Victorian Senior of the Year Awards 2009
The annual Victorian Senior of the Year Awards celebrates the talents and achievements of senior Victorians and the contribution they make their communities. Awards are presented in four categories
- Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year – presented to a senior who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her local community and Victoria.
- Go for your life’ Award – presented to a senior who epitomises healthy and active living and acts as a role model for his or her community;
- Veteran Community Award – presented to a senior who has made an exceptional contribution to the veteran community.
- Council on the Ageing (COTA) Senior Achiever Awards – presented to individuals for significant accomplishments achieved since reaching the age of 60 years, including contribution at the local community level.
The 12 winners of this year’s awards were announced by the Minister for Senior Victorians, Lisa Neville, at Government House on Friday 2 October, in the lead-up to the Victorian Seniors Festival.
Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year
Elizabeth Walpole, 74, Whorouly
Elizabeth has made an exceptional contribution to the communities of Whorouly, Wangaratta and Myrtleford communities. She started volunteering by doing tax returns for people who were financially disadvantaged. She then became a palliative care volunteer with Northeast Health in Wangaratta and still visits palliative patients at least once a week.
In 1994 Elizabeth was a founding member of the Whorouly Land Care Group, helping to improve farming practices by providing information and advice to farmers. Aware that many women on farms were isolated, Elizabeth learned computer skills through Women’s Web and shared her skills other women, encouraging them to use technology to stay in touch with each other and their communities.
Elizabeth is currently a director of the Ovens and King Community Health Service Board. She is also pursuing her passion for East Timor and, as a member of the Wangaratta “Friends of Lacluta”, has helped raise funds for this East Timorese village and even visited the village twice herself.
Elizabeth’s active lifestyle is an inspiration to her neighbours, friends, colleagues and fellow volunteers. She is a keen bushwalker and bike rider and can often be seen cycling along local bush tracks. In October 2009, she went on her second walking tour in Italy.
Veteran Community Award
John Filmer, 76, Dandenong North
Long since retired, John Filmer has made an outstanding contribution to the veteran community as full-time volunteer for ex-services organisations including the RSL, providing advice to veterans as well as arranging housing, employment and support
He has worked closely with many culturally and linguistically diverse communities on veterans issues. He encouraged Muslim Turkish veterans to get involved in his local RSL and was active in brokering a deal between the Vietnamese Veterans Association and the Footscray RSL, bringing in new members for the RSL and given veterans from the Vietnamese community and their families a place to get together.
John took the initiative to have parcels sent to troops in Afghanistan, Timor and Iraq.
He is also the visitation officer for the Dandenong Cranbourne RSL, spending time with veterans in hospital, in rehab or at home. He is the Treasurer of the Dandenong RSL and the RSL Liaison Officer to the Thuruna Homes for the Aged, where he helps organise social activities for the residents.
‘Go for your life’ Award
Graham Gibson, 79, Portarlington
Graham Gibson has had a long involvement in the community and in local sport. As well as being a member of the Colac fire brigade for 50 years, Graham was an organiser of the Colac Six Day race and a founding and life member of the Colac Veteran Cycling Club. In Colac he was also involved with a local men’s club and DoCare, an organisation that helps elderly people.
Since retiring to Portarlington, he has started up the Portarlington Pedal Group, which provides a social forum for older people who have retired or are recently widowed. He helps people who haven’t cycled before by giving them encouragement as well as bicycles to use so they can have a go. He organises weekly cycling trips to the countryside and an annual social event for the clubs 60-odd members. He has also been a front rider for visually impaired riders.
Graham repairs and rebuilds bikes, which he donates to Geelong’s Glastonbury Child and Family Services and the Portarlington Primary School. In the aftermath of the bushfires, he sent 50 rebuilt bikes to the Kinglake/Marysville area for adults and children. He has also donated 25 bikes to refugees in Geelong.
Graham is also relied upon by a few local women in Portarlington to help with their gardening and general maintenance.
Besides cycling, Graham enjoys keeping active by walking and doing strength training.
COTA Victoria Senior Achievers Awards
Fred Kent, 81 Bentleigh East
For more than 35 years Fred Kent has been a valued and active member of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices and was made a Life Member by the Association in recognition of his dedication.
Today Fred still does almost a full week’s voluntary work per week, visiting the elderly and the sick to help them with documentation. He also acts as an independent witness for children and young people and as an independent third party in interviews with people with a mental or physical disability.
Fred also assists with the training of Justices, and is currently training as a mediator in neighbourhood disputes. In his spare time, he is writing a history of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices for its centenary in 2010.
