A South Gippsland woman who has championed her region and hometown of Korumburra for two decades is this year’s overall winner of the fifth annual Shine Awards, a joint initiative between The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman.
The judges said Tamsin Carvan (pictured) epitomised the hundreds of women nominated for this year’s awards, established to celebrate the achievements of women across rural and regional Australia.
Tamsin’s determination to forge ahead with her plan to promote South Gippsland’s best produce, and entice visitors to stop in her small rural town, saw her overcome deep personal loss and Victoria’s multiple Covid lockdowns, which disrupted and destroyed other small businesses.
She worked tirelessly to transform Korumburra’s historic Coles Variety store into The Borough Dept. Store – the latest in a long string of small businesses Tamsin has established over the past 20 years to champion produce from the region.
The Borough was intended as a collaborative space to house four small businesses. But when Covid threw her plans into disarray, Tamsin never lost focus, telling The Weekly Times her aim remained “to create a bit of joy”, despite suffering the loss of her partner, Allan, who was also one of the original driving forces behind the idea.
Selflessly, she attributes the survival of the hospitality and retail business – now a jewel on Korumberra’s high street – to locals’ strong support.
To commemorate her achievements Tamsin won the Grace category ahead of her successful nomination for the overall prize.
Herald & Weekly Times Chairman and News Corp Australia community ambassador, Penny Fowler, said the awards demonstrated the human spirit and rural resilience at their finest.
“It has been a terrific honour to have judged these awards over the past five years and hear the extraordinary stories of so many women who make our communities so much better,” Fowler said.
“If you want to know what it takes to triumph over adversity, how to shine brightly in darkness, then please take the time to read their stories and help us celebrate Shine’s fifth birthday. It’s been a great partnership between The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman.”
Hailing from as far west as Carnarvon in Western Australia to Jimboomba in NSW to Rosevears in Tasmania, all 19 finalists showed extraordinary courage, resilience and ingenuity, said the judges. All winners will be invited to a Shine Awards lunch to be held in Victoria next year on March 29, hosted by News Corp chairman Penny Fowler and Harvey Norman chief executive Katie Page.
The finalists’ stories all feature online and in print today in a 32-page Shine magazine inserted today in The Weekly Times, which will also feature in The Australian on Friday, November 26 to further boost the awards’ national audience.
Belief
Ruth Sandow, Milparinka, Corner Country, NSW
Courage
Elyse Hannan, Dirranbandi, Queensland
Dedication
Donna Layton, Grafton, NSW
Grace
Tamsin Carvan, Korumburra, Victoria
Passion
Kumi Slade, Willow Grove, Victoria
Spirit
Lee O’Connor, Coonamble, NSW
Youth Award
Bonnie, Molly, Jemima and Matilda Penfold, Meandarra, Western Downs, Queensland