A man who has devoted his life to community service, a young woman who has overcome obstacles in her life and is now giving back to her community and an event highlighting the produce of the Adelaide Plains have been recognised in the Australia Day Awards for 2018.

 Australia Day Council Interim Executive Officer, Emma Chidlow said the Australia Day Awards recognise the commitment of great South Australians who often work unnoticed, to make their communities a better place for all Australians,

 “The Australia Day Awards recognised those outstanding efforts made by people all around South Australia. The actions of the 2018 recipients is something special that enriches the lives of those around them,” she said.

 “They don’t do it for the praise, or for the recognition – they do it simply because it helps people in their communities.

 “These are the unsung heroes that we pay tribute to on Australia Day, and I congratulate all Award recipients for the outstanding contribution that they have made to their community, and that helps make Australia such a great place to live.”

 This year’s Australia Day Award winners are:

 

South Australian Citizen of the Year:                     
Edward Roberts of the District Council of Tumby Bay

South Australian Citizen of the Year (commendation):
Dr  Robert Irving of the City of Prospect

 South Australian Young Citizen of the Year:       
Stephany Martin of Campelltown City Council

South Australian Community Event of the Year:  
Adelaide Plains SACWA – Plains on a Plate (Wakefield Regional Council)

                                                                               

The Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures:
Manal Younus

The Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures (Commendation):             
Apiu Nyang

 

Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award: 
Sarah Gun

Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award (Commendation):
Margaret Hampel

MEDIA NOTE: The Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Hieu Van Le AO, will present the recipients with their awards in a ceremony at Government House on Monday January 22 at 6:30pm.

About The 2018 Australia Day Awards Recipients:

Citizen of the Year Awards 2018

South Australia’s Citizens of the Year 2018:

Edward Roberts (District Council of Tumby Bay)

Edward Roberts known affectionately known as Ned, has quietly and generously contributed to the community of Tumby Bay and its surrounding districts.  Ned has given over 25 years’ service to the Rovers Cricket Club. During this time he captained the team for many years as well as representing the Tumby Bay Association at Inter-Association level. He was nominated in their “Team of Half a Century”. Ned was also an active member of the Tumby Bay Football Club, both as a player and active club member including treasurer. He was also selected to represent Great Flinders in the Mortlock Shield.

Ned has devoted his life to community service, in his working life as District Clerk of Tumby Bay District Council where he oversaw the huge expansion of Tumby Bay and Pt Neil which was a major contribution to the District’s growth and future development.

This included, the northern, southern and marina projects. He was also the prime mover in the inception of Aged Homes and remains an active member since leaving the Council.  His work with Council went way beyond normal working hours and extended his services beyond the role by being active across the District in school and community life.

Ned was the inaugural Treasurer for Tumby Bay and District Financial Services (Community Bank) from 2012-2016 and still remains in the capacity of Treasurer and provides many hours per week providing the support for the Community Company.  He is also an Ambassador for the Community Bank. Through the dedicated and hard work of Ned and others the Cleve agency was born in April 2016. His contribution to this endeavour has been highly valued by the community.

He has been an active member of Lions, Catholic Community in Tumby Bay and a Justice of the Peace for 38 years. Through his marriage to Madelynn they have inspired their four children as active citizens in their own communities.

Ned is an exemplar to all of us, of a life lived in service and community.

South Australia’s Citizens of the Year (Commendation) 2018:

Robert Irving from City of Prospect (Dr Bob)

 Dr Bob approached the then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in 1996 offering his services as a veterinary surgeon to remote indigenous communities. His offer was passed on to Nganampa Health Council (NHC) and Dr Bob subsequently started working on the NHC Dog Health Program. Dr Bob has given NHC 22 years of consistent service. The program has been funded by the Australian government and the dog health program operates in the APY lands. The closet veterinary practise is in Alice Springs which is 500 kms from the APY lands. The aim of the program is to reduce the risk of transmission of the zoonotic diseases from dogs to humans, to control the size of the population of dogs and to humanely and strategically remove sick or troublesome dogs from the communities. In a 10 year period from 2003 to 2013 Dr Bob has administered close to 18,000 doses of the parasitic control agent, over 3000 doses of the fertility drug and put down close to 3,000. The benefits of his work are enormous. Dogs now do not suffer the consequences of mange caused by scabies mite and do not have the weeping lesions around their ears. Dog numbers have been controlled and reduced since the start of the program. He also works in Western Australia and the Northern Territory often in very remote locations. He is also worked in over 20 communities in an around central Australia, Arnhem Land and Cape York in Queensland.

