week in, week out, to support JSAD’s regular activities.
Jeannine always undertakes her work with JSAD with a happy heart and never seeks any recognition for the work she does.
Put simply, a lot of JSAD’s success is down to Jeannine’s hard work.
She was presented with the trophy by Karen Walker at the Merton Hotel on 19 November.
The other nominees for this award were Angie Nicholson (LD Football), Lance Kiddie and Alan Ronxin (both Wheelchair Sport) and Trudi Gallichan (General).
The winner for 2015 is wheelchair sport's Alan Ronxin.
Alan is, quite simply,the "behind the scenes" engine that makes wheelchair sport in Jersey run so successfully. And that has been the case for the past 25 years.
He maintains and manages a large portfolio of wheelchairs quietly, and without fuss. Alan also offers fantastic support to JSAD's wheelchair tennis programme and is always on hand to help with transporting wheelchairs to and from events.
There's always the huge effort he puts in to assist with the annual Wheelchair Basketball Outreach Programme which has become such a vitally important part of JSAD's year.
And, finally, ask yourself this. With no Alan, who else would run the annual Awards Night dinner raffle???? We rest our case......
The 2014 winner is Dorothy Patterson.
Dorothy has been the 'behind the scenes' rock of the JSAD for over 25 years and is certainly an unsung hero. It is impossible to list all that Dorothy has done but without her exceptional support to all members, the charity would not be the success it is.
The work that she does as administrator in the background of JSAD is not only the backbone, but the very heart of JSAD which keeps the blood of JSAD flowing.