Cowell Ute Club was the winner of the Elders Community Group award for its fundraising efforts for AngelFlight at the Cowell Ute Muster, narrowly beating out fellow locals the Darke Peak Legends Festival.

At the same time, Cowell Electric received the Westpac Large Business award for the second time in three years.

The Gold Factory, in Tumby Bay was winner of the Innovation award while Tumby Bay Bakery was a finalist in the Westpac Small Business category.

Other local finalists included the Arno Bay Estuary Group, Cowell’s Commercial Hotel, Fuzzell’s Fishing Adentures and Pam Chesson of Cleve.

“We’re pretty excited – this is a real coup for Cowell,” Cowell Electric Supply spokeswoman Meagan Franklin said. “It’s a reflection of the community’s vibrant nature and a continuing recognition of the hard work that people do at Cowell Electric.

“We think the award is recognition that Cowell Electric Supply has continued to grow in the past year, despite the impacts of the global financial crisis.”

Cowell Ute Club spokesman Gavin Jackson said the group was “pretty chuffed” to even be nominated for the award but to actually win was “humbling”.

“We’re so proud to stand in the company of volunteers like the Darke Peake Legends Festival and Arno Bay Estuary Group, and it’s a real privilege to walk away with the prize considering the standard of the competition,” Gavin said. “This shows that we’re more than just a ute club - we’re a community fundraiser with a commitment to our region and this prize is a great promotion for next year’s event.”