We Are Brimbank Awards 2023 announced
Brimbank Council announced the winners of the 2023 We Are Brimbank Awards at a special ceremony hosted by Mayor Cr Bruce Lancashire on Thursday 26 October 2023.
The annual awards recognise the exceptional contributions, hard work and determination of organisations and community groups making a positive difference in the community.
A panel of community leaders judged the nominations across five categories, and the winners are:
Arts, Culture Or Tourism Award Winner: Utsav Melbourne Association
Community Engagement Award Winner: Defib In Your Street
Innovation Award Winner: Auschin Group
Learning Excellence Award Winner: Hester Hornbrook Academy
Environment or Sustainability Award Joint winners: Friends of Sydenham Park, Friends of Iramoo
Quotes attributable to Brimbank Mayor, Cr Bruce Lancashire:
“The We Are Brimbank Awards pay tribute to the extraordinary groups and organisations making a positive difference in our community.
“This year’s winners include organisations that have shared and celebrated culture, improved health outcomes and saved lives, preserved Brimbank’s unique flora and fauna, helped those newly arrived to Australia and provide alternatives to traditional education pathways.
“We congratulate all the award winners and nominees, and thank them for their efforts in making Brimbank a better place to live, work and play.”
2023 We Are Brimbank Award recipients
Arts, Culture or Tourism Award: This award category recognises and celebrates the fantastic projects, events, groups or businesses that showcase and develop our communities’ rich cultural fabric.
Winner: Utsav Melbourne Association
Utsav Melbourne Association (UMA) held a successful event as part of the annual Durga Puja Indian/Hindu festival, and organises a number of other programs that assist the community including counselling sessions, fundraising drives and food deliveries to the homelessness and others in need.
Community Engagement Award: This award category acknowledges and celebrates remarkable projects, events, groups, or businesses that have made a significant contribution towards fostering a welcoming, engaging, and interconnected community.
Winner: Defib In Your Street
Defib In Your Street provides training programs and resources free to community groups and schools, educating about First Aid, defibrillator use and emergency awareness. This training saves lives, giving community members’ confidence when dealing with critical, emergency health situations.
Environment or Sustainability Award: This award category acknowledges and celebrates remarkable projects, events, groups, or businesses that have motivated residents to actively contribute to, and preserve our environment for the benefit of future generations.
Joint winners: Friends of Sydenham Park, Friends of Iramoo
Friends of Sydenham Park actively contribute to preservation of the natural environment, historical, and cultural assets of Sydenham Park, to encourage use and promote environmental sustainability for the benefit of future generations.
Friends of Iramoo are a group passionate about native grasslands and sustainability in the west. The group is most well-known for its tireless work in restoring the Iramoo Wildflower Grassland Reserve located on Playhouse Avenue, Cairnlea, which is home to a large population of endangered Striped Legless Lizards. Page 3 of 3
Innovation Award: This award category acknowledges and celebrates sole traders, groups, businesses, social enterprises and organisations that have successfully implemented initiatives that demonstrate leadership and commitment to business innovation through innovative ways of working, and/or created something unique to the market place.
Winner: Auschin Group
Auschin Group is a family run commercial Landscaping business established in 2018 to create employment opportunities for newly arrived Chin refugees. Auschin supports Chin and Burmese people with education, employment, settlement and community services and advocacy as well as preserving the culture, traditions, and values of the Chin Community.
Learning Excellence Award: This award category acknowledges and celebrates remarkable projects, events, groups, or businesses that have made a significant contribution to the ongoing education, learning and engagement of the Brimbank community.
Winner: Hester Hornbrook Academy
Hester Hornbrook Academy provides free, high quality education with extensive wellbeing and academic supports to young people in the west. They provide flexible and tailored opportunities for students who have not flourished in traditional, mainstream school settings and help these students establish successful pathways into further education and employment.