Phyllis Vaughan, 74, Warrambool
Phyllis Vaughn is a positive and energetic volunteer who continues to be involved in a wide range of community activities. She volunteers for more than 20 hours a week as the manager of the Warrnambool Red Cross shop, where she coordinates the staff rosters, trains the volunteers and looks after the accounts and banking. She also provides a ‘taxi’ service for older people and helps them with medical appointments.
Phyllis is also passionate about craft, baking and making preserves for charitable fund-raising events. She is an avid supporter of the Warrnambool Agricultural show and has been awarded for her craft and baking contributions.
Malcolm Calder, 76, Steel Creek
Dr Malcolm Calder is the former Head of the School of Botany and Deputy Dean of the University of Melbourne.
Since retiring Malcolm has used his expertise in botany, conservation and natural history to advocate for the environment. He gives public talks and leads walks to raise awareness about the value of the parks and reserve systems.
He is Chair of the Yarra Catchment Committee within the Port Philip and Westernport CMA, and an active member of the Healesville Environment Watch. He also provides voluntary advice and expertise to the Victorian National Parks Association and the Victorian Field Naturalist Club.
After the recent bushfires, Malcolm was active in regenerating and replanting environmentally sensitive areas using Indigenous vegetation.
Ken Carr, 80, Red Cliffs
Ken Carr is known for the positive and enthusiastic outlook on life and strong work ethic that he brings to his ongoing voluntary work in the Mildura and Mallee region.
Ten years ago Ken agreed to help with Chances for Children, a project aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for the children of Mallee. Today the program has received state and national recognition, and has raised more than $2 million, which has supported more than 700 young people in pursuing their education. This is in large part due to Ken, who has worked as a full time volunteer for the program at Mallee Family Care.
Ken is also on the board of the Northern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network, which helps young people in the area move from education to work.
Thelma Mansfield, 76, Moorabin
Thelma Mansfield’s contribution to the Moorabin, Kingston and Glen Eira communities has spanned many organisations and areas of passion. At the Children Protection Society, she counsels sexually-abused children, while with Meals on Wheels, she delivers hot meals to the elderly and the sick. She also helps older people by making home visits and transporting them to doctors’ appointments.
Her many years of dedicated services to her local community has previously been recognised with a Centenary Medal.
Thelma also takes an interest in local government, and she advocates for seniors on legal matters and encourages them to stay socially and physically active.
Alan Kneebone, 75, Shepparton
Alan Kneebone has made an outstanding contribution to the community in many ways. Since retiring from the Victorian Department of Education, Alan has been involved in the Shepparton Probus club, the Golf Club and the Croquet Club, but his main passion has been the Ave Maria Community Village gardens.
Alan led the establishment of a beautiful garden at the village, which was awarded best community garden by the City of Greater Shepparton. He also generously gives his time as a bus driver taking older people to social events.
Alan has worked with the Dhurringile Prison to help prisoners nearing release get involved in gardening as a way of boosting their self confidence and self esteem. For his work with Dhurringile, he received an award from the Department of Corrective Services.
Bill McPherson, 83, Seabrook
Bill McPherson has led to the creation of several highly valued Men’s Sheds in western Melbourne, miotivated by his belief that Men’s Sheds are great for local communities, contributing to mental health, engagement and social wellbeing.
In 2007, Bill founded the Around Altona Community Newspaper as a voice for residents and to raise funding for the Altona Men’s Shed Projects. He printed, folded and stapled 1000 copies of the first 24-page newsletter on his own. In a short time it has become a well-supported publication.
Bill is also the brain behind the Westage Computer Group. The group collects old computers from various industries, repairs and upgrades them and then gives them to schools or individuals who do not have computers. Hundreds of people, especially older people, have benefited from this project.
Winifred Hamlyn, 86, Nhill
Winifred Hamlyn is known for her inspirational work to support older people in her local community, visiting older people in hospital and at aged care homes and inspiring others to live active lives.
Winifred has been a member of the Country Women’s Association for more than 30 years, and was recently involved in distributing drought relief packs to women throughout rural Australia. She also plays an integral part in Cooinda, a centre for people with a disability, where she is President of the Auxiliary.
Other organisations that have benefited from Winifred’s tireless volunteer work include The Lowana Drop-in Centre, the Red Cross, the Blind Auxiliary and the Nhill Agricultural and Pastorol Society.
Merle Hall, 79, Bendigo
Merle Hall has used her skills and professional approach to progress a wide range of community projects. A fearless and intensely passionate individual, she has helped shape the Greater Bendigo and Loddon-Campaspe communities over many decades.
Merle has served on countless boards and committees, including being the driving force behind the Loddon Campaspe Centre Against Sexual Assault and the development of the Capital Theatre as the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre.
Read about previous winners
2008 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards
2007 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards
Web Site Updates
DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department for Victorian Communities (DVC) as changes are being made.
Linked page opens in a new window