Pingelly community stalwart Ellen Cook recognised with nomination for two 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards

Shire of Pingelly community development officer and local legend Ellen Cook has been recognised for her commitment to the people of the town she’s proud to call home. Ms Cook has been nominated in two categories of this year’s 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards WA, the Spirit Super Connecting Communities and the Catholic Education WA Young Leadership Awards. Award recipients will be revealed at a gala celebration in Perth in June and the community stalwart said just being nominated was special. “It’s very nice to be recognised, I’m very humbled for it but I also don’t expect anything from it because there is quite a few really worthy candidates,” she said. “Even those that were in the semifinalist round were really strong recipients as well — it will be a good day and it’s just good to get Pingelly on the map and hopefully do my community proud.” The dual nominations cover a lot of ground. “With my CDO work, it covered my work getting the Noongar Youth Group up and running with Malcom Jetta and then a lot of the youth engagement and the Age is Just a Number programs I implemented,” Ms Cook said. “It’s all the projects and programs for the benefit of the community but then it’s also the stuff in my personal time too, helping run the RSL, planning the ANZAC Day remembrance which is coming up — I’m full steam with that. “It’s good to be recognised for my work as well as my commitment to the town.” Ms Cook has lived in Pingelly for about 20 years and in October she will have been a community development officer for three of them. “I’ve accomplished quite a bit in two and a half years that I’m super proud of,” she said. “It’s really good and it’s really well received and it makes it all worthwhile, all the stress and everything else, it makes it all worthwhile when you can see the community come together and interact with each other and enjoy it. “That’s what I aim to achieve — to make people happy and bring people together.”