LIFE & STYLE

The Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley recently ran a photo competition to encourage locals and visitors to take advantage of the beautiful Hawkesbury by capturing a photo and entering in one of the three categories available .

The response to the competition was overwhelming and there were some great entries .

All entries were judged by Mauro Risch who is an award-winning photographer specialising in hospitality and lifestyle photos and who has been involved in the world of Photography since the age of 13 .

Mauro loves the chance of telling stories through the images he creates .

A lot of warm and vibrant colours are the unmistakable elements of Mauro ’ s style .

Hotels and resorts have become a major subject in his photographic life , shooting for the hospitality industry in the Asia-Pacific Region and in South America .

There were three categories up for judging :

1 . BEST HOTEL PHOTO which was judged on capturing how it feels to stay / or visit the Crowne Plaza , the best photo had to capture the ability to express the feeling of a moment that a guest or visit to the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley . Winner : Lillian Verkroost-Clark .

2 . BEST HOLIDAY SELFIE were judged on their creativity and needed to be unique and taken in the grounds of the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley . Winner : Morgan Costa .

3 . The final category was BEST LOCAL ATTRACTION photo and this was judged on an attraction or natural wonder within 45 mins from the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley . It was judged on its ability to show people and capture what makes Hawkesbury an incredible place to stay and play . Winner : Anna Pijaca . Photo taken at Pinecrest Orchid Bilpin

The winners were awarded a weekend escape at the Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley which included two nights ’ accommodation in a luxurious one bedroom balcony suite , daily gourmet buffet breakfast ; high tea for two ; a dinner in the Harvest Restaurant ; nightly cocktails in the Barracks Bar ; and two spa dreaming rituals at Villa Thalgo . Each prize was valued at over $ 2000 . Congratulations to all winners !

Blacktown Workers Club staff raising money by sleeping out in the carpark .

More than 30 Blacktown Workers Club management and staff slept rough in cardboard shelters and sleeping bags to raise funds for women and children in emergency crisis situations .

While total donations were still being counted at the time of going to press , the annual CEO and Co Winter Sleep Out had raised close to $ 48,000 – money to be donated to the Blacktown Women ’ s and Girl ’ s Health Centre .

“ These much-needed funds will help provide emergency crisis intervention and support for women and children , including domestic violence counselling / case management , emergency backpacks , food , overnight accommodation and transport ,” a club spokesperson said .

“ Women and children going through domestic and family violence are at risk of homelessness which is a huge factor that may impact their wellbeing .” This year marks the 17th annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout evening ( 23 June ).

The coordinated event sees business leaders from across Australia sleep outdoors for one winter night to raise funds to support the many Australians who are experiencing homelessness and people at risk of homelessness .

This year , the charity aims to raise over $ 9 million . In 2021 , the sleep-out raised over $ 9.3 million .

Here are some of our wonderful entries . Thank you to all who entered .

WINNER Best Holiday Selfie

WINNER Best Hotel Photo LILLIAN VERKROOST-CLARK

MORGAN COSTA

WINNER Best Local Attraction Photo ANNA PIJACA

16 ISSUE 16 // JULY 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT