Tuesday 30th May 2017TimesWICKLOW

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14 FEATURE

Sports Award - Andrew Kealy

This Year's Sports Personof the Year is AndrewKealy of GreystonesRFC, who defied themedical experts to comeback after a severe injury.Andrew, 26, was nominat-ed by Cllr Gerry Walsh,and the nomination wasseconded by GreystonesRFC Chairman GaryNolan. Three years ago, Andrew,an out-half, suffered ahorrific ankle injury (Hedislocated his right ankle,broke his fibula and suf-fered a syndesmotic tearfrom his ankle half wayup his shin in the sameleg). It was a devestatingblow for Andrew and alsohis team as they had tomake do without such agiant player in their ranks. The next 2.5 years were avery difficult time when,even after 4 operations,Andrew was unable towalk any great distancewithout a great deal ofpain. Throughout this periodAndrew made every effortto improve himself physi-cally. The 5th operationcarried out in April 2016by Professor RobertFlavin, where an artificial"deltoid ligament" was

inserted in his ankle,finally made a significantimprovement - althoughnot pain free. To this day,as well as the artificialdeltoid ligament, Andrewhas two metal bolts, twothree-inch metal platesand nine metal screws inhis ankle.While everyone in theclub had resigned them-selves that he wouldnever play rugby again, inJuly 2016, against theadvice of his 3 consul-tants who recommendedretirement, and to the hor-ror of his mother, Andrewmade a decision to try andreturn to rugby.The culmination of all theeffort (and pain) is that,with the continued assis-tance of CameronMcKeever and OlanSavage (the Club'sStrength andConditioning Coach) heplayed a significant rolein helping his team deliv-er the Ulster Bank AllIreland League Division2B title to Greystones thisseason. IncrediblyAndrew played in 16 ofGreystones’ 18 gamescontributing a total of 144points from the boot witha conversion ratio RonanO'Gara or Jonny Sextonwould be envious of - Allof this from a kicking leg

many medical expertssuggested he would havedifficulty walking onnever mind helping tokick his team to a leaguetitle."Greystones Rugby Clubare absolutely delightedwith the awarding ofGreystones Sportspersonof the year to our firstteam player AndrewKealy," said club presi-dent Jerome O'Brien."Andrew is a tremendousrole model for all aspiringyoung sports people in thetown, whether youngRugby players, GAA,Soccer or whatever theirchosen sport, Andrew hasdemonstrated that withthe right attitude anddetermination you canovercome whateveradversity is placed in yourway."

Lifetime AchievementAward -

Kathleeen McCarthy

Kathleen McCarthy is thisyear's recipient of theLifetime AchievementAward. Kathleen wasnominated by BillyCoyle, Manager ofGreystones Credit Union,where she has been aweekly volunteer for thelast 30 years. A native of Greystones

for the last 85 years,Kathleen is the longestserving member of theGreystones and DistrictCredit Union. Kathleen'shusband JerpomeMcCarthy was a foundingmember of GCU in 1969where Kathleen joined thefront office team.Kathleen joined the Boardof Directors when Jeromepassed away in 1982, andshe then served as a full-time Board member inmany roles. Kathleen has played anintrumental role in thenumerous office moves ofthe Credit Union over theyears, from its originaloffice location in LaTouche Place to the MainStreet. Kathleen is still an activevolunteer in GCU, whereshe meets, greets, and ser-vices a wide number oflocal members twice aweek on Mondays andFridays. Anyone whoknows Kathleen knowshow much she enjoysvounteering in GCU asshe has often commentedthat it is a great way tomeet people. Kathleen has devoted hertime to serving membersof GCU. She is meticu-lous in her handling ofmonies and people'sfinancial affairs, and pro-

The 2017 Greystones People of the Year Awards sponsored by WicklowTimes were held last Thursday evening in Greystones Golf Club.Eight awards were presented on the night. The awards celebrate the

people that make the Greystones community so special.

