SOUTH AUSTRALIA

South Australian Community Achievement Awards

2022 Finalists

Office for Ageing Well Tackling Ageism Award

• The Art Bus developed a community visual art program called Art Around the Table (AATT) in 2018. AATT is specifically tailored to individual psychosocial needs of older people that also nurtures their self-expression and storytelling through the visual arts. It is cross-generational and brings people together to make art, share stories, and drink tea. The Art Bus delivers the program weekly or fortnightly.

 

• Australian Refugee Association (ARA) delivers the Zimala Project to tackle ageism by bringing together and empowering older men in refugee and migrant communities. The Project connects people with organisations such as health information lines and government services. It also provides opportunities to explore new hobbies and connect through social games. There have been 15 excursions or group activities with 100 people attending so far.

 

• Kapunda Senior Citizens Club offers a non-threatening facility and programs where people can feel safe and reach their goals without fear of discrimination, especially in relation to age. They offer a choice of activities emphasising social interaction, including an art group, fitness classes, indoor bowls, the Founding Seniors group, Social Saturday, and other ad-hoc activities. Kapunda Senior Citizens Club works closely with the local council.

 

• Mindset for Life (M4L) was co-designed by older South Australians to challenge ageism by encouraging people to have an engaged and contemporary view of life in the years after paid work. From bitesize sessions to the full nine-hour program, it is based on peer conversations. Over 400 people have participated in the program and 200 continue to stay connected & share their experiences of tackling ageism.

 

• Embraced Inc presented the SA iteration of The Centenarian Portrait Project by Teenagers in 2022. This intergenerational arts program promotes intergenerational friendships, celebrates life at 100 and fights the negative ageing stigma. Embraced partnered 80 SA super seniors with 80 emerging SA artists, who undertook a life-affirming intergenerational process developing portraits of their centenarian subjects, culminating in an exhibition.

 

Jones Harley Toole Community Safety Award

• Sammy D Foundation is a violence prevention charity for young people and was established in response to the death of 17-year-old Sam Davis. Their “Monkey See Monkey Do Program” reduces violence on and off the field by bringing together junior players, their parents and club officials to participate in a violence Prevention and positive role modelling education session.

 

• Encounter Youth is a not-for-profit charity. They implement the Encounter Youth Hindley Street Program, a program that utilises evidence-based, situational and social crime prevention theories to increase and promote safety. Trained Encounter Youth volunteers patrol Hindley Street every Saturday night between 11pm to 5am. Volunteers provide responsible supervision on a peer level and report to SA police in moments of need or vulnerability.

 

• Holly Scott survived a horror crash in 2017, where she sustained a brain injury, shattered pelvis and more. Holly now uses her harrowing ordeal to educate others about road safety as the inaugural Road Safety Ambassador of SA Police. In 2019, she spoke to an audience of 8,000 secondary students at the RAA Street Smart High event. Holly is also a peer mentor.

 

• Women's Safety Services SA (WSSSA) supports women and their children at risk of or experiencing domestic and family violence. A safety-first approach underpins WSSSA’s practice, ensuring that violence is recognised as soon as possible. WSSSA services include a 24/7 DV Crisis Line, Migrant Women’s Support Service, crisis accommodation services, Aboriginal-specific services, and integrated responses in partnership with services.

 

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award

• Development at Work Australia Pty Ltd is helping create good leaders so they can create great employment experiences. Development at Work helps organisations develop their ability to attract and retain talent via the Attracting and Retaining Talent and The Managers Role in Retention Masterclass. It facilitated “Next Steps for Mature Job Seekers”, which aimed to help jobseekers aged over 50 and at risk of being on benefits long-term.

 

• 54 31 Collective is a not-for-profit enterprise that provides rural creators with a platform to showcase their locally-made products and services. The Collective was also set up as a community hub for locals and visitors. Hosting creative workshops, events, a place for locals & tourists to gather aswell as a Business Centre, which can be utilised by the community or by visitors/local professionals needing a space to work from while in transit.

 

• BAROSSA KAYAK HIRE provides equipment and expertise for self and fully-guided kayaking, e-biking and hiking experiences. Tailoring delivery of the outdoors experience for groups and individuals of all abilities, customers complete an online pre-check-in. Adding value, they offer diverse tours collaborating with wellness partners, schools and community groups. Barossa Kayak Hire plays an active role in community events and development in the region.

 

• Communication eXtra is a specialised support coordination business for deaf and hard of hearing people. They offer a free advocacy service for the deaf and hard of hearing community to get advice when applying for NDIS. They have a weekly drop-in service, where they discuss how the scheme will benefit the new applicants long-term. They have serviced over 195 families in Australia since 2020.

 

• Chook's Little Winery Tours is bringing all wine lovers on their tours to showcase the McLaren Vale region. The business started in 2010 when founders Terry (Chook) McCoy and Kerry Mortimer felt the region needed a bespoke fun experience to remember. Chook’s work with guests to determine their preferences and sets the tour to accommodate and exceed their expectations.

 

Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Innovation in Mental Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award

• SA Lived Experience Leadership & Advocacy Network (LELAN) has strongly advocated bringing Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) systematically to South Australia after hearing from people with lived experiences of the need for peer-led, community-based support options for suicide distress and crisis. The first Alt2Su groups in SA commenced in September 2022. Individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts/feelings could have somewhere to go other than their GP, therapist or the emergency department.

 

• Mentally Fit EP is upskilling people living on the Eyre Peninsula to be ‘mentally fit’. Mentally Fit EP provides a range of positive promotional, early intervention, and educational programs. The free “Take Charge of Your Life” and school-based “Mentally Fit ME” courses provide skills and resources to enable participants to better support themselves and to ‘flip mental illness on its head!’

 

• Taylor Anderson has written “Why don’t I have that?”, a children’s book aimed at reducing the negative impact of comparison culture on young children. Taylor has a lived experience of anorexia, an eating disorder, which was caused by comparing herself to others and over-exposure of images of ‘perfection’ in society. Sales of the book are donated to the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.

 

• Youth Opportunities Australia Limited has been delivering personal leadership programs and services to young people for over 25 years. Every program graduate receives two years of one-on-one support and workshops designed with young people to support them to continue to reach their goals. In 2021, Youth Opportunities engaged over 4,668 young people, working with 25 secondary and vocational education partners.

 

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award

• Mid Murray Suicide Prevention Network (MMSPN) was established in the mid-2010s following the death by suicide of four men in two years in the Sedan/Cambrai area. Some MMSPN members have completed training courses to assist residents and visitors, such as SafeTalk, Mental Health First Aid, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. In 2022, they collaborated with Country Arts SA in the screening of a mental health-related movie.

 

• Luke Higgins provides eyecare to regional and remote communities in South Australia. Luke has set up and run optometric eye care services for the Indigenous community health centres. Through his work in Low Vision care, Luke has provided blind sport classification for patients wanting to be involved and compete in blind sports. He also does charity work for the Royal Society for the Blind.

 

• Marree & District Progress Association Inc is a volunteer community organisation that provides social activities that assist with the local population’s health and wellbeing and gives stress relief from the ongoing drought and social isolation due to remoteness. The Association facilitates annual camel races, annual gymkhana, and weekly tennis and barbeques for six months to a year. It provides a worker for town maintenance and waste management services.

 

• Eyre Peninsula Community Foundation Inc created its Home Hospice Service to support the development of free end-of-life after-hours nursing care for terminally ill patients. After a successful trial, the Foundation partnered with Matthew Flinders Homes to provide clinical services to patients. The Foundation established the Eyre Peninsula Book Bazaar Charity Bookshop to fund the service. Seventy-six community members have accessed the Hospice Service since 2017.

 

Awards Australia Small Business Award

• You, Us and a Bus Op Shop Tours have taken thousands of savvy shoppers on fun tours with shopping discounts at Op Shops around metropolitan Adelaide. Partnering with charitable and community organisations, they promote awareness of the importance that Op Shops play in raising vital funds for the wider community and also how reuse, upcycling and sustainability helps the environment.

 

• Eyre Business is boosting economic resilience by upskilling and creating sustainable off-farm job opportunities for South Australian rural people. Eyre Business taps into the potential of underemployed or disadvantaged due to their location and exports business services from the regions to wider Australia. In 2022, Eyre Business partnered with its first major corporate client, achieved BAS agent registration, and more than doubled its staff.

 

• Ryde Clothing was started by Nathan Woodrow at the age of 16. Ryde recognises that brand is about community. Ryde now helps other business people and community leaders realise their capacity by sharing their learnings from the Ryde journey. Over the last year, it has diversified to a more sustainable business mode, developing the Ryde Design, Ryde Consulting and Ryde Summer Sessions.

 

• Sticky Pronk started as a school project to build a business with twenty dollars. Whilst researching for a product to sell, founder Noah Pronk learned that surf wax was made with chemicals and paraffin that harm oceans and reefs. Sticky Pronk was founded to provide all-natural, eco-friendly alternative surf products. They have sold thousands of blocks and gained 14 suppliers since 2017.

 

Community Centres SA The Loneliness Cure Award

• Morella Community Centre had identified a gap in local social activities available for men. They then began Bloke’s Brunch, an initiative that provides an inclusive brunch session where socially isolated men of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and abilities could enjoy a casual catch-up on a regular basis. Bloke’s Brunch is a collaboration with staff from Anglicare SA, who attend brunches and encourage conversation.

 

• D’Faces Of Youth Arts Inc welcomes young people to build their confidence and social connections through art. This year they’ve opened Good Nights, a safe space for young adults and teenagers to go on Saturday nights. Each week they’re invited to try a different creative challenge, and cook and eat together.

 

• Grandparents For Grandchildren SA (GFGSA) supports Grandparent and Kinship primary carers of children by providing practical support through peer group meetings, individual guidance and financial assistance. Many such carers are isolated, stressed and feel they have no-one to turn to. GFGSA’s experienced volunteers ensure carers are listened to, with all discussions facilitated in a safe environment through their state-wide GFGSA Villages or confidential telephone helpline.

 

• Kura Yerlo Aboriginal Men's Shed Program developed from the Zebra Finch Men’s Group, a grass roots response to concerns around the wellbeing of Aboriginal men in Western Adelaide. Throughout the years, Elders have supported Aboriginal men in learning how to make cultural items, and providing a safe place for reconnection with culture and community, reducing isolation and increasing wellbeing.

 

Woolworths Sports in the Community Award

• Adelaide Nepalese Cricket Association (ANCA) is making cricket sports available for all whilst giving back to the community. Some of their initiatives include an annual blood donation program, holding a cricket clinic for people with disability, and providing a platform to welcome international students into the community. ANCA also run a Multicultural Beach Cricket. From just 14 members in 2014, there are now over 400 members.

 

• Bikes Palya (Palya meaning Great in Pitjantjatjara) is a BMX program which has been delivered in the APY Lands and surrounding areas since 2005. The core principles of Bikes Palya are to divert Aboriginal youth from anti-social activities by engaging them in a healthy recreational riding to improve school retention and improve the health and fitness and community engagement of participants.

 

• Hub Gymnastics Club was established in 1985 by a group of volunteers to run a recreation gymnastics program. The Club has since embarked on delivering new programs for the community, allowing families access to professionally run classes with highly skilled coaches. They also offer school holiday gymnastics, after-school, and in-lesson gymnastics programs. Hub Gymnastics has around 750 members, with about 350 children on waitlist.

 

• South Augusta Football Club (SAFC) is a community minded family club setting standards on and off field, 3peat winners of the Council Community Events, the 2022 SGL Club of the Year for a record 6th time and a record 5peat of A Grade Premierships. They have raised over $60k for various causes. They aim to be the most community minded club they can be.

 

Australian Dental Foundation Community Welfare Innovation Award

• Project Potential Adelaide (PPA) is a disability support service primarily focusing on children and young adults with intellectual disabilities and learning delays. It offers individualised programs for clients and their families, including interactive lessons focused on literacy and communication. PPA provides a learning centre in the form of a housing unit, where students have the opportunity to experience real-world living skills alongside academics.

 

• Determined2 is a South Australian health provider built on the foundations of lived experience. Their innovative service of Immersion Therapy uses scuba equipment to provide movement-based exercise and activities to people living with a disability or injury. Their person-centred, co-designed approach is intended to accommodate participants’ individual needs and goals while maintaining participants’ choice and control.

