Awards
2009 Senior Australian of the Year - Results
2009 winners of the Senior Australian of the Year award
2009 Senior Australian of the Year
Pat LaManna OAM - Entrepreneur and philanthropist (VIC)
Having come from a poor background himself, Pat LaManna readily relates to the misfortunes of others. He battled racism and economic adversity during the years after his arrival in Australia from Italy in 1948, but he persevered and became a successful entrepreneur. He has used these skills to give back to countless charities in Australia and the developing World. He has been a member of the Lions Club for 40 years and founded the Lions Club of the Melbourne Markets in 1972 which has become the highest fund raising Lions Club in Australia. Due to his commitment, he has been elected president of the club seven times. Pat also started the Hand-to-Hand Appeal for the Bionic Hands Department at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, raising $198,000, and the Pat LaManna Cancer and Research Stroke Foundation which has raised $1.5 million to date. He established the annual Melbourne Passion Play in 1997, an outdoor re-enactment of the story of Christ that is funded by Pat and is free to the public. These are but a few of the generous contributions Pat has made to the community, serving it with energy and devotion.2009 Senior Australian of the Year, State and Territory Finalists
NSW Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Lorraine Peeters - Stolen Generation supporter
Like many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children of her generation, Lorraine Peeters was forcibly removed from her family at the age of four and placed in an institution. Through the healing journey necessitated by this traumatic event, she became involved with helping others from the Stolen Generation. She developed the Marumali model of healing and in response to great demand she established a healing program called Winangali-Marumali in 2000, to support members of the Stolen Generation. Participants are empowered by the workshop and its model of healing. The program works in tandem with Link Up, which allows Indigenous people to trace lost family members, and Bringing Them Home counsellors. Recognising that those removed from their families are twice as likely to have been arrested, she also established the Marumali program in Victorian prisons. Since 2002, more than 250 participants have completed the program. Lorraine also played an important role in the National Apology given by the Prime Minister in 2008 to the Stolen Generations. Following the apology, she presented the Prime Minister with a glass coolamon, an Indigenous carrying vessel, to thank him for offering the apology. Lorraine has had a profound impact on helping members of the Stolen Generation to heal.Top of page
QLD Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Jean Illingworth - Revolutionary principal
Jean Illingworth has been instrumental in transforming a once dysfunctional Indigenous school into a much admired model of success. Djarragun is an independent college located south of Cairns catering for disadvantaged students with traditionally low rates of participation in school. Prior to her arrival as principal of the school, class attendance was low, and violence and drugs were rife. Through tough love she has transformed the school into a safe place for both boarders and day students with high retention rates. Jean partly attributes this to the school’s extensive vocational education program which covers areas like engineering, construction, music and business. She has also deliberately employed a multicultural group of staff from across the world to break down the barriers that often exist between Indigenous and non Indigenous people. Jean wants to continue making improvements in these children’s lives, and her most ambitious plan is to build a primary boarding school nearby for 50 Indigenous students who have been judged to be at risk of harm if left in their communities. The Commonwealth Government has committed $2 million so far for the building of infrastructure. Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has described Jean as a ‘true social entrepreneur.’SA Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
John Halbert MBE - Australian Rules legend
John Halbert has served the South Australian National Football League, Australian Football League, the Australian Football Foundation and the sport of Australian Rules at the community level with the greatest distinction over the past 40 years and continues in many of his roles serving the game at a national level. He made his debut with Sturt in 1955 and was an immediate success. By the time he retired from the game he had established a new record for the Blues by playing 251 games. Beyond this, John has had an exceptional career as an academic, sportsman, educator, mentor and public speaker. His dedication to the development of young people in sport has been a focus and this was recognised when he was made a Member of the British Empire in 1969 for his work in this area. Furthermore his service to the community has extended to his participation in the Lutheran Church as a congregation Chairman, Board Member and respected elder. John is an honorable and distinguished Australian who continues to inspire young people in Australia through his excellence in the field of sport and the community in general.WA Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Patrick Dodson - Indigenous leader