"I want to thank all involved in organising the awards including the Wicklow Times, and GreystonesMunicipal District. Greystones has a wealth of talented and dedicated people and it is so important that werecognise their achievements," said Minister Simon Harris.

"I want to congratulate the winners: Andrew Kealy, Kathleen Mccarthy, Declan Mcloughlin, RosmaryRaughter, Brian Mccleary, Sadhbh Durston, Tony Rennix and Rachel Casey. I want to give a special mention toRachel Casey who has received a special award for her incredible community achievements. Rachel completedher work experience with me in my Leinster House office this year and I have met her at many occasions sinceincluding the Greystones Cancer Support fundraising event on Daffodil day. Well done to Rachel and all thewinners."

Shay Fitzmaurice presents Declan McLoughlin of Bochelli’s with the Commercial Award at theGreystones People of the Year Awards which was held at Greystones Golf Club.

Councillor Grainne McLoughlin presents historian and writerRosemary Raughter with the Cultural Award

Greystones Municipal District Cathaoirleach JenniferWhitmore the Lifetime Achievement Award to KathleenMcCarthy.

Councillor Gerry Walsh presents Andrew Kealy from Greystones RFC withthe Sports Award

vides a friendly andfamiliar face to the mem-bers each week. Not alone has Kathleentirelessly worked in theCredit Union, she has alsoserved on numerous othercommunity committeesincluding St. Brigid's andSt. David's school com-mittees. Over the last 48 years,Kathleen has enthusiasti-cally and continuouslyserved Greystones CreditUnion. She actively

inspires others who maylike to volunteer and shedemonstrates that age isreally irrelevant when itcomes to volunteering.

Commerical Award -Declan McLoughlin

Declan McLoughlin ofBochelli's Restaurant isthe winner of theCommerical award for hisrole in organising aChristmas Dinner for thehomeless.

Declan selflessly gave uphis Christmas Day and theuse of his premises toorganise a meal for over90 people in need fromthe North Wicklow area.The Dinner broughtGreystones together in areal community effort.Declan had a cateringcompany to help with theeatery supplies, andGreystones CancerSupport lent their Burcoboiler. Holy RosaryChurch lent the teapots

and Declan provided thefood and did the cooking. The Rathdown ParkResident's Asscoiationnominated Declan for theaward saying, "LastChristmas Declan wasmoved to do somethingpractical about the home-less crisis. He opened hiskitchen to everyone inneed. He galvanised theselfless spirit of giving inthe town and served up awonderful Christmas din-ner to many homeless and

FEATURE 15TimesWICKLOW

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Tuesday 30th May 2017

Greystones Municipal District Cathaoirleach JenniferWhitmore presents Tony Rennix with the Civic Award

Councillor Tom Fortune presents Rachel Casey with the Special Award atthe Greystones People of the Year Awards.

Wicklow County Council Cathaoirleach Pat Fitzgerald presents ProfessorBarry McCleary and Eibhlin Power with the Special Recognition Award atthe Greystones People of the Year Awards which was held at GreystonesGolf Club.

Minister Andrew Doyle presents Sahdbh Durston with theYoung Entrepreneur Award.

needy people."With the help of manyfriends, volunteers andWicklow Homeless FiveLoaves he co-ordinated ahuge operation; fromtransporting, feeding andcleaning up after thosedeserving folk who areoften alone and lonely atChristmas."This was a huge achieve-ment, undertaken on a daywhen most people wouldbe tucked up beside thefire, and it is extrememlyworthy of recognition."It is for these reasons,both business and charita-ble, that Rathdown ParkResidents Associationwishes to nominateDeclan McLoughlin."