 

• Kaleb Wilden introduced the NeuroTherapy Rehabilitation Program to service residents in the Adelaide Hills region living with acquired brain injury. The Program is goal-based and tailored to the individual’s physical disabilities associated with their acquired brain injury. Kaleb also produces educational videos that are readily available and free to access. He has serviced over 1,900 patients since launching the Program in January 2022.

 

• Substance Misuse Limestone Coast (SMLC) is a unique organisation delivering health promotion, education, and advocacy across the Limestone Coast community, addressing the full scale of alcohol and other drug issues in the region. As part of our strategies, we partner with local, national, and international agencies to bring relevant, best practice resources to our community of 7 Local Government Areas.

 

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award

• Jan Wallent has cared for her husband, David, since he returned in 1967 from the Vietnam War. David has PTSD and has had other chronic diseases, needing full-time care. Jan was a Board Director for Carers SA. She also co-founded Partners of Veterans SA in 2003. She became a carer at the age of 6, when a relative living with them became unwell.

 

• Antoinette Edginton has cared for her 43-year-old son, Nathanael, who has an intellectual disability, Multi-handicapped and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. With the support of Antoinette, Nathanael has been able to live a full life, which includes working for Bedford Group for 38 hours weekly. In 1992, Antoinette became a carer for her now-deceased husband Wal, who was diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia.

 

• Callum Barrott-Walsh has been a carer for twelve years. He provides support to Jesse, his brother with Down Syndrome and a heart condition, and to his father with mental health issues and a brain injury. He has advocated for Jessie and facilitated Jesse’s inclusion and socialisation at school. Callum provides support for more than 60 hours weekly while managing school and community work.

 

• Stella Braund is an advocate for people living with mental ill-health and disabilities. In addition to her caring role, she provides advice regarding Mental Health policy, planning and safety on a range of committees for SA Health. Stella advocates for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities to ensure consumers, their carers and families receive appropriate support services and opportunities to live fulfilling lives.

 

Awards Australia Volunteer Award

• Christopher Wright is a 72-year-old volunteer. He spent 6 months cooking for 130 Volunteers during the Kangaroo Island bush fires. Christopher also cooks for the needy, including a homelessness Fundraiser for 220, and runs cooking classes for widowers and careers. A foundation member of Victor Harbor Men's Shed, Christopher helps others achieve more.

 

• Craig Scott is the President of Goodwood Saints Football Club (GSFC). Under his leadership, GSFC has implemented a Mental Health Early Assistance Program, where past and present players are offered five free sessions with a professional run by the Player Welfare Group. Craig has been involved with GSFC for 45 years. In 1992, he was instrumental in establishing the SANFL Inclusive League.

 

• Dawn Likouresis is a proud Adnyamathanha arrahanna woman who volunteers with the South Australian Aboriginal Football and Netball Sports Carnival. She also promotes healthy eating and healthy minds, and opens her home up for anyone to eat, sleep, or to sit and chat. She helps young people from all backgrounds to overcome mental health issues. Dawn raises awareness in domestic violence, the justice system, and substance misuse.

 

• Gill Golding is a hard-working volunteer. As Chairperson of the Hackham West Community Centre Board of Management, Gill is active at the Centre daily and makes herself available to staff, volunteers, and participants 24/7. She also sits on the Hackham West Children’s Centre Governing Council, Christies Beach High School Governing Council, People Matters Hackham West, and the Central North East District Reference Group.

 

 

2021 Finalists

Office for Ageing Well Tackling Ageism Award

• My Care Solution of Campbelltown
• Unyime Jasper of Woodville
• Helen Barrie of Adelaide

 

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award

• Road Trauma Support Team SA of Prospect
• Aboriginal Road Safety & Driver Licensing of Adelaide
• Heather Muller of Yahl

 

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award

• Juggle House Experiences of Mannum
• Meeting Place MV of McLaren Vale
• Out & About Clothing of Keith

 

Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Innovation in Mental Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award
• SA Lived Experience Leadership & Advocacy Network of Adelaide
• Growing with Gratitude of Hyde Park
• Youth Opportunities of Somerton Park
• Ski for Life of Mt Gambier

 

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award
• Yorke Peninsula Community Care and Transport of Minlaton
• Kimberley Pursche of Whyalla
• Health Focus of Port Augusta

 

Minister for Innovation and Skills Small Business Award
• Canoe the Coorong of Goolwa
• Barossa Helicopters of Lyndoch
• Australian Native Food Co. of Adelaide

Community Centres SA The Loneliness Cure Award
• UnitingSA Taperoo Community Centre
• Robertstown War Memorial Community Centre of Robertstown
• Silver Citz of Hackham West

 

Woolworths Sports in the Community Award
• Goodwood Saints Football Club of Millswood
• Adelaide Nepalese Cricket Association of Netley
• Afghan Cricket Club of Para Hills
• Fitzroy Community Club of Welland

 

Australian Dental Foundation Community Welfare Innovation Award
• Eldercare ElderPRIDE of Eastwood
• With Love Formalwear of Salisbury
• Cops for Kids of Welland

 

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award
• Ian Ward of Parafield Gardens
• Janine Warren of Kingscote
• Amy Liaw of Eastwood

 

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award
• Matthew Flinders Home Inc of Port Lincoln
• RSL Care SA of Myrtle Bank
• Pop-Up Community Care of Evandale

 

 

2020 Finalists

Prime Super Agricultural Achievement Award
Ben Morton is the Chief Technology Officer and an Executive Director at Bygen. They have developed a world-first, low-cost technology that uses agricultural waste to make activated charcoal. Farmers can utilise their waste in a carbon negative fashion and gain additional income from it. Bushfire risk is minimised through in-field waste reduction and the environment is cleaner with less greenhouse gas emissions.

FarmMap4D developed practical maps to provide graziers, property managers and their staff with an easy to use solution for mapping, assessing and monitoring property conditions, infrastructure, land resources and environmental factors. Originally part of a Sustainable Innovation Project funded by the Department of Agriculture, a comprehensive demonstration of the technology was completed, covering an area of over 50 million hectares. 

Measurement Engineering Australia introduced Green Brain, a web-based application that displays data recorded from on-farm soil moisture and weather monitoring systems and turns that data into meaningful information. The App has over 1,000 active users, reducing uncertainty, improving water use and keeping records of farm’s weather. MEA also developed an open API to allow third parties, with permit from growers, to develop different features.

 

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award
Matthew Flinders Home Inc. provides quality health care services. They have 134 employees; each has a specialty area and enjoys work-life balance and flexible working arrangements. Matthew Flinders provides training and development and encourages staff to make specific training requests. A Staff Member of the Month is recognised through voting. New employees and student placements are assigned a senior staff for buddy shifts. 

 

Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) Incorporated has been providing aged care and retirement living services for more than 50 years. Across all of their 50 sites, they have 2,700 staff and 430 volunteers. They have established a graduate community allied health program, graduate nursing program, Education and Training Hub and champion programs. Each year, the best and brightest staff are recognised at the Southern Stars Awards.

 

Tanunda Lutheran Home Inc is an aged care facility with independent living units. Owned by the Lutheran Church of SA, they have 200 staff; 102 are full-time employees and 90% are female. Staff have access to online training courses. There are also active Work Health and Safety processes to reduce serious work incidents. A chaplain staff is available for a higher level of support. 

 

Community Centres SA The Loneliness Cure Award
City of Marion Community - Neighbourhood Centres welcomed 50 new South Americans who were settling in their council area. They held a “Welcome Afternoon Tea”, and asked new settlers, “what’s important to you and your family in the next six to twelve months?” to open conversations. They held ESL classes weekly, along with a community barbecue for South Americans to share tables with locals and practise English skills.

 

Reynella Neighbourhood Centre held an online community event whilst in COVID-19 lockdown called “Where’s Ella from Reynella”. They applied for funding and an announcement was made via Facebook. The first person to send their picture with location wins a voucher. It created buzz and inspired people to send photographs to families and friends and have conversations over the initiative and engage with local people.

 

City of Playford - Elizabeth Rise Community Centre initiated Facebook LIVE interactions where community members have interacted with each other. Activities included Online Cooking, Rise & Shine Playgroup and Catch Ups. They introduced special guests including local store owners, helping acknowledge how tough the pandemic was for small businesses. The initiative also gave an opportunity for the community to understand and learn about the other facets of the Council.

 

Woolworths Sports in the Community Award
ACH Younger Onset Dementia Golf Program is a golfing initiative for people living with Younger Onset Dementia in collaboration with the Anne Maria Knight Golf Academy and coaching by a golf professional. It aims to make those living with Younger Onset Dementia be active, try a new activity, be mentally challenged and be socially engaged. This prepares better outcomes for the person with dementia and their carer.

 

Adelaide Nepalese Cricket Association is a multicultural organisation that provides opportunities for people from different cultural backgrounds to come together. They have a cricket program for Senior Men’s and have invested in capturing girls and women to participate in cricket. ANCA has been running the Woolworths Cricket Blast Programme since 2015. In 2019/2020, they started a cricket program for children and young people with disabilities.

 

Greenacres Tennis Club is promoting an inclusive environment. After almost being closed down in 2016 due to dipping numbers, they now have 120 members. They promote “book a court”, committing to run open court sessions, increasing community access and participation, even welcoming a homeless individual to play and join the club. They were recognised as Tennis SA’s 2020 City/Hills Club of the Year.

 

Australian Dental Foundation Community Welfare Innovation Award
Autism SA developed the Autism Friendly Charter (AFC), a framework designed to support mainstream organisations, community groups and businesses to become more accessible. Almost 1,000 employees and employers have completed the AFC online training and 83 businesses have pledged to support the AFC movement. As a result, autistic individuals and their families can identify more organisations and events that would apply inclusive practices.

 

Damiano Antenucci is a teacher providing students with an opportunity to develop their full selves through sports and the arts. At Kilmara College, he coordinated comical skits and now organises an annual musical with boys from St. Paul’s College and girls from Kildare College and has executed almost thirty musicals. He is also a St. Paul’s Old Scholars Football Club founding member.

 

Melanie Tate remodelled her community food assistance program into a food drive to support more families, children and individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. She provided over 1,000 food hampers and groceries every week, targeting South Australian’s most at-need communities. Children are at the heart of the program so drive-by locations had a TV, movie or cartoon character for them to visit and see.

 

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award
Priscilla Taylor is a Forgotten Australian, Care Leaver who has spent 35 years advocating on behalf of people who spent time in institutional and out-of-home care as children and suffered abuse. Despite having multiple chronic comorbidities, she remains dedicated as the sole carer of her adult son who has a psychosocial disability. She is also a member of Helping Hand Aged Care’s co-design forum.

 

Rhonda Samuel has cared for her sons since 1993, together with husband Barry. Their youngest son Scott suffers from Schizoaffective Disorder whilst their oldest son Mark suffers from Bi-Polar 2. Rhonda and Barry have supported the boys to access public housing to live as independently as possible. Rhonda is herself suffering from ill health but her determination to support her sons remains strong.

 

Tamika Clark has been caring for her mother diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s Disease for the past twelve years. During her SACE, Tamika chose to do her research project on Parkinson’s Disease to learn as much and understand the challenges and progression of the disease. Tamika has moved out and is now a Veterinarian Nurse, but she comes every day to check her.

 

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award
Caroline Lowe is a Media Sales Executive at the Eyre Peninsula Broadcasters. Responsible for a portfolio of the station’s clients, she achieved an average of 6% above her annual sales budget over the last three years. During COVID-19 crisis, she was the only representative to reach her revenue budgets and worked hard to restructure her struggling clients’ marketing campaigns amid the situation.

 

Cummins Community Library has a nurturing staff that understand the needs of patrons, and make recommendations on individual visitors on trending book titles. During COVID-19 pandemic, they phoned elderly, isolated and special needs patrons, migrated their activities online, and provided online storytelling activities. They also encouraged the Scholastic Book Club with school communities and offered low cost and educational books and resources.

 

The Lab Food and Coffee is a small business that believes in supporting local companies and suppliers and getting involved in the local community. With a minimal marketing budget and relying solely on word of mouth, they are always looking for ways to improve their customer service. The Lab has been nominated as the best service café in the East of Adelaide for two years.

