On Wednesday night we all gathered together for our fourth Awesome Newcastle of 2025, how time flies when you are having fun! In the pool room of the Young Street Hotel in Carrington we welcomed several returning board members including James Barr of Xero, Mel Histon of Got Your Back Sista, consultant Craig Browning and first time guest board member architectural designer Malvika Satelkar and Nic Minter of Soqual. We shared some drinks and got to know each other.

Our three finalists this evening were Amber Wilkes of Pocketbook Poet Society, Ashleigh Palmowski of Blooming Evolution and Troy Hooper of Newcastle Wellness Walk.

Amber went first. She explained her initiative Pocketbook Poet Society is a community engagement program that invites young, emerging writers to express themselves through poetry. In just three months, it’s grown from a group of 20 members to a dedicated following of over 200 supporters, regularly drawing audiences of 50+ to monthly events hosted at Momo Wholefood. She would use the money to upgrade the PA system and work to get a wheelchair ramp for the venue to ensure an accessible, high-quality experience for all participants.

Ashleigh of The Naked Florist went next. She is a wedding and events focused eco-florist with a background in fine arts. She’s had a goal to hold an exhibition Newcastle which features multiple floral sculptures and installations that evolve over the six days—growing, blooming, and naturally fading. The money will go towards advertising costs, venue hire, photographer and the costs of flowers.

Troy was third. He explained he is in a social group as a part of the broader One Door Mental Health that supports good mental health by holding weekly walking groups and monthly Saturday outings. For the last two years they have organised a wellness walk along the harbour. They work with different local groups and have live music, food trucks and more. They have their annual walk coming up in October and would use the  money to cover expenses on the day like the bands, medical staff and coffee van.

The board went on to discuss and debate and at last a decision was reached. Mel Histon handed the money to Amber, who after the event was on her way to her next poetry event! Congratulations Amber, we love what you’re doing in the community and we can’t wait to see where you take it. (A few of us tagged along to the poetry night and it was absolutely packed!)

Incidentally the board also invited Mel Histon to join as a permanent board member! She’s been involved in Awesome Newcastle for years and we are stoked to have her join us every month. Hooray! Congratulations Mel!

Also congratulations to Troy and Ashleigh for your great efforts! Please keep us in the loop for your projects, and hopefully we’ll get you back for another Awesome Newcastle!