A MOTORBIKE accident landed Andrew Thomas in a coma for four months.
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Now, he’s been named Community Transport Organisation Volunteer of the Year, one of two awards taken out locally.
“I was at a party at a property in Nemingha, the people I was with left early and I jumped on the back of a motorbike – he tried to overtake a truck on the left hand side and put me in a coma,” Mr Thomas said.
“I think I can understand better what it feels like to not be able to get around properly.
“It’s giving back and I hope that when I need it they’ll be there for me.”
Mr Thomas has volunteered with the service, that transports frail, elderly, disadvantaged or disabled people, for more than six years.
“The appreciation, a thank you is all we need,” he said.
His colleague Bernadette Hargrave manages the office – she claimed Employee of the Year at the recent awards. Recognised for both her consistent excellence and long service, Ms Hargrave has worked for the organisation for the last 23 years.
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“It’s the community themselves that keep me here, the frail aged elderly are an amazing group of people with incredible stories to tell,” she said.
“They face their life changes with pride, dignity and humour and I find that inspiring.
“My ability to help them remain a part of their community is what keeps me going.”
Oxley Community Transport services people in both the Tamworth and Liverpool Plains region.
The awards were presented at a celebration on Tuesday at the Tamworth Community Centre by Community Transport Organisation chief executive Di Hallett.