 

Office for Ageing Well Tackling Ageism Award
ACH Group is tackling ageism with a whole-of-organisation approach that challenges the way ageing is framed in language, images and initiatives. ACH Group co-funds a Flinders University research that challenges old ways of thinking and improves the quality of life of older people. They initiated the ’10 Dares Challenge’, a campaign that offers anyone aged over 50 to step out of their comfort zones.

 

COTA SA is reframing perceptions through creating new images and expectations of what being an older person can be. They deliver Zest Fest, an Arts and Thought leadership festival for Modern Ageing, specifically for those aged 50 and over. In 2019, ZestFest partnered with the Nature Conservation Society to create, print and market a nude calendar of older people called ‘The Nature Strip’.

 

Kerry Jones has led the demonstration of ‘Weavers’, a model of one-to-one peer support for carers of older people. Kerry designed and led ‘The Innovation Age’/Future of Home, a multi-year systematic initiative focused on the future of ageing and the actions to create that future. Kerry also worked in partnership with SA’s Office for Ageing Well on SA’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025.

 

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award
McLaren Vale Rotary has successfully staged the ‘Mock Accident – Road Crash Prevention’, a realistic re-enactment of a crash, for the past twenty years. The event educates and provides a reality check for young people about issues they might face during and after being involved in a road accident. The Club partners with other community groups and businesses such as SA Police and Court staff.

 

Royal Adelaide Hospital (P.A.R.T.Y. Program) is a program where participants follow the devastating journey of a trauma patient and spend time with healthcare professionals who work in the acute and rehabilitation sectors. The Program provides a platform to educate the community about road safety, their role in trauma management and educate participants with life-saving skills and techniques such as the recovery position and calling for an ambulance.

 

Women in Trucking Australia is providing a platform where women truck drivers can come together to tackle the challenges female truckies face in the industry and address the enormous gap that exists in small vehicle driver education about road sharing. They produced a heavy vehicle road safety Ad campaign, increasing road user awareness of the dire consequences of risky on-road decision making around heavy vehicles.

 

Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Innovation in Mental Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award
Goodwood Saints Football Club Inc introduced the “Saints Healthy Minds”, an initiative that helps coaches and managers identify those with mental health issues, to help players build their mental strength, empower them to speak out and understand mental health issues and suicidal tendencies. They hold activities such as Growing with Sport and Life Training Mental Health Presentation and the U18 Girls Team Mental Resilience Training, among others.

 

Growing With Gratitude was founded by Ash Manuel after noticing that schools were wanting to teach positive education and wellbeing but weren’t sure where to start. Together with Professor Debbie Price, they ran a research project in 2015. GWG is now one of the most accessed Mental Wellbeing and Positive Education programs in the world. They have reached over 210,000 students in SA alone.

 

Ski For Life was founded by Bill Stockman. They water ski 500kms in five days to raise awareness and funds to support issues of mental wellbeing, suicide prevention and depression. In 2020, 230 participants took time to have hard and difficult conversations. In 2019/2020, they raised over $120,000 for programs of work to happen in rural and remote areas of South Australia.

Youth Opportunities Association SA Inc has been delivering wellbeing and resilience programs since 1997, working in partnership with state schools and within communities experiencing high levels of disadvantage. On completion of each program, they follow-up every young graduate for a full two years, monitoring their health and wellbeing. Current results show a 53.1% reduction in the number of kids at risk developing mental health disorder.

 

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award
Hart Wellbeing has created a 12-month weekly program that unites people into building a culture of care within the workplace or general community. Founded by Anthony Hart, they created Lifeback Tracker, a free-to all App that measures and records the four pillars in life that one needs to control to have a healthy mind and physical wellbeing: talking, reducing alcohol, exercise and sleep.

 

Herd of Hope is raising awareness for mental health and support services to transplant recipients and organ donor families in rural areas. Away from home, Herd of Hope assists with recipients’ and carers’ accommodation costs, hospital parking costs and travel expenses. Once home, they assist with peer support services and referrals to mental health services. In 2019, they assisted over 200 rural families.

 

Wendy Lane is heavily involved in Scouts, RSL, Legacy and Partners of Veterans. As a Scout Leader for 40 years, she has been Group Leader and Assistant District Commissioner. Wendy is working to get rural young people back to face to face scouting after COVID-19. With the New Youth Program, she ensures that Leaders have completed or are undergoing their Leader of Youth training.

 

Minister for Innovation and Skills Small Business Award
Animate Your Science produces video animations and graphics, enabling researchers to reach audiences outside of their specific field on a global scale and creating life-changing impact and visibility, and making fun and understandable science. AYS tripled their sales in their third year and hired two full-time employees and a team of over 20 contractors. They have attracted $50,000 in angel investment and $23,000 in awards.

 

Canoe the Coorong offers tours to the Coorong National Park, allowing tourists to explore waterways by kayaking. Their business model focuses on ‘eco-tourism’ principles, delivering richer, deeper, memorable and fully immersive experiences in a sustainable and intimate way. They source their tour food locally and have added great economic benefit to the Fleurieu Peninsula tourism region. They hold free kayaking sessions at local events.

 

Collaborative Occupational Therapy offers therapeutic community group activities aimed at decreasing social isolation and to aid wellbeing. Activities include cooking, team work, building social skills and relationships and are inclusive of gender and background. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they worked to create a therapeutic environment via telehealth methods, including creating a Facebook group for participants and weekly projects tailored to each participant.

 

 

 

 

2019 Finalists

TAFE SA Community Education Award

Mentally Fit EP (WCYCS) of Port Lincoln commits to developing a mentally fit community. Based in Eyre Peninsula, Mentally Fit EP began in 2014 with a small group with a collective vision to flip mental illness on its head, to stop talking about the negative and to upskill people to be “mentally fit.” The committee relies on fundraising and donations, and with help from West Coast Youth and Community Support, provides positive promotional, early intervention and educational programs. They have so far, conducted over 150 events. They offer free clinical counselling and courses including “Take Charge of Your Life” and the school-based “Mentally Fit ME” program.

United Way South Australia Incorporated of Parafield hopes to improve literacy amongst young South Australians. They provide free early literacy programs to disadvantaged families and communities through “United We Read” powered by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. They give out book packs with new, quality, age-appropriate books to parents/carers of children aged five and under. United Way has provided 30,000 home-delivered books to over 1,000 children since 2014. They have distributed 40,000 books at the Monster Truck Jam event, with each child receiving 10 books. United Way SA engages the community by partnering with agencies like AnglicareSA, Communities 4 Children, Junction Australia and local community centres.

Sammy D Foundation of Edwardstown works to reduce off-field violence in sporting clubs and promotes safe play. The Foundation’s “Don’t Let It Be Game Over” program starts with a presentation called “Impact,” which is delivered by Neil Davis, father of assault victim, Sam Davis. Young players then participate in violence prevention workshops, exploring impacts of violence and strategies to keep themselves and their mates safe. Parents and coaches participate in a “Monkey See Monkey Do” presentation which focuses on positive parental role modelling and looks at the impacts of negative sideline behaviours. The Foundation partners with SA Power Networks and the SANFL.

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award

Ian Wards of Parafield Gardens has helped create support for families affected by autism. Ian and his wife are carers to their three autistic children. Ian co-founded Asperlutely Autsome, a voluntary organisation for South Australian families living with Autism Spectrum disorders, to provide support and develop skills in an environment of encouragement and acceptance. He has also built an online support group where men can talk openly about their journey in the autism community. Ian is also an active Lefevre Cycle Speedway Club member. He received a commendation for Ambassador at the 2014 Autism SA Awards and was invited to the Positive Partnerships autism reference panel.

Antoinette Edginton of Athelstone is providing a voice for fellow carers. From birth, Antoinette has cared for son, Nathanael, who has intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Thanks to Antoinette, now 40-year-old Nathanael can live a full life and works 40 hours weekly. In her spare time, she helps carers understand the NDIS process, supports cultural issues and prepares for planning meetings. She was a Holiday Explorers board member and inaugural member of the support group, Early Onset Dementia. She was a board member for the Intellectual Disability Services Council. Antoinette also cared for husband Wal for 18 years before his death.

Anne Bawden of Mount Gambier champions the rights and contributions of carers and has been a regional carer for 30 years. Anne is involved with South East Carers, Parent Advocacy, Siblings Australia and Families4Families. She was invited to the board of Inclusive Directions, South Country Regional Advisory Committee for Children Services and State Advisory Committee to the Education Minister. She helped establish Special Olympics Limestone Coast and the Gears to Drive Program. She presents carer situations to local, state and federal members for discussion. Anne cares for an adult son with multiple disabilities and other children with disabling conditions. She also supports an intellectually disabled niece.

Prime Super Agricultural Innovation Award

Dennis Holder of Port Adelaide is committed to blue crab fishing. Dennis started over 30 years ago with experimental fishing in a 15-foot fibreglass speed boat and inefficient pots. Now, Dennis, with wife Karen, has efficient gear and a purpose-built vessel. They own and operate a Wildcatch fishing operation in Adelaide and rural SA, employing 10 people and owning 35% of the SA crab quota, making them the largest blue crab fisher in Australia. Dennis volunteers as president of Wildcatch Fisheries SA and is board director at both Seafood Industry Australia and Nuffield South Australia. He is a qualified mechanic and a Master 5 Skipper.

Dr Sam Rudd of Mawson Lakes seeks to achieve greater productivity in agriculture. Sam co-invented the world’s first passive real-time, in-ground soil fertiliser sensor for precision agriculture and controlling the application of fertilisers. During his PhD research, he found that a new class of conducting polymers known as PEDOT were quite sensitive and selective to nitrate, making it ideal in fertiliser sensing. Despite little attention from the scientific community, the discovery led to UniSA and Sentek Pty. Ltd. collaborating for a joint patent to develop the next generation of agricultural sensors. Sam received the Norton Jackson Material Science and Engineering Medal.

Safe Ag Systems of Glenelg is bringing steps to minimise the risk of injury in the agricultural industry. Launched in 2016, Safe Ag Systems is an online safety software and App specifically for farmers, offering agri-specific safe work procedures and policies. Now with 5,000 users Australia-wide, the software’s goal is to provide support to agribusinesses and workers to increase safe work practices, reduce loss time through injury and eliminate hours of paperwork. This results in changed behaviour and confidence in assessing risk at ground level. Fines handed to workers were also minimised when they are seen actively trying to educate their workers to mitigate risks.

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award

Australian Medical Placements of Royston Park has cemented customer service in its core values. Founded in 2003, AMP is one of Australia’s only medical recruitment, training and education providers. AMP provides personalised service and endeavours to train its staff to have conversations with candidates rather than simple interactions. A Quality Management Systems certified agency, they have high-level policies that dictate their candidate interactions. AMP offers training, education and meeting hubs to enhance candidates’ lifestyle such as stress, mental health, cooking and relaxation classes. A 24-hour on-call service and medical-based counsellor is available to all candidates with dedicated on-call consultants providing access to doctors from the AMP database.

Cancer Voices South Australia of Trinity Gardens supports improvement in the health system. CVSA is a wholly volunteer advocacy and service organisation for people affected by cancer. They offer free membership for all cancer types and stages, from prevention and diagnosis, to treatment, survivorship and palliative care. For over 12 years, Cancer Voices has been serving the government, health services, research organisations and support providers, working to influence all aspects of organisational practice, processes and systems. Members of the Executive Team have undertaken training in Customer Engagement and Engagement and Advocacy for Influence with Health Consumer Alliance and Consumers in Research. Cancer Voices also provides training programs to UniSA.

Financial Services SA of Jamestown has a passion for keeping farmers, farming. Financial Services SA is a multi-discipline practice offering farm and business consulting, specialist rural finance and mortgage broking. Owners Dibbo and Rosalie provide individually designed business support and financial management skills with a special interest in succession planning. They serve primary producers, business owners, families and individuals in rural and remote locations. They build long-term relationships with clients to best understand and achieve their life goals. Dibbo is willing to work around schedules of clients and come out to their properties. He acts as an intermediary when negotiating with financiers or collaborating with other professionals

Flinders University Rural and Remote Health Regional Achievement Award

Careship Coorong of Coonalpyn is developing intergenerational friendships. Careship Cooring is a social care farm on a working snail farm. In partnership with local primary school and community members, they started the Y-Cook program to connect different generations through shared food, cooking and gardening. The program created an alternative support network for both young and lonely older people. More than 25 participants meet every fortnight to cook food, work in gardens and play games and quizzes. Y-Cook is fully self-funded and run by volunteers. After attending a Masterclass in 2015, Careship Coorong was invited by the Maggie Beer Foundation to speak about the farm.

