Congratulations to the 2018 Positive Ageing Award winners

2018 Award winners

Senior Achiever Award

The Senior Achiever Award recognises the outstanding contribution made by an older person to the Canberra community.

Beverley Flint

Beverley has committed herself to a lifetime of volunteering her time, skills, expertise, knowledge and wisdom to others. As a state registered nurse, Beverley worked at the Queanbeyan and Canberra Hospitals and was as a nurse manager in a private medical/dental practice. She has supervised a private day care centre at Curtin and was the Deputy Director of the semi-nursing service Care at Home Agency. She has been an administrator of the Canberra Branch of the Australian Trade Union Training Authority, was President of her son's rugby league team and was a member of the Curtin pre-school committee.

Beverley is currently the 2nd Vice President and Public Officer for the Tuggeranong Community Council (TCC). She is also runs the Community, Health and Education Sub Committee of the TCC, has been an active member of the Tuggeranong Lake Carers, is the Convenor of the East Greenway Action Group and assists in running the Tuggeranong Branch of Sing Australia.

Intergenerational Award

The Intergenerational Award recognises a person or group who has worked to foster and improve relationships across multiple generations.

Deborah Evans

Deborah is a Gija/Djaru Aboriginal woman and a survivor of the Stolen Generation.

Deborah has devoted her life to educating Aboriginal people in schools, prisons and in the community. Concerned about the increasing rate of Aboriginal incarceration, she worked to establish a community organization, TJILLARI Justice, to support the families of Indigenous detainees.

Its aim is to break the cycle of Intergenerational offending in the ACT. The service has been established for 4 years and is now calling for older Indigenous to assume their cultural place and support and nurture the younger generations.

Age Friendly Canberra Award

This Award recognises a person or group which has worked to enhance opportunities for seniors to lead full and satisfying lives.

Philip Piggin

Philip is a dance instructor who teaches dance at the Belconnen Arts Centre and Tuggeranong Arts Centre. Twice a week, Philip teaches dance to people living with dementia as part of VIVACITY, Dementia Australia’s dance group. VIVACITY is the ACT’s first dementia friendly dance group, created in conjunction with Dementia Australia.

Philip’s passion for what he does, his pride in seeing people enjoying life through dance and his enthusiasm for encouraging people to come together to participate in and enjoy the physical along with the social interaction is to be commended.

Seniors Advocate Award

The Seniors Advocate Award recognises an outsanding commitment by a person or group in advocating for seniors.

Norma Sumner

Norma has endless energy and enthusiasm towards her work with residents, staff and visitors to Mirinjani. Norma is well regarded by all and goes out of her way to make sure that people are heard and treated like an individual. Norma is very professional in her approach and manages a range of sensitive and often complex issues with care and compassion.

Norma assists with the health, wellbeing, education and social situation of residents in Mirinjani by being very aware of individuals and their needs. Norma makes sure that each person is able to enjoy activities as much as possible by understanding people as individuals.

Transport Services Award

The Transport Servces Award recognises a person or group who, in their professional capacity, has provided outstanding service to older people.

Legacy Canberra Legacy Team

Legacy Canberra Legacy Team works to organise group outings, meetings and gatherings for the members of the South Canberra Laurel Club.

In 2017 Mary Parker and Tom Wharton approached the Flexible Bus Team for help to transport ladies from the South Canberra Laurel Club to regular meetings in Deakin. By travelling together in a bus the meetings generated more participation and the bus trip becomes part of the whole occasion and people are discovering each other beyond what happens at the meetings and events themselves.

The team comprises:

Co-Captains: Mary Parker, President of Canberra Southside Laurel Club and Tom Wharton, Member of Legacy’s Welfare Committee

Troops: Bob Cox, Heather Pietsch and Cathy Clifford