Bethany Dwyer is a quiet achiever, not one to seek recognition for the work she does.
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But the Cessnock resident is nonetheless proud to be named as a NSW finalist in the 2020 Rotary Inspirational Women's Awards.
Bethany is one of four finalists in the Young Rural Woman category for this year's awards, which this year includes sections for urban, rural and healthcare workers, in the 18-30 and 30-plus age groups.
Bethany, who turns 25 on Wednesday, is a proud Wonnarua woman who works as a student learning support officer with the Aboriginal education team at Mount View High School.
She has also served with Cessnock's Central Rural Fire Brigade for almost seven years, and is a volunteer and committee member at PCYC Cessnock, where she runs the Fit For Life program two days a week.
She said her volunteer work is extremely rewarding, especially helping young people build a good relationship with the police.
Bethany said she was surprised to hear she had been named a finalist for the awards.
"It was definitely unexpected," she said.
And while she's not comfortable with praise, she said she's "extremely honoured" that someone took the time to nominate her.
The Inspirational Women's Awards were founded by Rotary District 9750 (now 9675) in Sydney in 2010 and grew to include all Rotary Districts in NSW by 2015.
This year's awards received the largest amount of nominations to date, and the judging panel of Rotarians say the high quality of nominations have made their task challenging and wonderful honour.
NSW Minister for Women, Bronnie Taylor said the awards are a fantastic opportunity to shine a light upon the enormous contribution of women in urban and rural communities across the state.
"These awards celebrate the outstanding commitment, energy and sacrifice of these incredible people who give so much of themselves and ask for nothing in return," Mrs Taylor said.
"I congratulate all of the nominees for going above and beyond to make a difference to the lives of their peers and as a former cancer nurse, I'm particularly pleased to see the new category for healthcare workers.
"This year's finalists come from a variety of backgrounds and I thank them all for their exemplary community service."
The winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on November 15.