Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Dr Berhan Ahmed
African-Australian community leader
In 1987, Dr Berhan Ahmed came to Australia as a refugee from Africa with little English. He has since completed his PhD in Agricultural Science and is now a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Dr Ahmed has been instrumental in building bridges between the African and wider Australian communities. He has initiated a number of projects for Melbourne's African community to raise their standard of living, educational engagement and achievement, level of employment, and integration. He has personally supported many newly-arrived refugees, and actively inspired and encourages young people in shaping their own futures with a confidence that comes from a sense of pride in their identity and respect and trust of every Australian.
Paul Briggs OAM
Indigenous leader
Paul Briggs is a Yorta Yorta man from Shepparton with a wealth of experience across the issues of Aboriginal community development. He was the founding chair of the First Nations Australian Credit Union, the first Indigenous credit union offering national access to financial services, and the founding president of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club. In 2005, Paul was the first Indigenous man to join the Council of the University of Melbourne in its 150-year history. Paul works quietly, modestly and patiently towards improving the lives of his people.
Don Henry
Environmental campaigner
Don Henry first began campaigning for the environment as a student when he discovered plans to sand mine Moreton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. As Australian director of the World Wide Fund for Nature he co-chaired a global forest initiative to conserve 250 million hectares of forests. In 1998, he took up the position of Executive Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Through all his work he has succeeded in generating grassroots support for conservation among both rural and city people.
Rachel Stanfield-Porter
Charity founder
Rachel Stanfield-Porter lost two babies before she was able to have a healthy child. Concerned about the lack of support available, she founded the Bonnie Babes Foundation to help other families struggling with the emotional pain of loss, and reduce the number of babies that die each year. Fourteen years later the organisation has been overwhelmingly successful. Rachel now manages a team of 1,000 volunteers and provides, through fundraising, vital equipment to hospitals to save the lives of newborns. With limited resources she has built one of Australia's leading authorities in the area of perinatal loss, grief counselling and pregnancy loss issues.
Senior Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Susan Alberti AO
Diabetes campaigner
Susan Alberti has invested a great deal of time and energy into voluntarily supporting those suffering from diabetes. She is President of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Australia, and in 1992, helped found the annual Walk for the Cure to raise money for diabetes research. She has chaired the organising committee for the Juvenile Diabetes Ball in Melbourne for most of its 24 years, and in 1995 was the first Australian to join the International Board of Chancellors Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. She has also established the Diabetes Discovery Wing at Monash University, the Susan Alberti Complications Unit in Parkville, and a memorial centre for diabetes complications at the Baker Research Institute.
Stephanie Alexander OAM
Chef and author
Stephanie Alexander is one of Australia's most renowned and acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. Stephanie's Restaurant was an icon on the Melbourne dining scene from 1976, pioneering techniques and ways of looking at ingredients, and championing small producers before anyone else understood the importance of this. She has published 11 books and her famous bestseller, The Cook's Companion, has sold more than 400,000 copies. She developed a comprehensive gardening and cooking program at the Collingwood College in 2001, and set up a foundation to help build kitchen garden programs in other schools. Stephanie is highly respected for her dedication to promoting Australian culinary resources and educating future generations.
Don Burrows AO MBE
Jazz legend
Don Burrows has been at the forefront of the jazz world for most of his 65 years in the business. Renowned for his musicianship and enthusiastic support of his fellow jazz musicians, he is an internationally-respected figure who has been touring annually to great acclaim since 1960. He is one of the world's finest interpreters of the jazz tradition, playing flute, clarinet and saxophone. He is also a composer and arranger of great note, and has released close to 40 albums. Throughout his career Don's musicianship and ability to communicate his passion for music have become legendary.
Pat LaManna OAM
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Having come from a poor background himself, Pat LaManna readily relates to the misfortunes of others, and over the years has given to countless charities. He founded the Lions Club of the Melbourne Markets in 1972, and under his leadership it became the highest fundraising Lions Club in Australia. He also started the Hand-to-Hand Appeal for the Bionic Hands Department at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, raising $198,000, and the Pat LaManna Cancer and Research Stroke Foundation that has raised $1.5 million. These are but a few of the generous contributions Pat has made to the community, serving it with energy and devotion.
