07/12/2025
Another year has passed since we lost our great friend and committee member, Danielle Crotty. 💜
In her honour, the Appin Carols in the Park Committee created "The Danielle Crotty Volunteer of the Year Award".
This perpetual award recognises someone who has made a meaningful difference in our community, someone who has generously given their time in service of others.
Previous recipients include:
- Kate Gay
- Emma Meddows
- Lesley Thomas
Events and positive change don’t happen in a small town without people willing to show up, roll up their sleeves, and give their time—often at the expense of their own family commitments.
Volunteering isn’t as common as it once was, and we are deeply grateful for every person who puts their hand up for our kids, our community, and the spaces we share.
This year, the award is proudly awarded to Mick Zammit ( Linda Zammit )
Mick was President of the Appin Chamber of Commerce when we first approached them with the idea of starting a Carols event in Appin back in 2017. He and his team were incredible supporters, helping us navigate mountains of paperwork and happily pitching in for the hands-on tasks.
Mick was also instrumental in securing the grant and development of the Appin Men’s Shed. The Men’s Shed team stood alongside us during our first-ever Crochet Christmas Tree project, and every year Mick has rallied his crew to safely build and dismantle the structure—a huge job that we could not do without them.
Beyond this, Mick has never missed an opportunity to spread Christmas cheer (even in 40-degree heat!) and is steadily transforming our humble Santa suit into a work of art, complete with a proper belt and accessories.
Mick has supported countless events at Appin House and has volunteered across many council committees in various roles. He and Linda kindly donated a weekend away at their holiday house for our silent auction and often chauffeured us around Appin as we judged the Christmas lights competition. He even signed up as a mo'bro to raise money in 'movemebr' and allowed us to publicly remove it at a follow up event.
We thank Mick for his outstanding service as he joins a growing list of selfless people helping make our world—and our town—a better place.
