A moving photo taken at Wreck Bay of Melinda Wellington earlier this year has been recognised nationally.
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The photo was taken in January 2023 by ACM photographer Sylvia Liber as part of a series of stories.
The stories detailed how Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) - a "forever chemical" used by firefighters - leached its way through the land and water and how the Indigenous community is now dealing with the aftermath.
Devastating illness and death plague the village of 200 in the Jervis Bay region, with heart attacks, strokes, and cancers becoming all too familiar.
The survivors bare the scars to show it.
Ms Wellington was just 31 when she was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2021.
"I remember I just cried so much to the point I was howling," Melinda, now 32 and living in Bomaderry, said when interviewed for the story by ACM journalist Grace Crivellaro.
Many Wreck Bay residents believe the cause of illness and increased deaths is linked to PFAS.
The ACM annual news awards aim to showcase and celebrate the best of regional journalism across all daily and non-daily mastheads.
The awards were held in Sydney on Monday night, December 11.
Sylvia's award-winning photo of Melinda Wellington took out the News Photo of the Year (Daily) category, along with Gary Ramage from the Canberra Times for his portrait of Ukrainian ballerina Mie Nagasawa.