Cultural Award -Rosemary Raughter

Local historian, writer andeditor Rosemary Raughteris the winner of this year'sCultural Person of theYear. Rosemary isdescribed as the 'drivingforce' behind theGreystones Archaelogicaland Historical Society.The Society actively pro-motes interest in andawareness of, the NorthWicklow historical andarchaelogical heritage. Italso publishes occasionaljournals. Rosemary has writtenmany papers and researcharticles on names from thearea, in particular onwomen's rights and theirsuccesses. Selected titlesinclude Religious Womenand their History and TheJournal of ElizabethBennis, a fascinating jour-nal of a woman in the 18thcentury. Rosemary was also veryinvolved in the productionof Greystones Guides toHouses. The Trails ofGreystones - its buildingsand History was a publica-tion of a series of walkswhich was jointly pro-duced by the La ToucheLegacy committee and Greystones

Archaeological andHistorical Society. Thebrochure was free andavailable in libraries andcommecial businesees. In recent years Rosemaryhas been central to theorganisation of theFestival of Hisotry withthe La Touche Legacy.She is described byGeorge Jones who nomi-nated her, a 'woman ofaction'.

Special RecognitionAward - Barry McCleary

Greystones residentProfessor Barry McClearyof Megazyme is the win-ner of the SpecialRecognition Award forboth his business andcharitable contribtions.Megazyme was foundedby Prof McCleary in 1988and is located in nearbyBray. The company is aglobal leader in the devel-opment, manufacture andsupply of analyticalreagents, enzymes andassay kits for the food,feed, dairy and wineindustres. Barry hasreceived awards globallyfor his contributions toanalytical chemistryincluding the GuthrieMedal from the RoyalAustralian ChemicalInstitute, the Harvey W,Wiley award from theAOAC International, theClyde H Bailey Medalfrom the ICC and theEdith A. Christensenaward and the AppliedResearch Medal fromAACC International. In2010 he received the inau-gural InternationalAchievement Award fromthe University of Sydney.McCleary served asPresident Elect, presidentand Chair of the Board ofAACC International from2009-2011. In 2014 hewas awarded theUniversity of SydneyAlumni Award for InternationalAchievement in recogni-tion of his contribution to

the enrichment of societythrough his commitmentto improving food qualitythroguhout the world.Some of Barry's achieve-ments have been less pub-lic and visible. As a mem-ber of the Parish PastoralCouncil in the parish ofHoly Rosary Barry under-took his duties asChairperson with 'dedica-tion and love' say his fel-low members.He personally donatedfunds to buy life savingand changing equimentfor famine and droughtrisk regions of Kenya. Closer to home Barrydonated generously to afamily in need inGreystones and providedprizes for the local JusticeGroup table quiz. "There are many causesthat I am personally awareof, but over the grapevineI hear of many otherneedy appeals that Barryhas saved without theslightest touch of personalpride or publicity. In fact,he always gives wthout itbeing known, execpt tothose like me who askhim, and several times hehas asked me to let himknow about projects inAfrica he can support,"said Ann McGovern, whowas one of several peopleto nominate ProfessorMccleary.

Young EntrepreneurAward - Sadhbh Durston

Twelve year old SadhbhDurston, a 1st year studentat Colaiste ChraobhAbhann in Kilcoole, is thisyear's Young Entrepreneurof the Year. Sadhbh wasnominated by her yearhead Mr Ruairi Farrell forsetting up her own busi-ness called 'Yum Yum' aspart of the 'Enerprise inAction' componant of herbusiness studies juniorcycle curriculum. "I have been overhwelmedby the drive and hard workthat Sadhbh has put intoher business," said Mr

