Our young winner
CHERRY Muddle is a well-known Whitsunday identity, pouring her heart and soul into helping protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Ms Muddle is best known as a campaigner for the Australian Marine Conservation Society and it's not surprising why her passion saw her win an impressive award last weekend.
To recognise and appreciate her work, Ms Muddle was awarded the Young Achiever at the Whitsunday Tourism Awards on Saturday night and she couldn't be more thrilled.
"I was completely blown away,” she said.
"For me, what I do is about bringing the community together for a common cause. We live on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef and we need to stand up for what we have here. It's about bringing unlikely people together to stand up for something so precious to all of us.”
Ms Muddle said it was an honour to be recognised by the tourism industry, having been involved herself and supported tourism in the region for years.
"It was special too because a big part of what I was doing here when I first moved was to support tourism operators so it was nice to be recognised by them,” she said.
Ms Muddle also congratulated those others who received awards on the evening.
"Everyone that won obviously puts a lot of effort in,” she said.