Dr Bob has been at the forefront of providing professional veterinary services on a sustained basis. His truly unique role and outstanding services has greatly reduced the risk to children and adults of contracting skin infections, diarrheal diseases and chronic gut parasitic conditions. A unique character and one who has undertaken important work for the Australian community. A truly unsung citizen.

South Australia’s Young Citizens of the Year 2018

Stephany Martin (Campbelltown City Council).

Stephany grew up on a settlement just over an hour out of Mildura to a young mum, in the midst of one of the worst droughts in Australian history. She took on the opportunity to support her family during the tough economic time by cleaning her local school every night and other jobs.  She discovered Art and exhibited pieces in Sydney, Mildura and Broken Hill.  After graduating from high school she had the ambition to study law and to join the Rotary Club of Campbelltown (the youngest member of the District at the time), she went on to complete various Rotary Youth Leadership programs. She has taken on International Director of the Rotary Club of Campbelltown, coordinating International Women’s Day dinners and a $60,000 project raising funds for FIJI. She has coordinated other events for Rotary and temporarily joining the Council’s YAC. Stephany also chartered the Rotaract Club of Sturt, and has been the Chair of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards/Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment District Committee and awarded the Rotary District 9520 New Generations Best Project Award in 2017 for her successful programs. She remains involved in several Rotary committees advancing the mission of Rotary. 

Stephany, selfless contribution to the community has been relentless.  During peak times of study her contribution to the community and Rotary has remained constant, driving initiatives for disadvantaged children. Stephany is an inspiring young leader, with years of dedicated service to the community.

South Australia’s Community Event of the Year 2018:

Adelaide Plains SACWA -Plains on a Plate. (Wakefield Regional Council).

Adelaide Plains SACWA group- Plains on a Plate. This event exemplifies a true community led event bringing the whole community together with a focus on food highlighting the produce of the Adelaide Plains.  The Adelaide Plains CWA group conceptualised this event.  Over  1,000 people attended,  drawing the whole community together including the local school community, various rural industries, the Owen Hall committee, local golf, bowls, basketball and tennis clubs,  the Wakefield Regional Council, CWA, Owen Ag Bureau members,  local CFS members, Owen Community Centre and community volunteers.

This event is a great example of a community working together to showcase local produce, build community connectedness and celebrate a successful community event.

The Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures 2018

Provided by the Minister for Education and Child Development through the Multicultural Education and Languages Committee (MELC)

MELC is a ministerial advisory committee that provides advice to the Minister for Education and Child Development  in the interrelated areas of languages education, multicultural education and the internationalisation of education. MELC works collaboratively with educational and community organisations towards ensuring that education for all students is enriched by the value of engagement with linguistic and cultural diversity and that young people learn to operate with sophistication and ease with diverse people.

This Award is for people aged 24 years or younger, who have demonstrated a commitment to a multicultural Australia including community leadership  and the capability to operate across languages and cultures. 

Associate Professor Angela Scarino, Chair of the Multicultural Education and Languages Committee said;

“In all parts of our personal and working lives we interact with people of diverse knowledge, cultures, world views and values. Our young people need to develop intercultural capabilities to engage with people who speak different languages and come from different cultural life worlds in order to participate successfully in our ever-changing world.

I commend our Award winners for their leadership in inspiring and empowering other young people participate and engage in linguistic and cultural diversity, to reflect on their own identities and to consider other perspectives”.