D'faces Of Youth Arts Inc. of Whyalla Norrie is providing opportunities to empower youth and to connect with the community. For 20 years, D’faces has been creating opportunities for young people to participate in community-engaged activities and provides a platform for them to take charge and build projects they are passionate about. Their project called Area 53, an immersive theatre production, helped boost tourism during an economic crisis in Whyalla. They won a Ruby Award for Best Community or Regional Event or Project. The project was showcased in the 2019 Adelaide Fringe. Another project helped them connect with members of the local elderly centre who then shared their stories

Tullawon Health Service Inc. of Yalata ensures quality healthcare access in a culturally safe and holistic manner. THS has been providing high quality primary healthcare, chronic disease management, acute and emergency response care to the Yalata Community since 1982. It is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation focusing on providing holistic healthcare. Tullawon Health Service is one of three communities that established the Kakarrara-Willurrara Health Alliance, which delivers health specialists and GPs to the remote Aboriginal communities of Yalata, Oak Valley and Tjuntjuntjara. THS lobbied with the Australian Army and Queen’s Jubilee Trust to have an Amenities Building and Public Laundry built. It currently has over 700 clients.

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award

Kangaroo Island Road Safety aims to improve road safety related issues on Kangaroo Island. A community volunteer organisation, they commit to well over 200 hours a year. The Road Safety identifies various issues then works with various tiers of government, residents and visitor driving communities to resolve issues in a cooperative manner. They are responsible for placing road arrows to alert drivers to the direction they should travel and actively sought to place signs on tourist attractions and camping areas. They partnered with Kingscote Lions to provide free high-viz vests for gopher drivers forced to use township roads due to lack of adequate footpath facilities.

Darren Davis of Flagstaff Hill has tireless dedication to community road safety. Darren has been in the driver training and road safety industry for thirty years helping driving instructors improve knowledge, teaching skills and ability. He created Save A Life Australia, a road safety company aiming to improve safety of road users and self-financed the purchase of Australia’s first educational virtual reality driving stimulator. Darren works with the “On The Right Track” Program, delivering driver training and awareness to Aboriginal communities. He designed a Year 10 High School Program with SA Police and was an Australian Driver Trainers Association board member for ten years.

Orroroo & District Road Safety Committee of Orroroo is helping ensure safety roads in small ways. The Committee is a small group of four community members who enjoy making the roads a safer place on which to travel. They provide a Driver Reviver site over Easter and the October long weekends, helping drivers get a rest break and supplying free drinks and biscuits. The Committee has helped address road safety issues through their letters and contacts with council and road transport. They also provide seminars and information for those with gophers and help conduct training to Year 11 students at Orroroo Area School.

Gawler Road Safety Group of Gawler is promoting safe driving habits. Founded in 2002, the Group consists of dedicated volunteers who support and promote road safety by educating the citizens of Gawler and surrounding districts. They meet monthly to discuss and address concerns raised by the community concerning any road safety issues. The Group attends and promotes their activities at the annual Gawler Show and Gawler Rotary Fair and they hold sausage sizzles to raise funds. They also attend the Road Safety Round of the local Barossa and Gawler league games. The Committee introduced 50km speed sign bin stickers and recently sourced $25,000 to purchase a new Speed Trailer.

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award

Elizabeth Barrow of Mount Barker has a passion for helping cancer patients. Bette is a palliative care volunteer with the community health program at Mount Barker Memorial Hospital. For 15 years, she has been running “Pamper Day” twice yearly for cancer patients who are part of the hospital’s Community Health Program. She coordinates with The Hills Cancer Support Group to provide an opportunity for cancer patients to enjoy a day of pampering and information sharing. Bette engages local service providers to donate their time and services for free. She creates, knits and puts together craft items and sells them to raise funds for equipment for the chemo unit.

Murray George of Via Alice Springs is committed to the health and wellbeing of the Fregon community. Mr George is one of the most senior law men in Australia and is the Chairman of the Fregon Community Council on APY Lands. He is the ‘Wati Ngura,’ the male custodian of the Seven Sisters Dreaming story. Mr George shares traditional knowledge through inma (dance) and story-telling to members of the Anangu community and the broader community, keeping them mentally and physically strong and connected to land. He spends almost 30 hours a week promoting cultural activities. He lobbies for funding assistance and sometimes uses his own income to progress activities.

The South East Junction, Mental Health Activity and Resource Centre of Mount Gambier is raising awareness to destigmatise mental health issues. First established in 2009, the association was later incorporated to continue working in a volunteer capacity and deliver programs for the members who are people with mental health illness. The Junction provides a safe and supportive environment, fostering independence, self-worth, confidence and self-esteem through low-cost, easily accessible and targeted activities. They serve the Limestone Coast region, providing a Mental Health & Wellbeing Group in Millicent, a Meet & Greet group in Penola and Lifeboat SE and Limestone Coast Meditation Community. They offer Advance Care Directives workshops and Mental Health First Aid courses, amongst others.

Marree & District Progress Association Inc. of Marree is dedicated to providing opportunities for social and wellbeing activities. Serving the district, they are a volunteer community organisation that assists with the local population’s health and wellbeing by giving stress relief from ongoing drought and social isolation due to remoteness. They organise annual camel races, an annual gymkhana, weekly tennis sessions and BBQs. The Progress Association runs the local Remote Job Community Program, enabling local employment opportunities. They provide a worker for town maintenance and waste management services to help keep and maintain the town’s appearance. Because of this, Marree has won several KESAB and Tidy Town awards.

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award

Life Care of Everard is committed to improving its employees’ and volunteers’ holistic wellbeing. Life Care is a not-for-profit organisation with communities that include residential care homes across Adelaide, multiple independent living communities and a home service. They have over 700 staff, with the majority engaged in residential care homes, providing “live every day” experiences. Life Care has a Staff Health & Wellbeing Program which is designed to improve their team’s holistic wellbeing. All staff participate in a two-day corporate induction plus site-specific induction and a hands-on practical introduction to ageing. Front-line carers and nurses also attend a four-month “Best Practice in Dementia” course.

Matthew Flinders Home Inc. of Port Lincoln recognises the essence of work-life balance among staff. Founded in 1973, MFH is a not-for-profit community-owned organisation that provides services including accommodation for the aged, home care packages, palliative care and dementia care in the local community and greater community of lower Eyre Peninsula. They have 134 employees, each bringing specialty areas to the workplace. Matthew Flinders Home offers flexible working arrangements and provides staff training and development to enhance skills, capabilities and knowledge to enable employees to best care for the residents. They conduct an annual survey to identify training needs and nominate a staff member of the month.

St Basil's Homes (SA)of St Peters believes in the “Living Well” principle. Incorporated in 1984, St Basil’s is a not-for-profit provider of residential aged care and day respite services under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. They employ over 300 Registered and Enrolled Nurses, carers, corporate service and maintenance staff in the South Australian facilities. Employees enjoy flexible rosters, birthday leave and seven of their 10 annual sick leave days don’t require medical certificates. Regular training for topics of interest are facilitated and staff can anonymously report their wellbeing in the workplace. Staff also have access to a free and confidential counselling service.

Minister for Innovation and Skills Small Business Award

Swell Brewing Co Pty Ltd of McLaren Vale is passionate about innovative craft beers. Founded in 2011, Swell Brewing was originally brewed in the back of Dan and Corrina Wright’s vineyard in McLaren Vale. In 2019, they opened the Swell Brewing Co Taphouse. They use the finest ingredients and brewing skills to bring new layers of flavour and texture. They aim to share their beers, local wines and great food with locals and visitors of the region. The opening of Swell Taphouse has enabled them to grow sales, margins and jobs in the community and add to the vibrant tourism of McLaren Vale. They have 16 different beers on tap.

SULLIVAN Consulting of Adelaide breaks the mould of traditional recruitment agencies. Founded in 2017 by Andrew Sullivan, the privately owned executive recruitment company is all about “Placing People First”. The Company is the first recruitment agency in SA to hire a dedicated marketing and social media coordinator. They create an innovative approach to meet client needs, including tailoring video job advertisements and target social media advertising. They leverage their extensive digital networks to reach candidates who may not have seen or responded to newspaper ads. They offer reduced rates for not-for-profit organisations. Sullivan Consulting was a finalist in the Recruitment International Australia Awards 2019.

Meeting Place MV of McLaren Vale has built a place for connection and community. Meeting Place MV is a café co-working and community hub that is now home to 28 businesses and community groups, all sharing resources and is used by over 100 businesses for meetings. At night, the site becomes a community hub, donated to a large number of community groups like McLaren Vale Rotary, Awesome Foundation and McLaren Vale Business Association. It is home to a series of youth education initiatives and holds over 60 events, many of them charity based. Meeting Place MV has received awards including the 2019 McLaren Vale Best New Business.

Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Innovation in Mental Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award

Growing With Gratitude of Hyde Park is determined to create a connected and mentally healthy community. Founder Ash Manuel is a passionate educator who was inspired to create a quality program that would be a solution for schools and teachers and make a huge impact on the lives of young people. Ash partnered with Doctors and Professors looking to research and evaluate initiatives and Growing With Gratitude also received a research grant. His program has achieved outstanding results with increasing personal resilience and mental wellbeing across 650 schools, reaching over 180,000 students. Growing With Gratitude is endorsed by the South Australian Mental Health Commission.

Kimba Mental Health and Wellbeing Group of Kimba is strengthening the mental health and wellbeing of the Kimba District. Formed in 2013, they are a group of proactive volunteer community members whose aim is to help the local community with mental health issues. Noticing the lack of medical support and limited visiting specialists for mental health, the Group offers workshops and major events to bring services and experts to the community. Their event “Breaking Through The Barriers: Women’s Health Night” was attended by 150 women. The three-day Health and Wellness Weekend had 300 attendees. The Group has received two Community Australia Day Awards for event of the year.

Youth Opportunities Association SA Inc. of Somerton Park is developing long-term happiness and positive communication to help build resilience. Youth Opportunities offers a 60-hour Personal Leadership Program that equips teenagers at risk of mental health issues to overcome challenges, strengthen relationships and build resilience. They have been delivering wellbeing and resilience training for 20 years. YOA offer mentorship and follow-up contact for two years post-training. The number of kids at risk of mental health disorder has dropped to 52% while overall wellbeing increased by 18% as a direct result of their training. Since 1997, Youth Opportunities has graduated over 12,000 students and partnered with over 80 schools.

Woolworths Sports in the Community Award

Aboriginal Athletics Squad, Port Adelaide Athletics Club of Port Adelaide is encouraging inclusion in sports. With ongoing support from the Port Adelaide Athletics Club, the AAS program supports young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, creating a more inclusive environment for indigenous teenagers. Sixty four athletes participated in the 2018-2019 program, with four competing in the 2019 State Championship. Participants also learn new skills, giving them purpose and confidence and strengthening their sense of community. AAS allows athletes to participate in sport they haven’t tried before, due to financial and socioeconomic issues. Athletics SA was a finalist in the 2019 Inclusive & Diversity in Sport Awards for the AAS program.

Yvette Eglinton of Hallett Cove works at the Department of Environment and Water and supports people with disability in sports. She organised SA’s inaugural wheelchair snorkelling event “Wheelie Awesome.” Yvette worked with Carl Charter of Experiencing Marine Sanctuaries, a not-for-profit organisation that receives government funding to provide safe and supervised community snorkelling tours in South Australian marine parks. Yvette and Carl identified a gap in snorkelling for people with mobility issues and other disabilities. Despite living with a spinal cord injury, Yvette helped lead the initiative by assisting with in-water training to volunteers prior the event. She also started the “Parks Access for All working group”….

