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- GENERAL MEETING
- Monday July 6
- The House Paddock, 42 King Street Scottsdale
- }Starting at 5.30pm
- All Welcome.
- GENERAL MEETING
- Monday August 3
- The House Paddock, 42 King Street Scottsdale
- }Starting at 5.30pm
- All Welcome.
2026 Dorset People & Business Awards
Dorset champions in the spotlight
By Daisy Arnold
Marketing & Events coordinator, Dorset Employment Connect
Around 120 people filled the Scottsdale Mechanics Institute Hall for the inaugural Dorset People Business Awards gala evening on March 27.
After months of planning and public engagement, the community came together to celebrate the individuals, businesses and organisations who consistently go above and beyond.
The historic venue came to life on the evening, with Hubert and Dan’s boutique catering, live entertainment from the Jam Plan and floral arrangements by Flowers of Ironstone.
The community was called on to nominate their colleagues, friends, family and favourite businesses, and they understood the brief, delivering some 300 heartfelt nominations via online and in-person ballot boxes. From this, 75 finalists were selected across 19 categories.
Some categories were referred to external judges, while the others were decided by People’s Choice voting, which in one week received a total of 10,309 votes.
Many of the nominees, finalists and winners expressed their appreciation for being recognised – often unsung heroes who strive for
excellence each day while serving for the Dorset community, with no expectation of praise or accolades.
Overall, this opportunity to pause and celebrate the talent, innovation and dedication within our region has been a reminder of Dorset’s strong community spirit, which will hopefully in turn foster growth and confidence in our local workforce.
This initiative was proudly presented by Dorset Employment Connect, and after several years in the pipeline, we have been able to bring the vision to life thanks to generous community partnerships.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to our principal partner North East Tasmania Chamber of Commerce, major sponsors Bridestowe Lavender Estate and Woolnorth Renewables, and our generous community sponsors: Dorset Council, TasTAFE, Harcourts North-East, D&Me, McPhersons Chainsaws, Little Rivers, Pipers Brook Vineyard and Bridport Bay Inn.
Planning is currently underway for the next Dorset People and Business Awards in March 2027.
• The team from Explore Learning Educational Centre
• Kim Weston of Bridestowe Lavender Estate with Natalie Wise
Congratulations to all the winners:
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