Farrell. "It is very unusualfor a 12 year old to be thedriving force behind abusiness venture such asYum Yum." Yum Yum is a businesswhich is based on a lifelesson which Sadhbh'sparents instilled in her - todream big and work hard.Yum Yum started out as abusiness that producedhomemade baking andconfectionary items.However, the youngentrepreneur realised thatthe profit margins andshelf life of the productswere not substantialenough to make it a viablebusiness in the long term.Showing the makings of asavvy businesswoman,Sadhbh diversified YumYum into a business thatproduces homemade arti-san chutney (which pro-vided a low risk and high-er potential return). Yum Yum products aremade to a secret recipe

and come in three flavours(Apple & Plum, SweetChili, and Apple & Chili).The chutneys are prestent-ed in an attractive kilinerjar and sold on a woodenpresentation board whichSadhbh made herself withthe help of her grandfa-ther. Yum Yum producst havebeen sold at many farmersmarkets in the area andthere have been manyrepeat orders. Sadhbh hasrepresented her school atthe Wicklow StudentEnterprise Awards, whereshe was the youngest par-ticipant, and won the over-all award in the Junior cat-egory.Yum Yum has delievred ahealthy profit since thecompany's inception andcontinues to expand theproduct line. She big plansto continue to developYum Yum and hopes to gether product onto theshelves of local retailers.

Civic Award - Tony Rennix

This year's very worthyCivic Award winner isTony Rennix. Tony, whois now in his 81st year, iswell known in theKilcoole area for hisinvolvement with the theKilcoole Senior CitizensAssociation. Tony is alsowell known in Delganywhere he's lived for thelast 50 years, as well asin Greystones where heused to work in TheBeach House. Tony has been the mainorganiser for the SeniorCitizens for the last twoand a half decades,organising all of the thetrips away and days outthroughout the year.These include the maintrip at Easter each year.He has done this despitehis sometimes ill-health. The trip includes organ-ised tours and daily

entertainment for thosewho attend. Tony alsocollects the weeklychurch envelope contri-butions in his area and isalso involved with theweekly bingo sessionsheld in the hall inKilcoole. At Tony's 80th birthdaycelebrations in theParkview Hotel last year,there large turnout offamily and friends wastestament to the highregard in which he isheld in the communityand how popular he is. Tony is always ready andhappy to help out in anysituation and fullydeserves to be recognisedwith this Civic Award.

Special Award - Rachel Casey

The recipient of th isyear's Special Award is16 year old RachelCasey, who was nomi-nated by GreystonesCancer Support for herrecord of commitmentto helping people in hercommunity. Rachel has achieved agreat deal in her younglife, and seems destinedto achieve much more.Having overcome child-hood leukaemia, Rachelis a truly inspirationalperson. She has becomea shining example to usal l , and has a s t rongtrack record of commu-nity involvement and as t rong socia l con-science. "Greystones cancerSupport feels thatRachel has achieved agreat deal in her younglife, and that she is arole model and for allyoung people ," sa idGCS."Rachel strongly over-came any diff icul t iesshe may have had withher leukemia treatment.But she did not s topthere. She grew into anextroardinar i ly wel ldeveloped person, both

mentally and physically.She turned her l i fearound and began togive back to the com-munity."Over the years, Rachelhas par t ic ipated andassisted in many of ouractivities. At all time,she has been extraordi-narily cooperative andresourceful/ She is dili-gent and pro-act ive ,often making sugges-t ions to improve ourevents. She is warm andfriendly in dealing withpeople, and shows lead-ership ski l ls and canwork on her own initia-tive." Rachel's list of activitiesand achievements todate includes; volun-teering with activities atGreystones CancerSupport and Lakers fivehours a week; winning a2016 Garda YouthAward; spending fouryears s tudyingMandarin Chinese; bandbeing one of four peoplechosen to representTeam Ire land a t theInternational Bridge ofCultures competition inChina. As a member ofGreystones Athle t icsClub for the last 7 years,Rachel has won manycompetitions and is thereigning Leinster JuniorRace Walk Champion.This year she represent-ed Greystones AthleticsClub at the EuropeanClub Championships inPortugal. Rachel is also a medalwinner for Greystonesrowing Club, havingwon a Bronze EastCoast Rowing CouncilMedal for the last twoyears, and she has com-pleted lifesaving train-ing to Rescue 3 stan-dard. She recently com-peted work experiencewith Minister for HealthSimon Harris, and hopesto complete her lifesav-ing training later thisyear.