Alleycats Bowling League of Woodville is a ten pin bowling club developed for special needs adults to have a sporting outlet. More than just bowling, the purpose of the group is to support the bowlers to have a social outlet, exercise and have fun whilst building relationships and friendships. Alleycats Bowling League is run by volunteers, with carers and parents assisting with the bowling every week. Participants pay for their bowling and make a weekly contribution for the mid-year and Christmas dinners. Some of the bowlers go on to represent the club and community in nationals. There is no additional funding provided and the group is self-financed.

South Australian Aboriginal Junior Football Carnival of Salisbury North brings community and culture together. An initiative by Phillip Appleton in 2016, the Aboriginal Junior Football Carnival is the first event in SA that provides a carnival event for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. The first Carnival kicked off in 2017 and was attended by 360 participants. The event also includes an Elders’ program, children’s program and Auskick activities. Volunteers of the Carnival work hard at providing this opportunity for all levels of football from eight years to 16 years, including both boys and girls. They hold annual fundraisers to bring the community together and build funds independently.

Community Centres SA The Loneliness Cure Award

The Greek Pensioners Society of South Australia of Goodwood helps isolated and lonely individuals. For over 30 years, The Greek Pensioner’s Society has been offering a warm, welcoming environment to people of Greek descent. Attendees are embraced and treated with dignity, provided social connections and a good home cooked meal. They play board games, bingo, drink coffee and share stories. The community-led group, volunteers every Thursday to feed about 100 people. They go on social outings in a community bus and some new attendees would come in distressed but would leave laughing. In the broader Goodwood community, non-Greeks join the Society’s gatherings. The whole community feels more nourished and connected.

Marion Mugs (MarionLIFE Community Services Inc.) of Mitchell Park provides a welcoming venue for people experiencing extreme social isolation. The Marion Mugs group gathers every Monday to drink coffee or tea, share snacks and chat. Some come to chat, some just to listen with all provided a good place to share stresses and anxieties. Some sit and knit while others work on puzzles and share clippings from newspaper. An average of 18 people from the community who are in their 40’s through to their 80’s attend each week. At Christmas time, participants gather together to celebrate over lunch hosted by Marionlife. They occasionally go on fieldtrips for new experiences.

The Welcome Dinner Project - South Australia brings together new and old members of the community. Penny Eisley founded the group in 2013 after hearing from a group of Sudanese women that they had never been invited to an Australian home and after learning that her colleagues wanted to meet people who are new to Australia. A Welcome Dinner is made up of an even mix of people who are new to Australia and established Australians. A local resident volunteers their home to host and people bring a plate of traditional food to share. Large Community Welcome Dinners are also held throughout the year and are attended by up to 120 people.

The Summit Community Centre Adelaide Hills Council of Norton Summit provides a venue where people can bond over an enjoyable meal. The Summit Community Centre’s new volunteer, Sue MacGregor, came up with the idea of The Karra Watta Café, after identifying loneliness as a key local concern. Once a month, a group of volunteers scour the central markets for good, budget-friendly produce to create simple, nutritious and exciting menu options. The café seats up to 25 people and is free. Donations may be given and are forwarded to other not-for-profit groups such as Fred’s Van. The majority of attendees are seniors but younger people with disabilities and transgender people also attend.

 

 

2018 Finalists

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award

Cassie Day of Adelaide cares for her 16 year old son who has Cystic Fibrosis and an Acquired Brain Injury. With her son in hospital so often, Cassie identified significant gaps in the collaborative care of sick and disabled children. She created The Carers Place, an online community for parents and carers to share experiences, seek help and support each other. The website provides free family resources and links to services and NDIS support.

Ian Ward of Parafield Gardens is carer to his three autistic children. He was a camp leader for Camp Autism and is co-founder of Asperlutely Autsome. A not for profit voluntary organisation, Asperlutely Autsome provides autism spectrum disorder friendly events, to build social and participation skills in an environment of acceptance. To date, they have over 600 registered families. Ian has also built a networking group for dads affected by Autism, called Autism Dads Rock.

Katherine Height of Mount Gambier is carer to her 8 year old daughter Ella who lives with a rare genetic condition resulting in Epilepsy. In 2014 Katherine launched Ella's Purple Promise to raise money, educate and advocate for Epilepsy awareness. She has raised $10,000 for The Epilepsy Centre and aims to raise funds to bring professionals to Mount Gambier to provide training to educators. Katherine has received local and national recognition for her dedication to Epilepsy awareness.

Flinders Foundation Leadership and Innovation in Health Award

Coorong District Council established The Coorong Healthy Highways Program, the only one of its kind in Australia. Together with their Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle team they created CHH to provide better food choices for travelers along the Coorong. Each CHH outlet serves nourishing meals, offers healthy drink options and where possible, cooks with local fresh produce. Existing business can request to become a CHH outlet, by providing a selection of healthy food choices.

Jesse Hardy of Manningham founded “Call The Doctor”, an after hour Doctor service. A Call the Doctor visit is bulk billed, providing accessible care for the elderly, the incapacitated and those socially disadvantaged unable to afford transport. A key aim of Call the Doctor is to reduce presentations to the local Emergency Department and unnecessary use of Ambulances. A custom software was created to overcome the logistical challenge of running mobile doctor teams.

Medical Device Partnering Program of Tonsley was founded by Flinders University in 2008 with 14 South Australian partners. MDPP is an “ideas incubator” and a one-stop shop for medtech entrepreneurs and start-ups, who may lack connections or funding. MDPP has explored 350 new technologies, facilitated 130 workshops, and completed 80 projects. In the last four years, two products have reached market, with another 11 undergoing clinical trials. 11 patents have been filed and 33 new jobs created.

Flinders University Rural Health SA Regional Achievement Award

Careship Coorong is a volunteer-run care farm and is the first of its kind in Australia. The farm provides social support to people with disabilities, mental health problems and those who felt isolated in their community. Each week about 10 people attend the snail farm in Coonalpyn to help breed, feed and harvest the small gastropods. There is an increase in community engagement and participants indicated an increase in wellbeing while at the farm.

EML - Game Changer Program is a community initiative designed to assist with the prevention of drug use, alcohol abuse, family violence, mental health and suicide. Supported by local sporting clubs, they aim to develop young adults into becoming the next generation of community leaders. The Young leaders who take part in the program are upskilled as future mentors, enabling them to be able to provide support within their clubs and to their peers.

Karen Baines of Ungarra founded Broad Acre Farm Safety, a consulting and online advisory service for grain and livestock farmers trying to navigate work, health & safety. She speaks at agricultural workshops about farm safety and holds farm safety workshops to assist farmers on the Eyre Peninsula. Her goal is to foster a productive relationship with farmers and regulators to create a reduction of on-farm deaths and injuries. Karen won the 2016 Augusta Zadow Award.

Whyalla Ripples Support Group provides support and education for parents and families dealing with a loved one’s ICE addiction. Whyalla Ripples has presented five community forums to over 1,000 attendees. The forums include speakers who are parents, recovering addicts and mental health workers. The not for profit Support Group openly discuss with family and friends, addiction and ways to support those going through ICE related issues. Ripples also expanded into Port Augusta in 2016.

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award

City of West Torrens Road Safety Group’s primary objective is to promote and raise awareness of road safety, in particular for vulnerable road users and Learners. Road safety initiatives included rubbish bin stickers with speed limit reminders and a primary school calendar artwork competition centred on a road safety theme. They also organised a Mock Crash presentation event for high school students to raise awareness of driving under the influence and use of phones while driving.

Lyndal Denny of West Lakes has a focus on creating safer roads by educating motorists on safe driving practices around heavy vehicles and working to support more women into truck driving careers. With 9,000+ hours experience driving massive outback roadtrains, Lyndal co-founded Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls – providing newly-licenced women with 160 hours free training in real work environs. Her current research project, “Women in Trucking – 2019” will further strengthen the flow of female talent into this male dominated sector.

Rod Campbell of Novar Gardens has provided over 10 years of exemplary service to the Road Awareness Program (RAP), as part of his 20 years working with the Metropolitan Fire Service. Rod "walks the walk", always offering to be the designated driver, ensuring people get home safely from any events. He has impacted over 150,000 young South Australians and has raised the profile of the RAP, with coverage on local media and national television.

The Adelaide Dementia Driving Clinic was established as a research tool to investigate screening methods for declines in driving skill for older drivers with known or suspected dementia. By seeking optimum levels of road safety, The ADDC provides medical practitioners the information needed to determine when an individual should retire from driving. This improves the quality of care for these individuals, their families and the wider community.

Minister for Industry and Skills Small Business Award

Chooks Little Winery Tours of Willunga began in 2010 by Terry (Chook) McCoy and wife Kerry, offering specialised winery tours and local transport services. Chook’s provides a chance for guests to experience the heart and soul of McLaren Vale and view the “other side of the tasting table”. Their fleet has grown to five vehicles, including accessibility for guests with special needs or wheelchairs. Chook's donate to many local charities and have won several awards.

Instrument Choice of Dry Creek is an online scientific equipment store. All sales consultants have science degrees and have practical scientific experience. The company has a key focus on creating a great customer experience and CEO, Tyson Grubb has set in-house customer service metric benchmarks to achieve this. Beginning from Tyson’s bedroom, Instrument Choice now has a revenue of $3 million, is listed on the BRW Fast 100 and won an Australian Telstra Business Award.

Stormfront Productions of Whyalla is owned and operated by Mark Tempany and Alison Hams. Their audio and video recording facilities including a mobile recording unit, provide a professional service to the region, regularly coordinating projects for international release. Stormfront offers expertise in all aspects of the music industry on and off-stage, including event Management, production and consultancy. STORMFRONT was named a Top 5 Finalist for "Best Studio" at the 2017 South Australian Music Industry Awards.

Uniquely Natural of Lonsdale is a proudly family owned Australian Company. They make the finest range of gentle and affordable natural products allowing people to live head to toe naturally. They have built relationship with supermarket stores nationally and other major chains, and have currently over 400 stockists. Uniquely Natural are also building a strong online presence. They support local events and charities such as Kids for Cancer and the Royal Flying Doctor’s.

Prime Super Agricultural Innovation Award

Faith Lutheran College – TLS Campus of Tanunda initiated the SOLE program. Consisting of numerous projects the SOLE program included a school vegetable garden with raised garden beds, wicking beds, a three-bay composting system, and a small orchard. With the help of students and their families, the whole school community was involved with student lessons, gardening club, weekend working bees and a SOLE parent Committee. Faith Lutheran College hope that these practices will extend to the wider community.

Leighton Wilksch of Paskeville created the Fire Danger Alerting System. He negotiated the collaboration of FDI, Fire Danger Index data from private and public weather stations, collated the Data then communicated through text messages to farmers. This has enabled better understanding of fire risk during the harvest period so informed decisions could be made during high-risk days. In the past 3 years, the Fire Danger alerting system has increased with now over 700 users.

Tristan Baldock of Buckleboo played a pivotal role in the local farmer technical group, the Buckleboo Farm Improvement Group, managing their research, development and extension program. A recent achievement was The Tillage Field Day, which attracted 140 growers, Ag professionals and researchers from across SA. Tristan represented Australian growers in Argentina with a focus on building a bilateral relationships between the countries. He aims to build a resilient and sustainable Australian grain production sector.

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award

Edenfield Family Care of Parafield Gardens is a family owned, 50 bed boutique home, employing more than 50 staff and 11 volunteers. After consultation with employees, additional split and flexible shifts were introduced. Employees undertake Certificate 3 and 4 in Dementia Care and complete Palliative Care Training. A Healthy Ageing Program has been introduced, where residents receive a tailored physio program and are encouraged join in activities such as ‘crafternoon’ to engage them mentally and physically.

Eldercare Inc of Eastwood is one of South Australia’s leading aged care providers with more than 1,500 employees committed to delivering peace of mind based on the values of respect, accountability and connection. Eldercare’s commitment to gender equity and helping to end violence against women was recognised when it received White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation. Employees have access to health and wellbeing initiatives, recognition programs, social clubs and job sharing arrangements, contributing to improvements in staff engagement over the last two years.

Pennwood Village of Pennington is a culturally specific aged care approved provider, delivering services to 95 CALD aged people from more than 14 nationalities. With 74 staff, a “person centred care” approach is undertaken and training is provided in the Household Care Sunflower model, as well as Dementia Care and Cultural Leadership. Staff have flexible hours as well as free meals, massages and many other support services. In 2018 Pennwood Village celebrates their 25th anniversary.

