Among a crowd of 1,100 attendees, Ms Vitler felt awed by the spectacle of the occasion, and said that it was a struggle to find words for her acceptance speech. 

“It was a bit daunting when you were then asked to say a speech when you’re not prepared to win anything at all,” Ms Vitler said. 

“Initially I was in a bit of shock. When they called out Yass Gymnastics, I was sitting there thinking ‘Did I actually hear right?’”

Ms Vitler was originally nominated at the start of this month, and she was one of over 2,000 entrants in her category. 

Aside from winning the award, Ms Vitler said that she enjoyed the night because it was a rare opportunity for small business owners to shine. 

“It’s a great function for all the small business owners to be seen and appreciated for the work that they do,” she said. 

“There’s so many small businesses out there and we work long hours with very little credit. 

“These awards, they’re just wonderful.” 

The awards also incorporated information sessions across the weekend from previous award winners and prominent small business owners, which provided Ms Vitler with a great deal of inspiration. 

“A lot of previous winners of the categories came in and told their story and how they got to where they are and all the hardships they had to go through to get to that point,” she said. 

“We came out at the end of the day feeling quite refreshed and eager and keen to get back to work and go hard.” 

President of the Yass Valley Business Chamber, Michael Pilbrow, expressed his delight earlier in the month, saying that “the Yass Valley really does punch above its weight when it comes to business.

“And the fact that it’s such a healthy business that encourages such healthy activity for kids and now adults, I think it’s such a wonderful thing.”