Waverley Honours Its Brightest and Best

By Dan Hutton on October 21, 2011 in News

Waverley Council hosted its annual Brightest and Best Business Awards Gala on of the evening of October 10 at Bondi Junction’s Oxford Street Mall. Over 250 local business people attended the event to celebrate the ‘best of the best’ businesses in Waverley.

The quality of the small businesses throughout Waverley was evident with over 150 entrants across seven categories, which were assessed through two rounds of professional, independent judging.

The awards gala event was a night to remember, not too dissimilar from the Logies, but with a far better looking list of attendees. There was lots of crowd mingling, drink clanging and business card swapping, all within a spectacular pink and green setting at the Mall.

Waverley Mayor John Wakefield was on hand to recognise the contribution local businesses make to Waverley’s economy.

Mayor Wakefield referred to his own experience in operating a small business.

“I have been a small businessman and I know the constraints they face and whilst it’s very rewarding having your own business it can be a hard slog.”

“Waverley Council has a goal of securing a sustainable community that is vibrant and robust and supports the creation of jobs and business opportunities.

“I was pleased to hear the awards were open to all businesses in the Waverley area as I am keen to raise the profile of all our business districts – not just the commercial hubs of Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach – but also Charing Cross, Rose Bay and Bronte.

“We all know what ‘best’ means, but I think including ‘brightest’ in the awards title sums up what makes our local businesses special,” Mayor Wakefield said.

Tension grew amongst the crowd as the top five finalists in each of the seven business award categories were introduced and the winners announced.

Cheers and roars were heard from afar when the top gongs went to:

Brightest and Best Front and Broadest Smile: Retail – Lesley Lee; Health and Beauty – Head Office Hair Specialist; Cafe and Restaurant – Sparrow Cafe and Bar; Business Support and Professional Services – OPSM.

Brightest and Best Golden Bin: 119 Tattoo, Bondi Beach

Each winner received a certificate and prizes donated by Netregistry, MYOB, the Bondi and Districts Chamber of Commerce and The Beast.

Other supporters of the event included World Wide Printing, Swiss Grand Bondi, Funky Pies and T1S2.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners. The event really showed the quality and depth of our businesses across Waverley. Be sure to drop in to the winners’ and finalists’ shops to congratulate them!

For more details and images of the night, visit www.waverley.nsw.gov.au.