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award

Australian Medical Placements of Royston Park is one of Australia’s largest privately owned medical recruitment and education companies. With extensive experience and knowledge of the medical industry, they match highly qualified doctors to short, long and permanent placements. Staff are provided with access to training, workshops and education which is crucial to the up-skilling and maintenance of doctors’ skills. @313 is a newly established eco-driven education hub where health professionals can meet, eat and knowledge share.

Rachel Lawrie of Adelaide is Director and Principal of Ray White North Adelaide. Her core values are to provide the community with a genuine, honest service with morals, ethics and professionalism. During her five years in real estate, Rachel sponsors sporting clubs and charities, and to date has put $300,000 of her earnings back into the community. Rachel’s business growth is a result of good service provision and repeat clients and referrals.

Katie Cross of Gawler East works at Mawson Lakes Hotel and is the epitome of an effective hotel receptionist. She is responsible for check-ins and outs, reservations, guest requests and is the first impression for patrons. Katie's genuine empathy and nurturing qualities impress everyone who stays. Able to remember details and preferences for dozens of regular guests, Katie receives an overwhelming amount of unprompted public feedback and sets an example for colleagues and management alike.

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award

Jeremy Gaynor of Beulah Park has been the Manager of Remote Special Projects Aboriginal Health Directorate CHSA since 2011. He helped establish the Amata Family Wellbeing Centre, an Anangu led community Health Centre. Jeremy helped introduce a range of health programs focusing on exercise and nutrition, to help prevent the onset of diabetes and renal failure. He helped to setup the Amata Anangu Athletics Club, providing marathon training, mental health and wellbeing program for young adults.

Streaky Bay & District Medical Clinic Inc. Board is a not for profit entity who were formed at the direction of the community to operate the Streaky Bay Medical Practice. To maintain an accredited professional Medical Practice, the Board has employed a Practice Manager, a Practice Nurse and reception staff along with Locum GP’s. The Board have embraced their role and are committed to providing an operational Medical Practice to service the needs of the community.

Yorke Peninsula Community Transport is a not for profit organisation and registered charity. They provide a community transport service which allows residents to remain at home whilst still being able to access medical and social appointments. Resident’s gain connections within their community, access to services and interact with other people. With 13 vehicles, chartered busses, 2,500 clients, their 140 volunteers conduct over 3,500 trips each year, providing their community with an invaluable service.

TAFE SA Connecting Communities Award

Kym Manning of Loveday is the Lake Bonney Fish Habitat Renewal Group coordinator. He planned, sought funding and organised the volunteer workforce to establish a series of "Fish Hotels" in Lake Bonney, to provide breeding habitats for native fish species. In 2013 Kym and a small group of volunteers established the much-awarded SA Carp Frenzy Fishing competition, now an annual event. The family friendly event also assists with the removal of European Carp and provides a tourism boost.

Nature Foundation SA Kids on Country Program is a collaboration between Aboriginal community leaders, secondary schools, industry partners and Nature Foundation SA staff and volunteers. The KoC camps provide Aboriginal students with opportunities to deepen their connection to Country, build knowledge in land management and conservation, and develop important life skills. In 2018, 43 young people attended the KoC camps and there is currently a waiting list of schools interested in participating in the program.

Peter Taylor of West Richmond founded the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club's, On the Same Wave - Cultural Diversity program in 2008. He has educated hundreds of members of multicultural communities about beach safety. Peter has trained and supported over 20 people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to learn to swim and gain lifesaving qualifications. 10 participants have become swimming instructors and are now educating their own communities on vital water safety.

Tatiara Work Centre Inc of Bordertown was established in 1968 to promote the use of homegrown produce and homemade products. They provide a welcoming community hub environment which is run solely by members and volunteers. Membership is open to all, young and old. The long-term goal for the Tatiara Work Centre is to evolve with the changing dynamics and demographic makeup. They are looking to the increasing migrant population to embrace diversity and inclusion.

 

2017 Finalists

Alzheimer's Australia SA Dementia Care Excellence Award

Barunga Village of Port Broughton accommodates 52 residents. At the completion of a 12-month pilot and rigorous grading, Barunga Village is now Australia’s first ‘Butterfly Home’. The ‘Butterfly Home’ model focusses on dementia patient’s emotions and quality of life, ensuring their rooms are colourful, highly engaging and emulating a home environment. Staff undergo ‘Being a Star’ training, determining their emotional intelligence so they can be matched appropriately to residents.

Dementia Friendly Communities Committee of Nuriootpa was formed by carers in 2015. Their aim is to positively influence the community’s perception of Dementia by creating awareness, open avenues of inclusion and equal access. They provide weekly Social Support groups for the over sixty five’s with a focus on frail aged and those living with Dementia. The Committee’s staff facilitate information sessions and ongoing workshops.

Matthew Flinders Home Inc of Port Lincoln opened in 1981 and is not for profit and community owned. They have 68 beds with a 13-bed secure dementia wing, run out of hours in-home palliative care and an in-home dementia respite service. Matthew Flinders Home operates a Day Centre for day therapy programs and has partnered with Kirton Point Children’s Centre to provide an intergenerational playgroup.

Southern Services Reform Group of Southern Metropolitan Adelaide supports the development of dementia services in Adelaide’s southern region. Since 2010 they have provided dementia forums and targeted dementia training. Some projects include a suite of driving and dementia films and carer campaigns and resources. The group created an innovative Library Memory Hub within the Noarlunga Library, the first in Australia and now being replicated in other libraries.

Caravan & Camping Industries Association of SA Tourism Award

Blinman Heritage Mine was opened in 2011. It was an initiative of the Blinman Progress Association in a town of 18 permanent residents, to lift the economy of their town and surrounding area. Visitors are transported back to the 1860’s on an hour-long guided underground tour learning about life for both miners and their families. Town members have also been trained to guide visitors during peak periods.

Paddle Steamer Marion of Mannum was built in 1897 and started her life as floating department store on the Darling River. She now offers Murray River overnight cruises and short cruises in Mannum. Operated by over 100 volunteers, she is one of the last steam driven, wood fired, original, overnight passenger carrying, side wheelers in the world. Paddle Steamer Marion is keeping Australia’s maritime heritage alive

Segway Sensation SA offers hour long Segway tours in the Barossa Valley’s Seppeltsfield Estate and Adelaide’s City Riverbank Precinct. Commencing with two tour guides in 2014, they now have seven staff. Their mission is to provide an adventurous, entertaining and informative tour using Segway Personal Transporters. The self-balancing electric scooters are controlled by gyroscopes and enable a tourist to cover greater distances than a walking tour.

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award

Anne Barbara of Warradale cares for her adult son, Daniel who has severe mental health and intellectual learning disabilities. She was a Well Ways Facilitator for the Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia for six years and is a Carer Consultant for the Western Intermediate Care Centre. Since 2013, Anne has been a ‘Dignity in Care’ champion as a member of the Dignity in Care Working Group.

Christine Flynn of Plympton has cared for two family members disabilities for over 30 years. She served on the Ministerial Advisory Committee for students with disabilities and is the Special Education All Schools Carer Support Group Coordinator. Christine has advocated for cares for many years and lobbied politicians and departmental heads. She was recently appointed to the Disability Justice Plan Advisory Committee for the Attorney Generals Department in South Australia.

Ian Ward of Parafield Gardens is the co-founder of a non-for-profit organisation called Asperlutely Autsome. He has three children who are all on the Autism Spectrum, and almost lost one of his daughters to suicide due to lack of available support. Ian has built a networking group for dads called Autism Dads Rock. For three years, Ian has been one of the SA camp leaders for Camp Autism.

Patricia Sutton of Semaphore has more than 25 years’ experience caring for her two sons diagnosed with schizophrenia. She is a regular guest lecturer for post-graduate students in Disability Studies. Patricia has been twice awarded the Sunflower Award for Outstanding Volunteer Achievement and is a Life Member of the SA Mental Illness Fellowship. Her appearances championing family carers are presented on TV and radio across Australia.

Flinders Foundation Leadership and Innovation in Health Award

Determined2® of West Lakes was started by Immersion Therapy™ founder Peter Wilson and was the breeding ground for the Immersion Therapy service. Determined2® provides Immersion Therapy™ for children and adults living with physical and intellectual disabilities providing increased access to movement. Determined2 received the 2016 Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery Award at the National Disability Awards. They are now expanding Immersion Therapy services across Australia.

Sarah Hammond of Echunga is 23 and has since birth, battled with Juvenile Arthritis. Her vision is impaired and her medication is eating her stomach lining. Sarah is founder and CEO of Kids Arthritis, Australia’s first organisation solely dedicated to supporting the 1 in 1,000 children Australian children living with Juvenile Arthritis. She is the Australian Juvenile Arthritis Ambassador and the 2017 South Australian Young Citizen of the Year.

WCYCS Partnership  with Mentally Fit Eyre Peninsula of Port Lincoln is a group of women who had a collective vision to flip mental illness on its head; to stop talking about the negative and up skill support people. Their Mentally Fit EP project focusses on developing capacity and belief that a person can make positive choices to influence their mental wellbeing. They also deliver “Take Charge” FREE workshops.

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award

Kidsafe SA of North Adelaide delivers free child car restraint checking days for families in regional, remote and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Delivered from the Kidsafe Centre, they also provide road safety education and awareness. Additional services include training programs, advice over the phone and targeted resource development. Their aim is about educating and empowering parents and carers to make informed decisions about their child’s safety.

Sober Driver Program of Georgetown has been operating for three years. Mark Crawford has been instrumental in developing and implementing the sober driver initiative, where Georgetown and surrounding communities have access to a sober driver every Friday night. Mark has 22 volunteers registered who are rostered to drive every couple of months. The program prevents the temptation of driving home under the influence of alcohol.

Tailem Bend Football Club has been promoting road safety awareness programs since 2011. Each year, the Leahy/Kneebone Cup is held to remember two girls from the River Murray Football League who lost their lives in road accidents. In 2015, the Club was involved in a Motor Accident Commission advertisement television commercial. This year the SA Metropolitan Fire Service Road Awareness Program was presented to the players.

Prime Super Agricultural Innovation Award

Caitlin Byrt of Westbourne Park has identified genes in wheat contributing to salinity tolerance, and that breeding them into the wheat will increase grain yield by 25%. Caitlin developed tools that have been distributed to 18 countries so plant breeders and farmers can improve the salinity tolerance of local wheat varieties. She has published numerous scientific papers, is invited to speak at international conferences, and won several research awards.

Melissa Rebbeck of Goolwa has been working in agriculture and climate for 20 years, conducted 20 projects and attracted 10 million dollars of research funds. She voluntarily writes a weekly Stock Journal article and championed the development of the Fleurieu Forward Farming Group. Melissa speaks at conferences and helped organise a soil health forum. She provides information and advice on improving farming productivity to over 1,000 producers annually.

Rural Directions Pty Ltd of Clare is SA's largest grain marketing and agricultural consultancy firm. They have been helping farmers and regional businesses grow and prosper since 1997 and offer holistic, independent and innovative services. Rural Directions has won several national business and agriculture awards. Rural Directions have 23 team members, a strong graduate program and multiple regional offices. They sponsor local community and sporting clubs.

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award

Ananda Aged Care of Findon has 67 residents cared for by almost 100 employees. An annual Culture Day is hosted by staff and an end of year function celebrates the Employee of the Year. Ananda offers physiotherapy for staff, mandatory and informal staff-led training. Staff are encouraged to participate in the Staff Wellness Program which looks at cross cultural communication, grief and loss and stress management.

Edenfield Family Care of Parafield Gardens is a 50 bed boutique home, ten of which are dedicated for palliative care. Edenfield has 50 staff and 11 volunteers. All staff have Certificate 3 or 4 in Dementia Care and undergo a palliative care training program. Flexible short shifts are provided to increase family/work life balance for staff. Edenfield also encourages nursing students to apply for their clinical placement.

Helping Hand Aged Care Inc of Tranmere was established in 1953. They have 1,450 staff and 370 volunteers, and annually provide services to 4,200 clients. Helping Hand has introduced a staff App, providing access to training, news, updates and the core streams; My actions, My learning and My wellness. The staff undergo customer service training and culturally appropriate training is provided to their many migrant workers.