Patrick Dodson has given a lifetime of service to the Australian community. With his trademark long flowing beard and Akubra, he has been a striking figure at the forefront of Indigenous issues. In 1975, he became Australia’s first ordained Aboriginal Catholic priest but after ongoing challenges with the ecclesiastical hierarchy over his beliefs about Catholicism and traditional Aboriginal spirituality he eventually left the priesthood. In 1977, Patrick was the founding chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and subsequently became known as the ‘Father of Australian reconciliation.’ During his chairmanship he brought together leaders within the Aboriginal, mining, religious, pastoral, and cultural communities, culminating in the historic Aboriginal Reconciliation Convention. In 1981, he joined the Central Land Council and was later appointed director, playing a key role in many politically sensitive negotiations with the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments. His sensitive approach saw many successes for Indigenous land rights, including the return of the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park to traditional owners. He was also appointed as a commissioner for The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Patrick has devoted his life to building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. He has demonstrated that reconciliation is a practical reality and a future that we should all be working towards.Top of page
TAS Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Ronnie Burns - Respite centre founder
Ronnie Burns is a well-known singer and former ‘King of Pop.’ For decades he touched people with his music but he gave up the world of showbiz to dedicate his life to saving children. Supported by his wife Maggie, he created the Appin Hall Children’s Foundation Respite Centre which provides refuge for terminally ill, disadvantaged, abused and destitute children, and their carers. Ronnie is involved in every aspect of the centre from sourcing potential sponsorship to hands-on building of the new and ever-expanding facilities to accommodate more children. His vision is to eventually have a village that will house 200 children and six permanent staff members. In the meantime for the children already staying at Appin Hall he stages music nights, takes them to visit local attractions and, most importantly, acts as a role model and trusted friend to these children who have experienced much trauma in their lives. Ronnie is known as a man with a huge heart who is generous and selfless with his time. He works tirelessly in his quest to create a safe and nurturing environment and a future for what he sees as the most precious thing on this planet – our children.NT Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Bryan and Kathy Massey - Dedicated community supporters
Bryan and Kathy Massey arrived on Groote Eylandt as missionaries nearly 40 years ago. They knew very little about Aboriginal culture or what lay ahead. In the years that followed, Bryan and Kathy developed a trusting, close partnership with the Aboriginal community of Angurugu. They introduced a program to counteract alcohol and substance misuse, a Meals on Wheels program, and disability services. Their greatest success was fulfilling the community’s long-term wish to have an aged care facility, which was built in the shape of the Angurugu totem, a swordfish, to signify community dreams and commitment. Bryan and Kathy’s devotion to Indigenous welfare has also extended beyond their immediate community. For many years Bryan has been a board member on the Council on Aboriginal Alcohol Prevention, and in 1997 both Bryan and Kathy travelled to Katherine as part of flood relief efforts. The couple have also raised awareness about Machado Joseph Disease, a fatal nerve wasting condition, affecting a significant number of the Angurugu community and communities in West Arnhem Land. As a long line of missionaries and other non-Indigenous staff have come and gone over the years, Bryan and Kathy have remained, committed to assisting the community they have grown to love so deeply.ACT Senior Australian of the Year Finalist
Reverend Associate Professor Elizabeth MacKinlay AM - Anglican priest
Reverend Elizabeth MacKinlay works tirelessly and selflessly in her many community roles, promoting greater understanding of the issues facing older people, in particular their spiritual and emotional needs. In 2007, Reverend MacKinlay was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to nurse education, the Anglican Church, the wider community, and the welfare of aged people, particularly through the establishment of the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies at St Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra. A researcher and writer, she has presented many papers and workshops on these issues both nationally and internationally. Her book Spiritual Growth and Care in the Fourth Age of Life won the 2006 Australasian Journal on Ageing Book Award. As Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing, she has introduced a seniors employment campaign called Silver Lining Project, successfully campaigned for grandparental leave in the ACT public service, and worked to introduce improvements in the public transport system for ACT seniors. She also organised the 2008 National Conference of the Centre for Ageing and Pastoral Studies which was well attended by representatives of all the major religions in Australia, helping to develop a sense of solidarity between faiths through discussions on the common experience of ageing for all communities.Top of page