 

The Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures 2018

Manal Younus

Manal is a young Muslim women of Eritrean origins, who through her storytelling, community work and advocacy has been a great contributor to the national discussion on linguistic and cultural diversity, what it means to be different and how to be an agent of change. Through her poetry and performance Manal has encouraged and empowered others to find and develop their own voices.

Manal has supported new arrivals and refugees and developed programs to elevate the national conversation around refugees, immigration and multiculturalism, through her work with Welcome to Australia -  a non-for-profit organisation that aims to cultivate a culture of welcome to our nation.

With the ActNow Theatre, Manal staged award-winning interactive theatre performances that identify and confront racism. Through these workshops Manal has engaged communities and schools in discussions about racism and cultural safety and has assisted high school students and community leaders to develop practical skills for ‘responding to racism’.

Manal is a spoken word (performance) poet and storyteller who has used her poetry not only to explore her own sense of identity but also to provoke discussion relating to issues of linguistic and cultural diversity, racism and prejudice. Manal has worked with other refugees to develop and perform poems that share their stories of persecution, displacement and freedom.

 Manal has encouraged others to question perspectives in order to bring about change and encourage all Australians to engage with and embrace diversity.

 

The Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures 2018 (Commendation)

Apiu Nyang

Apiu is a young South Sudanese Australian who arrived in Australia in 2006. Apiu is passionate about her own culture and engagement with linguistic and cultural diversity. She has supported young people to embrace their own cultural identity and to share their own experiences, languages and cultures to teach and lead others.

Known for her drive and passion, not only for her own culture, but as a voice for many others, Apiu is a strong advocate for newly arrived refugees through her role as Youth Ambassador with the Australian Refugee Association. In her school life at Nazareth Catholic College Apiu has been a leader in the schools culture club and instrumental in enabling educators to help plan focused activities around cultural integration and and experiencing diverse languages and cultures.  Through her advocacy, poetry, speeches and presentations she is a young woman that shines a spotlight on volunteerism, advocacy and social justice.

 

2018 Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award:

Sponsored by the Office for Women

This award recognises women who have made an outstanding contribution during the current year or given outstanding service to the community over a number of years

 

2018 Recipient for Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award:

Sarah Gun

Sarah Gun is a passionate advocate and entrepreneur who established Gogo events as a social enterprise with the explicit aim of training homeless and disadvantaged people to produce décor items and event materials, then employ these trainees to install their events. Through her work with Gogo events Sarah goes to significant lengths, by committing to environmental and socially sustainable practises in all areas of event design. Gogo events are a pathway to employment partner and in the first 6 months of 2016-17 together with the Hutt Street Centre created 100 plus paid work opportunities. Through Sarah’s work and the partnerships she has created Sarah is changing lives and empowering people to build their confidence and capacity.

Sarah is on fundraising committee for the annual Big Lunch, raising funds for the Big Issue. She acts as a broker between corporate clients who value corporate social responsibility, the agencies supporting disadvantaged women and has been instrumental in creating paid and meaningful work for people experiencing homelessness. It is Sarah’s desire to create lasting social change to the event industry and tackling entrenched disadvantage that has been inspirational.

 

 

2018 Commendation for Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award:

Margaret Hampel

 Margaret Hampel has been an outstanding contributor to the South Australian Country Women’s Association. Margaret has been a member for over 60 years and has been a key member of the Loxton district, state wide and the Pacific region through the associated activities of the association and SACWA’s Women of the World activities.  On many occasions she has been the friendly face of the organisation, assisting women experiencing domestic violence, during times of bushfires as well as encouraging women to learn new skills and connecting them to other women in the organisation in order to draw support. Margaret was instrumental with her Loxton District Branch Members in the making of 55 quilted rugs for the APY lands all from donated fabrics.

As State Treasurer for SACWA  in 1996, she was the overseer of a complete overhaul of the organisation’s financial structures to ensure the increased efficiency and financial coherence of the organisation so it could more readily respond to women and children across the State.

Today we recognise Margaret Hampel’s generosity, ability to help others in the community and as a woman who has given so much to the South Australian community.

Ends.

Copies of photos of award recipients from the Ceremony can be obtained by request