Multicultural Aged Care Inc in Mile End has been the leading agency in aged and community care for older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, since incorporation in 1993. Staff and volunteers coordinate and facilitate Café 94; an activity–based, multicultural, social support program aimed at people over 65. Staff are provided with regular trainings and specific CALD perspectives on Manual Handling and Food Safety.

Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award

1802 Oyster Bar of Coffin Bay uses Eyre Peninsula seafood, and locally sourced produce. Their staff training consists of field visits to suppliers, wine service and knowledge training and menu tastings. Staff have been empowered to directly deal with any customer issues with the use of new technologies and training. 1802 received the 2017 "OpenTable Diner's Choice" Award and a "2017 Certificate of Excellence" from TripAdvisor.

Mercury Cinema Seniors on Screen - Gail Kovatseff of Morphett Vale is a 200-seat theatre, and includes the 34-seat Iris Cinema within the Media Resource Centre. Director Gail has implemented digital marketing strategies, resulting in over 8,500 Facebook followers across two sites. The Mercury Box Office has increased its business by more than 400% over 10 years by revitalising existing programs and implementing new programs like “Senior’s on Screen” and “Art After Dark”.

Instrument Choice - Tyson Grubb of Dry Creek is an online scientific equipment store. All sales consultants have science degrees and practical scientific experience. CEO, Tyson Grubb has set in-house customer service metric benchmarks and brings learning based videos to meetings to inspire and upskill staff. Beginning from his bedroom, Instrument Choice now has a revenue of $3 million; won an Australian Telstra Business Award and is listed on the BRW Fast 100

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award

AMSS APY Exchange of St Peters is a volunteer program initiated in 2014 by three medical students. The program is conducted annually in remote Aboriginal communities of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Lands. The program exposes future doctors to Aboriginal culture and builds knowledge and awareness around Indigenous health issues. Each school holiday program combines activities based around health promotion, such as sport and cooking.

Northern Passenger Transport Network of Melrose has since 1990, provided reliable transport to ensure access to medical and social services for residents living in over 20 rural towns. Predominantly staffed by volunteers, this service is vital for the elderly, socially or geographically isolated, carers and disabled persons. Last year the Northern Passenger Transport Network drove 7,500 hours on 2,670 car trips, with over 187,000 kilometres travelled.

The Postnatal Project of Port Lincoln is a not for profit initiative aimed at reducing the stigma of postnatal depression, especially for rural women. The website and blog hosts links to support services and information and tips on supporting someone experiencing PND. Founder and creative Director, Zelma Broadfoot uses her personal story to regularly speak at postnatal classes and has been interviewed and featured in numerous publications.

TAFE SA Connecting Communities Award

Adelaide T12 Cricket Nations Cup of St. Clair is an annual multicultural community cricket tournament with teams representing their native countries. The aim is to promote inclusiveness, understanding, physical activity, mental health and fun. In 2017 the Cup had 18 teams registered, over 250 participants and was officially endorsed by the South Australian Cricket Association. Four interns from Flinders Uni assisted at the event.

Major General (Rtd.) Vikram Madan of Northgate devotes his time to voluntary work for the Indian and CALD communities since migrating over 10 years ago. Vikram is currently an Ambassador and Vice Chair for Multicultural Aged Care, member of the Passenger Transport Standards Committee of the Government and the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission. He organised a fund-raising dinner for Nepal Earthquake victims raising $43,000.

Ruby’s Advisory Group of Adelaide is a volunteer committee, created in 2016, to give youth input to the youth homelessness sector. All members of the Group have previously been engaged with the Ruby’s Reunification Program. There are four Ruby houses, providing emergency accommodation for homeless youth aged 12-18. Youth workers counsel the family in a 6-month program, to develop communication skills, conflict resolution strategies, and mutual understanding.

Samuel Page of Uraidla is passionate about his community. He works full time as a physio, runs charity events and manages the website and Facebook page for the Summertown Tennis Club. He was a major contributor of a Grants Committee community meeting, where over 100 people including politicians and council members showed their support. The committee has now raised over $100,000 to resurface and extend the courts.

 

2016 Finalists

Alzheimer's Australia SA Dementia Care Excellence Award

Dementia Care in Hospital Program - Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Woodville involves extensive education of clinical and non-clinical hospital staff about the challenges of cognitive impairment. The program teaches staff of the importance of early identification and the nine communication principles. It has provoked a culture change and staff now think about how they approach, engage and communicate with patients. Last year 400 staff undertook the program with 1,000 staff to be trained by mid next year.

Eldercare embarked on a Dementia Excellence program in 2013 to change culture from task focused to person centred care to improve wellbeing for people living with dementia. Strategies include comprehensive education, focus groups, Dementia Care Mapping, environmental enrichment, maximum engagement and transformation of the dining experience. Using data collected from Dementia Care Mapping, improvements in wellbeing are shown across the organisation. Staff perceptions and resident outcomes were measured and Family Information Evenings held.

Lifecare of North Adelaide has partnered with Stirling University in Scotland to train staff in “Best Practice in Dementia Care.” Two Lifecare staff from each site undertook training and are now assisting eight staff at their respective sites to complete the program. Workshops on dementia care were also provided for core staff. The course is designed to give staff skills to enable residents irrespective of their cognitive functionality to live to the fullest, every day.

Ward 1D "The Club" Lyell McEwin Hospital of Elizabeth Vale has been instrumental in improving quality of care for patients with dementia requiring acute care. “The Club”, is a diversional therapy project bringing patients together every afternoon to socialise and complete activities including craft, exercises and games. Patients improve their physical strength and mobility and clients are engaged in a non-threatening manner. It assists in mood elevation, distraction, self worth, communication, sleep and behaviour.

Caravan & Camping Industries Association of SA Tourism Award

Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden of Port Augusta is an award winning 250 hectare eco-tourism destination attracting 91,000 visitors every year. The Garden showcases a diverse range of arid zone habitats, educational display gardens, conference facilities, native plant sales and information. Admission is free and the Garden is open seven days a week offering guided and self-guided tours. Last year, visitor numbers increased by 40% and gift and plant shop sales and corporate memberships have increased.

Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival of Kadina was first held in 1973 to celebrate the Copper Coast region’s significant Cornish heritage. The biannual Festival attracts up to 50,000 people. Activities include Cornish pasties and beer, Cornish music, Maypole and Furry Dancing, a Strongman competition and street procession. 300 volunteers work to stage the event. Visitation figures equate to an $8 million direct economic benefit for the local region and a $30 million flow-on benefit for the State.

Nullarbor Links - World's Longest Golf Course is an 18-hole par 73 course spanning 1,365 kilometres. There is one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre [air] Highway, from Ceduna to Kalgoorlie. Each hole includes a synthetic green, tee and rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway. Nullarbor Links also caters for causal golfers, providing frequent stops to assist drivers with fatigue. Established in 2009 by the Eyre Highway Operators Association, the course has won several Awards.

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award

Bob Burke of Daw Park and his wife Judy have cared for their daughter Melinda for 40 years. Melinda suffers from mental illness and a mild intellectual disability. Since 1998 Bob has also held roles with the Mood Disorders Association, the Mental Illness Fellowship and the Mental Health Coalition of SA. In 2012, they established a Carer Support Group for Carers of people with Borderline Personality Disorder. “Sanctuary” now has 140 enrolled members and was recently recognised with a Mind Community Award.

Dr Sharon Lawn of Warradale has since 2002, been caring for her husband who has significant mental illness and psychosocial disability. Sharon is a mother and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Flinders University and has personally dealt with Post Traumatic Stress and a serious tremor. Working with the Private Mental Health Consumer Care Network, the Australian Borderline Personality Disorder Foundation and the Mental Health Coalition of SA, she advocates for people who experience mental illness and their carers.

Vanessa Kalderovskis of Hackham West is primary Carer for her father and her partner. She also has a five year old son, and runs her own business. She has attended Carer Dementia Workshops and assists with running the Young Adult Carer Program. Vanessa was lead artist and co-ordinator on “A Caring Portrait”, where ten carers created a mural, now on display at Carer Support, Morphett Vale. She continues to promote 'adult colouring-in' as a therapeutic respite for Adult Carers.

Grandeur Press Sports Award

Clare Reuther of Tranmere is ranked number one in Australia in Junior and Open Women’s Archery. At the 2016 Australian Indoor Archery Championships, Clare shot the highest female score and an Australian record of 287 of out 300, only 5 points less than the current Men’s record. Clare has represented Australia internationally since 2014 and won the Oceania Championships in Tonga and the Trans-Tasman Championships in New Zealand. Her goal is to compete in the Archery team for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Dean Paterson of Morphett Vale began playing croquet in 1982 and has competed in club, state and national competitions. He competed in the SA State Team from 1990 to 2010 and in 1995 was ranked the top player in Australia. Now aged 82, Dean competes in pennant and inter-club. In 2000 he founded the Aldinga Bay Croquet Club and has coached and refereed at state, national and international levels. He has been a state selector, and a laws and coaching committee member.

Kurtis Marschall of Happy Valley represents Australia in pole vaulting and cleared a height of 5.70 metres, 15 centimetres higher than his PB, to win the Mannheim Junior Gala in Germany. This qualified him for the 2016 Olympic Games, where he finished 15th in the Men’s Pole Vault. He was also a Silver Medalist at the IAAF World Junior Championships. Kurtis is the current Australian National Pole Vault Men’s Champion and is ranked number one under-20 pole vaulter in the world.

Norwood Swimming Club was established in 1972. Their programs provide clear development pathways including a High Performance Squad. They had three medalists at the Australian Age Championships. The Club finished 18th and ranked highest in SA. They won a relay medal at the Australian Open Championships and all four open water swimmers finished in the Top 10 for their age groups. The Club’s ENable program for swimmers with a disability has generated interest internationally and produced Liam Bekric, a Paralympic athlete for Rio 2016.

Jones Harley Toole Community Road Safety Award

Encounter Youth of Kings Park developed a road safety strategy in 1999 for school leavers. It’s called the “Schoolies Operation” for the “The Schoolies Festival” which runs over three nights and is alcohol and drug free. 650 volunteers assist at the Festival which offers a free bus service. Encounter Youth also provide Party Safe Education for young people about celebrating safely. Since “Schoolies Operation” began there have been no reported road accidents linked to the region’s school leavers.

Port Pirie & Districts Road Safety Group are dedicated volunteers educating vulnerable road users. Their initiative, “Positive P’s in Port Pirie”, is aimed at young road users. Group members and local police nominate P plate drivers displaying a positive driving example. 100 P plate driver nominations have been made. The Group also provides safe cycling tuition for primary school children. A remembrance ceremony is also held to support those affected by road trauma.

Tailem Bend Football Club has been organising and promoting road safety awareness programs since 2011. Each year, the Leahy / Kneebone Cup is held by the Club to remember two girls from the River Murray Football League who lost their lives in road accidents. In 2015, the Club was involved in a Motor Accident Commission advertisement that was shown on television and this year the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Road Awareness Program was presented to the players.

Junction Australia Connecting Communities Award

Adelaide Community Bike Workshop is a not-for-profit charity providing bikes free of charge to refugees resettling in Adelaide as part of their “Bikes for Refugees” program. Donated bikes are cleaned, repaired and checked over by volunteers. Refugees are encouraged to visit the Workshop where low cost helmets, locks, second hand parts, tools to borrow, and free advice are provided. Since 2003, 3,000 bikes have been donated and repaired through the “Bikes for Refugees” program.

Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival commenced in 1991 and has become one of South Australia’s leading regional arts festivals. The Festival promotes Penola’s rich literacy and cultural heritage, the fine wines of the Coonawarra and premium regional produce. It features art events, exhibitions, workshops and competitions. Also on offer are food and wine events, music, dance, drama, comedy and operatic performances and historical tours. Run by volunteers, the Festival is attended by 3,000 people each year.

The Lakelander Inc of Meningie is a not-for-profit group of volunteers who have since 1976, produced a free local newspaper. It is produced by 60 volunteers with costs being covered through advertising, donations and fundraising. Sporting groups and the general public submit articles and photographs with 820 papers printed and distributed weekly. An A3 size copy is also printed each week for the Jallarah Home for the Aged. This year, marks the 40th Anniversary of the publication.

