Seniors Achievement Awards 2023
2023 winners announced!
This year, within our 6 award categories, we highlighted the importance of aged care, education and resourcefulness, outstanding service for seniors, diversity, social justice and advocacy and resilience within the Senior community.Â
The LDK Seniors Achievement Award –Â Vijay Puri of the Indian Senior Citizens Association
Vijay Puri, President of the Indian Seniors Association of Canberra, has been honored with the LDK Seniors Achievement Award. Vijay’s dedication and tireless efforts have made a profound impact on the Canberra community, showcasing resilience and consistent contributions that have significantly improved the lives of his fellow seniors, especially in the Indian seniors community of the ACT.
Beginning his involvement with the Association in 2018 as a member, he quickly rose to Vice president and President, being recognised for his tireless efforts, kindness and empathy with seniors dealing with mental health struggles throughout the 2020 pandemic. Mr. Puri has served the seniors of ACT for the last five years in various capacities and has contributed his valuable time to the safety and well-being of the entire community, be it young or a senior.Â
He serves as Justice of Peace for the multicultural Community in Canberra, advocating for their interests and concerns to the Multicultural forum, in which he consults with the ACT Government on their needs.
The Capital Chemist Seniors Achievement Award for Aged Care Services – Bina Brown of Third Age Matters
Bina Brown representing Third Age Matters, a customised aged-care placement and advocacy service for seniors living in Canberra, is the recipient of the Capital Chemist Seniors Achievement Award for Aged Care Services. Bina’s exceptional contributions have been vital in enhancing the well-being, comfort, and quality of life for older people in the ACT. Her consistent dedication, innovation, and compassion in the field of aged care have set a benchmark for excellence.
She is an Accredited Aged Care Professional who works with a licensed financial adviser specialising in aged care to get the best outcome. Her work and dedication to seniors navigating their aged care options makes her an invaluable resource to the Canberra community.
Bina offers a unique, compassionate service to seniors at a critical stage in their lives, when they are seeking assistance in the home or moving out of the family home. She provides and arranges practical, hands-on assistance to support the comfort and wellbeing of people as they age.
The ActewAGL Seniors Achievement Award for Education for seniors – Martin Pikler
Martin is an active member of the Board of Governors of the Hospital Research Foundation Group PACT, with 7 years of involvement as a volunteer for Parkinson’s ACT. He joined Parkinson’s ACT in 2017, a non-profit organisation promoting the well-being and interests of people living with Parkinson’s in the ACT and nearby region. He became a respected member of their community, bringing his IT and Communications expertise and professionalism to support the management of their volunteer run charity.
In 2018 Martin designed a high quality website for Parkinson’s ACT which is a first point of contact for many people living with Parkinson’s when diagnosed, in providing access to information about the condition to the local community – it providers rich information on services and activities to its’ members. He is a lover of words and voluntarily offered his skills to edit and distribute their monthly bulletins and updates, keeping their community connected and enriched.
The ACT Seniors Card Seniors Achievement Award for outstanding service to seniors – Communities at Work Seniors Team
The award for Outstanding Service to Seniors goes to the Communities at Work Seniors Team. This esteemed team is acknowledged for providing trustworthy, engaging, and reliable services to older people in the ACT.
The Communities at Work Seniors Team provides social support groups out of Ngunnawal and Holder to approximately 90 people per month. They run 9 programs throughout the week that support older Canberrans to make long lasting friendships, share experiences and learn new skills.
The Communities at Work Seniors team has spent the last year refining and growing their seniors’ groups to meet the need of their clients.Â
At their seniors’ centres, seniors can enjoy fun and interesting activities, and maintain their health and wellness – all by fostering the social connection and independence of seniors in the ACT.
The Beyond Bank Seniors Achievement Award for community diversity & inclusion – Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra
The Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra is the proud recipient of the Beyond Bank Seniors Achievement Award for Community Diversity & Inclusion. This award spotlights their exceptional commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the senior community.
MCCI has been delivering services and providing community aged care services through CHSP and HCP to seniors in ACT for 4 years, having seen that there was no culturally specific aged care service in the region. During this time MCCI has supported over 1000 seniors from CALD backgrounds.
MCCI has worked with over 56 cultural community leaders in the ACT to support them to educate their community about the services available through Government funded aged care programs. MCCI ensures the community has the information and knowledge to access services to help them remain independent at home.
MCCI continues to ensure growth and development of services to be culturally inclusive for seniors in the ACT.
The ACT Human Rights Commission Seniors Achievement Award for social justice and advocacy – Lina Webber of ACT Policing
Lina Webber, from ACT Policing is honored with the ACT Human Rights Commission Seniors Achievement Award for Social Justice and Advocacy. Lina’s unwavering dedication to advancing social justice, equity, and human rights within the senior community has set a high standard. She passionately advocates for the rights, well-being, and dignity of seniors, promoting positive change and raising awareness of senior’s rights issues to the broader community.
Lina Webber has been a Seniors Liaison Office for ACT Policing for many years, where she has worked tirelessly with older Canberrans experiencing or at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or exploitation to keep them safe.
Lina has succeeded in forging key relationships with the many service providers in the ACT to raise awareness about elder abuse and to respond holistically to cases of elder abuse in the community. She is often the first point of contact when people call requesting assistance in dealing with an elder abuse case. Her dedication and passion for helping seniors is honourable and deserves to be recognised, in how she positively impacts seniors’ lives.