Young Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Kelly Cartwright - 19
Paralympic athlete
When she was 15, Kelly Cartwright was diagnosed with a rare type of soft tissue cancer and, on doctor's advice, had her leg amputated just above the knee. She has now been cancer free for four years, and 18 months ago she began running with the help of a carbon fibre running leg. She was soon running within a second of the world mark for the 100m sprint and was selected to go to the Beijing Paralympics where she came sixth in her event. In a very short space of time Kelly has come through a huge ordeal to compete at the highest level.
Leigh Mathews - 27
Charity founder
At just 23 years of age Leigh Mathews founded the Future Cambodia Fund, an organisation working with disadvantaged children and their families in Cambodia. In just four years she has made an enormous difference, with programs including remedial education; health and dental support; recreational activities for children; and a water, sanitation and health program to educate women. She has also built a children's centre which now has 160 children in attendance. Despite devastating setbacks and enormous hurdles to overcome Leigh has never wavered in her vision and commitment. She demonstrates that when you truly believe in what you are doing you can achieve anything.
Ellen Sandell - 23
Environmental advocate
Ellen Sandell is passionate about protecting our environment and making a better world for everyone. In 2007, she conceived and single-handedly organised LEAP (Leadership in Environmental Action Program), an environmental conference designed to fill a gap in environmental education and leadership training for high school students. As Environment Officer of the University of Melbourne Student Union, she was instrumental in getting the university to commit to 50 per cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2010 and becoming carbon neutral by 2030. She is also currently the Victorian Schools Coordinator of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Ellen has already done so much to protect our environment and empowers others to do the same.
Jing Zhang - 28
Deaf community volunteer
Jing Zhang was born with a bilateral profound hearing loss and has always volunteered to help the deaf community. In 2002, she represented the Victorian Services for Deaf Children at the DeafWay International Conference, organised by the Gallaudet University in Washington DC, and in 2005 she volunteered at the twentieth Deaflympic Games. In addition, Jing helps deaf children with their studies, teaches Auslan sign language to those interested in communicating with the deaf, and meets parents of deaf children who are unsure how to cope with their child's disability. Jing is a positive role model who demonstrates that deafness should not get in the way of study, work and life.
Australia's Local Hero Finalists 2009
Dr Rhonda Galbally AO
Richmond
Social justice advocate
Dr Rhonda Galbally has focused her life's work on making our society more equitable. After 25 years in the business, philanthropic and government sectors, she used her extensive knowledge to establish Our Community. It offers an online hub of resources, training and advice for Australia's 700,000 community organisations in fundraising, grant seeking, governance, marketing and formation of partnerships with business, local, state and federal governments. She is committed to empowering community organisations by providing them with practical resources in the belief that it will allow Australia's social infrastructure to become strong, influential, vibrant and allow us to achieve our greatest potential.
Father Joe Giacobbe
Melbourne
Charity founder
Father Joe Giacobbe's involvement with inner-suburban Melbourne parishes made him acutely aware of the difficulties facing families and young people. He wanted to help improve their circumstances and so in 1972 he established Doxa Youth Foundation. Through Doxa, Father Joe has now helped 150,000 children through a variety of programs, including two schools for at-risk children; a city camp for country kids and a country camp for city kids; a tertiary cadetship program; an Indigenous football and netball club; a rural Back to School program; and an Indigenous school program. Father Joe is giving young people the opportunity to achieve their own potential and strive for greatness.
Craig Schepis
Ballarat
Homelessness campaigner
Craig Schepis is passionate about helping the homeless, and is constantly trying to raise awareness of the issue through media, public speaking and documentaries. For his documentary One Month Before Christmas, which screened on pay TV, Craig spent a night on the streets of Ballarat to give viewers a firsthand idea of what it is like. He has also created a community bus to provide food and support to the town's homeless. In addition Craig is the ambassador for White Ribbon Day, which highlights the issue of violence against women, and is filming a documentary on the subject.
Beverley Wall
Woomelang
Town hero
Woomelang has a small population of 200 and Bev Wall has worked tirelessly to maintain its services. When the local post office faced closure she not only bought it to ensure postal services were maintained, but also expanded its role to meet gaps left by the closure of other postal services in the region. When the local supermarket closed, Bev again expanded the post office to supply groceries. The local garage was the next to go, but Bev began ordering fuel and organised a roster of volunteers to man a petrol depot that she set up. These are just a few of the ways Bev has kept her town alive.
