“I thought oh my gosh, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’m really, really proud that I can be a part of Gulgong High and I can be a part of the community and they’ve recognised my efforts over the years to recommend the nomination,: she said.

On Friday, December 14, it was announced that Judy had won the ‘Unsung Hero – Teacher’ award from EducationHQ Australia.

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“I feel very elated and humbled that I’ve won the award for Australia’s unsung hero, teacher section. It was announced as breaking news on our presentation assembly on Friday. It was the last item on, yes it was a huge surprise.”

For all the hard work Judith does in the community, she said it’s nice to have the little things acknowledged too.

“All the little jobs I do around the school in my area as well as looking after the welfare of students. A lot of it usually goes unnoticed, so this is a reward for the hard work and just the fact that I never ever stop at work. There’s always something to be done,” she said.

“Student welfare, that’s my biggest concern. There’s so many kids out there that don’t have the things behind them that they need, whether it be food or clean clothes or even just the cheery hello of a morning and asking ‘is everything okay’?”

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A friend of the family, Karissa Nicholls shared her thoughts on Judy’s win.

“I was so pleased to learn that Judy had won the ‘Unsung Hero’ award. It is wonderful that she has been recognised for 35 years of dedicated service to Public Education,” Karissa said.

“So many teachers go above and beyond their role as a teacher in order to care and provide the best learning opportunities for students, and Judy is an excellent example of this. As a fellow teacher in the Public Education system, I would like to congratulate Judy and say thank you for positively shaping the lives of so many students in our region.”