Nearly 300 guests attended the 2011 Whitsunday Tourism Awards, with this year’s red carpet rolled out at the Whitsunday Airport for a night of celebrations with an aeronautical theme.
Tourism Whitsundays’ CEO Peter O’Reilly made a spectacular seaplane entrance flanked by his wife Megan and the evening’s emcees. Ben Southall (fresh from his ‘best expedition in the world’) and Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins (all the way from ‘Bondi Rescue’) were on hand for the presentation of 21 awards, paying tribute to the achievements of the Whitsunday tourism industry’s best.
“It’s been a tough year (for the tourism industry) and this is a night to honour those who’ve gone the extra mile,” said Mr O’Reilly in his opening speech.
Mr O’Reilly also commented on the tough job faced by the panel of independent judges, responsible for allocating each of the awards.
“The standard and competiveness of the applications this year was exceptionally high. A number of the awards came down to just a handful of points,” he said.
“The high quality of submissions shows just how hard we are working to promote the Whitsundays to the rest of the world.”
Impassioned acceptance speeches were the flavour of the night with industry stakeholders encouraging each other to stay strong.
Manager of Villa Botanica Janet Hogan, who was also celebrating the eve of her company’s 150th wedding, said maybe Charles Darwin was wrong.
“It’s not about survival of the fittest – it’s about co-operation and working together – understanding that each one of us is just a very small part of a larger organism – the Airlie Beach community,” Ms Hogan said.
Especially notable award winners included young achiever Emily Smart and Volunteer Ambassador Co-ordinator Judi Dunn, who received a standing ovation for her “outstanding contribution by a volunteer”.
“My husband is not going to believe this - I am so touched I don’t know what to say,” Ms Dunn announced as she accepted her award.
Ms Dunn was one of a handful of ladies whose high standards of fashion gave rise to an impromptu “best dressed” competition, with Caroline Allen eventually taking the crown.
The evening was catered for by Fish D’Vine, with after dinner entertainment by the 1RAR band, who ensured that the Whitsunday tourism industry kicked up its collective heels.
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