Waikerie Men's Shed commenced in 2012 to provide a caring and inclusive environment for men. With 70 members, the Shed conducts a wide range of activities helping enhance self-esteem, improve health, work skills and ethics. Since 2014, members have provided 9,000 hours of community volunteering. They assisted Landcare with tree watering, plant surveys and trailer repairs and performed building works on the Scout Hall and local school. They also made wooden crosses and displays for RSL commemoration services.

Prime Super Community Group of the Year Award

Finding Workable Solutions Inc of Mount Barker is a not-for-profit organisation offering employment for people with disabilities and disadvantaged job seekers. The “Salvage and Save initiative” has been developed to create jobs with a focus on waste reduction and recycling, to lessen landfill and provide affordable second hand goods to the community. The project allows workers to develop communication skills, build relationships and complete a Certificate II in Retail or Asset Management.

Formby Bay Environmental Action Group of Southern Yorke Peninsula is a volunteer organisation. The group has initiated and managed 25 projects to create awareness of, and improve the fragile coastal environment. The 50 volunteers have raised over $9,000 through community events, to improve amenities and access along the coastline. Their tireless efforts have resulted in a cleaner environment and in 2015, they won the KESAB Sustainable Communities Natural Environment State Award.

MATES in Construction SA of Wayville is a no-cost suicide awareness and prevention program for Australian construction workers. MATES in Construction provides education and training programs, case management, referral to community support and a 24/7 helpline. Volunteer support staff have provided 486 workers with a one-hour General Awareness training and strive to change the culture by making it acceptable to seek help. They were also awarded Best Health and Wellbeing Program by Suicide Prevention Australia.

Rotary Club of St Peters has been providing services and support to their community for 59 years. The club has 40 Rotarian members and thousands of volunteer hours are contributed each year. Recycled goods are sold through the “Linde Shed” with all funds raised contributing to community and club initiatives. The Club has provided Meals on Wheels for 21 years, equipment for disabled children and assisted many homeless people to move into housing.

Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award

Boandik Lodge Incorporated of Mount Gambier is a not-for-profit organisation, with two retirement villages, four residential aged care facilities. The Lodge provides a broad range of community services to 520 clients. They offer staff flexible employment options, and encourage further education. Staff have the opportunity to attend 30 training sessions annually, and the facility has implemented a mentoring program for new staff. Other staff programs include fitness challenges, health checks, peer support and counselling.

Resthaven Incorporated is a not-for-profit aged care organisation established in 1935 They support 10,500 older South Australians through 22 aged care facilities and community service sites. Resthaven has 2,200 staff and 450 volunteers and all staff are encouraged to undertake professional development. They have well-established learning, development and wellbeing programs including the ‘Resthaven Fit’ Program. This year, 102 staff were recognised for 10 or more years of service and one staff member was recognised for 40 years of service.

The Society of Saint Hilarion Aged Care Inc of Seaton is a not for profit residential and community based aged care organisation. They employ 270 staff who provide quality care for 300 elderly clients. Saint Hilarion has developed the ‘SSH Holistic Approach to Wellness’ model. It includes the provision of a staff gym, weekly Pilates and Yoga classes and an organic market garden for residents, families and the community to enjoy.

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award

JACS - Jenkes Advocacy and Counselling Service of Yinkanie is owned and operated by Cynthea Jenke, an active advocate, counsellor and educator. Her target groups include those experiencing homelessness, child protection, mental health, and drug and alcohol issues. She uses a social media network forum to educate about early intervention and suicide prevention. Cynthea also promotes lawn bowls as a form of suicide prevention and is an Executive Committee Member for Riverland Community Suicide Network.

Julie Wilksch of Loxton has made significant voluntary contributions to mental health education over the past 30 years. Julie helped establish the Riverland Mental Health Support Group for carers to educate and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. As Chairperson of the Riverland Mental Health Network, she has assisted in the Riverland Mental Health Inpatient Pilot and development of the Riverland Mental Health Plans. Julie is also involved in several Mental Health support groups and Mental Health Week.

Waikerie Men's Shed provides a caring and inclusive environment. They offer a wide range of activities and programs to enhance each member’s self-esteem and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to volunteer initiatives within the community, the Shed runs health promotion sessions on men’s health issues. Qualified Health professionals provide information on diabetes, depression, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer, arthritis and dementia. There are 70 members who benefit from the Sheds health promotion and activities.

YP Vets - Pet Education and Therapy Visits of Kadina provide pet visits at preschools, schools and aged care facilities throughout Yorke Peninsula. The program is based on the proven relationship between handling animals and increased socialisation, improved mental health and better moods. Running for six years, YP Vets provides vet nurses and a vet for each visit, free of charge. Dr. Natalie Olding, Director of YP Vets, has been instrumental in ensuring the success of the program.

 

2015 Finalists

Grandeur Press Sports Award
• Jamie McInerney - Mount Gambier
• Peter Zuill - Glenelg
• Sophie Eckel - West Beach

Hunt & Hunt Lawyers Community Road Safety Award
• COTA SA - Cota
• Michael and Glynnis Holbrook - Woodville South
• Red Cross Baby Seats - Mile End
• Whyalla Road Safety - Whyalla Playford

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award
• Barry Samuel - Gumeracha
• Julie Nunn - North Plympton
• Maurice Wegener - Murray Bridge
• Vanessa Kalderovskis - Hackham West

Junction Australia Connecting Communities Award
• Milang and District Community Association Inc - Milang
• The Power of 3 - Evanston Park
• Somerton SEALs - Somerton SLSC Nipper Program - Somerton Park
• Welcome to Australia - West Croydon

Alzheimer’s Australia South Australia Dementia Care Excellence Award
• ACH Group - Mile End
• Careship Coorong - Coonalpyn
• House of Saint Hilarion - Seaton

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award
• Kristina Alexander - Robe
• Lisa Sartorio Physiotherapy - Jamestown
• Nel Jans - Mount Gambie

Prime Super Community Group of the Year Award
• Barossa Area Fundraisers for Cancer Inc - Barossa Valley
• Millicent Community Builders - Millicent
• Seeds of Affnity - Pathways for Women Inc - Croydon
• The Compassionate Friends SA Inc - Woodville South

 

2014 Finalists

Angove Family Winemakers Small Business Achievement Award
• Gelista Premium Gelati - Ridleyton
• Rainbow Fresh – Lewiston
• Redgum Vet and Pet Boarding – Port Augusta

Hunt and Hunt Lawyers Community Road Safety Award
• City of Tea Tree Gully Road & Cycle Safety Centre - Modbury
• Eli Murn – Park Holme
• Road Trauma Support Team of SA - Thebarton

Alzheimer’s Australia South Australia Dementia Care Excellence Award
• Barunga Village – Port Broughton
• Gabriella Szondy - Athelstone
• Mt View Homes – Booleroo Centre

Grandeur and Kookaburra Press Sports Award
• Elizabeth Sobecki - Lobethal
• Megan Domarecki - Henley Beach
• Samantha Craig - Roseworthy
• Tjimarri Sanderson-Milera - Grange

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award
• Christine Flynn - Plympton
• Jennifer Lorraine Farnden - Myponga
• Joy Whitehorn - Fulham

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Community Rural Health and Wellbeing Award
• Bill Stockman - Renmark
• Ceduna Youth Hub - Ceduna
• The Station Community Mental Health Centre Inc - Wallaroo

Haigh’s Chocolates Volunteering Award
• Emma Hale – Plympton Park
• Joseph Smyczek – Bute
• Michael Boon – McLaren Vale
• Sardia Kakoschke - Bordertown

Prime Super Community Group of the Year Award
• Backpacks 4 SA Kids - Adelaide
• BIL/ACE - Keith
• Whyalla Men's Shed Inc. – Whyalla Norrie

 

2013 Finalists

Medibank Community Healthy Participation Award
• Headspace Noarlunga Youth Reference Group
• Orroroo Community Gym Inc
• Sammy D Foundation - Reynella
• Umeewarra Media Aboriginal Corporation - Port Augusta

Fivestar Print Environment and Sustainability Award
• Darren Schmitke - Waikerie
• BirdLife Australia Gluepot Reserve - Stonyfell
• Eco Bums the Cloth Nappy Library - Torrensville

Hunt and Hunt Lawyers Community Road Safety Award
• Barunga West Community Road Safety Group
• Fleurieu Road Safety Group Inc, VICTOR HARBOR
• Gawler Road Safety Group, EVANSTON GARDENS
• Save A Life Australia, FLAGSTAFF HILL

SA Power Networks Leadership and Innovation Award
• Margaret Button - Minlaton
• Tyele Riddle - Mawson Lakes
• Phillip Tann - Redwood Park

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Community Rural Health and Wellbeing Award
• Judy Bagg - Tailem Bend
• Jennifer Farnden - Myponga
• The Station Community Mental Health Centre Inc - Wallaroo

Carers SA Carer Achievement Award
• Marcia Johnson Timm - Eden Valley
• Jenny Potter - Glenside
• Travis Saunders - Joslin 

Haigh’s Chocolates Career Achievement Award
• Steven Cameron - Mile End
• Belinda Pringle - Balaklava
• Frank Seeley AM - Lonsdale 

Prime Super Community Group of the Year Award
• Harvest Festival - McLaren Vale
• Hats Inc (Heritage Arts and Traditions) - Auburn
• Mentoring EP - Port Lincoln
• Sustainable Communities SA Inc - Marden

 

2012 Finalists

Baulderstone Community Service and Volunteering Award
• Linda Vining
• Dalice Kennedy

Fivestar Print Environment and Sustainability Award
• Alexandra Hammett
• Marymount College Sustainability Action Group

Haigh's Chocolates Career Achievement Award
• Chris Brandwood
• Steven Cameron

Hunt and Hunt Lawyers Community Road Safety Award
• Barunga West Community Road Safety Group
• Eli Murn

Medibank Community Healthy Participation Award
• Brighton Surf Life Saving Club Inc.
• St John Community Care SA

Nova Systems Science and Technology Award
• Seeley International
• Bob Ramsay

Prime Super Community Group of the Year Award
• Arno Bay Progress Association Inc
• Soroptimist International Torrens

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award
• Mid Murray Council
• Dr David Rosenthal

SA Power Networks Leadership and Innovation Award
• Sarah Carrick
• Sid James

T & R Pastoral Primary Industries and Agriculture Award
• Solar Eggs
• Mitolo Group Pty Ltd

2011 Finalists

BlueScope Leadership and Innovation Award
• Anne-Marie Stevanovic
• Adair Dunsford

Candetti Sports Award
• Leanne Choo
• Port Pirie Regional Gymnastics Academy Inc

Fivestar Print Environment and Sustainability Award
• Conservation Council of South Australia Inc
• Ridley Grove Community Garden

Medibank Community Healthy Participation Award
• Karla Canuto
• RFDS Central Operations HLP Team

Prime Super Business Achievement Award
• 4 Businesses of Terowie
• Gerard Ramsay-Matthews

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Community Rural Health and Wellbeing Award
• General Practice Network South (GPNS)
• YP Leisure Options
• Mervyn Hollitt

T & R Pastoral Primary Industries and Agriculture Award
• Kangaroo Island Pure Grain
• YP Alkaline Soils Group Inc.

Take Care Community of the Year Award
• Riding for the Disabled Blackwood Centre
• Cummins and District Enterprise Committee

 

2010 Finalists

Fasta Pasta Career Achievement Award
• Nouha Jaber
• Jianna Georgiou
• Vince Coulthard

Take Care Community of the Year Award
• National Service's Mens Association Eyre Peninsula Sub Branch
• The Gathering Inc.
• YP Leisure Options

Fivestar Print Environment and Sustainability Award
• Alice Springs Town Council
• Birds Australia Gluepot Reserve
• Award Hindmarsh Greening

BlueScope Distribution Leadership and Innovation Award
• Eric Bennett
• Mick Harley
• Kerry Lewis

Angove Family Winemakers Primary Industries and Agricultural Award
• Barossa Farmers Market
• Gemtree Vineyards
• McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism Association

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Community Health and Wellbeing Award
• Lifeline Country to Coast SA Inc
• Meals on Wheels Mount Gambier Branch
• The Gathering Inc.

Kleenheat Gas Volunteering Award
• Eric Bennett
• Mostyn Hancock
• Zonta Club of Adelaide Flinders