2015 Queensland Multicultural Awards winners announced

Three outstanding Queenslanders, four organisations and a high school were all winners at this year’s Multicultural Awards.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Shannon Fentiman presented the awards at the annual gala dinner at Brisbane Convention Centre last night as the opening to Queensland Multicultural Week.

“The Queensland Multicultural Awards has been acknowledging exceptional individuals, businesses and organisations since 1990 and I was honoured to be part of this year’s celebrations,” she said.

“We know that Queensland has always drawn strength from the rich cultures and traditions of people from diverse backgrounds.

“These awards are about publicly acknowledging those people who work and volunteer to promote the benefits of a multicultural society and help our newest Queenslanders to feel at home.”

 Winners of the awards were –

• Business Excellence award winner - The World Wellness Group runs a medical practice inclusive of allied health and traditional medicine services for marginalised migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.  All profits raised go towards fulfilling its mission: ‘a social business where the community’s health profits.

• Education and Training Innovation award winner - Kirwan State High School prides itself on being a ‘school for everybody’. Welcoming students from 49 different nationalities, the school has a highly successful international program encouraging students to graduate as citizens of the world. They also conducted events to promote cross-cultural sharing, embedded Asian literacy, overseas’ learning tours and volunteering opportunities.

• Outstanding Volunteer award winner – Daphne Fung, founder and Vice-President of the Toowoomba International Multicultural Society (TIMS) has spent countless hours volunteering to help increase cultural understanding and create a more harmonious community. She has helped run the Chinese New Year celebrations for the past eight years, which raise vital funds for local and overseas’ charities. 

• Communications and Media Achievement award winner -  The Change Makers Project, a joint partnership with University of Queensland andWoodridge State High School, aimed to build greater connections and cross-cultural understanding between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Pacifica, Australian and newly-arrived refugee communities in the Logan area. Youth camps, student-led community events and an innovative student magazine ‘Change Makers – The true story of Woodridge’ were part of the successful project that generated national and international media coverage.

• Services and Communities award winner - Brisbane City Council, a major investor in multicultural festivals which have attracted more than 4.5 million residents and visitors and 31,000 volunteers to events such as Paniyiri, Diwali and Korean New Year. Over the past decade, $2.5 million in council funding provided to 42 organisations has allowed 216 multicultural festivals to be delivered.

• Multicultural Ambassador Award winner – Yasmin Khan has been working tirelessly within the multicultural arena for more than 25 years in Brisbane to help build bridges and dispel myths about Islam and the Muslim community. Yasmin started the very successful Eidfest, a celebration at the end of Ramadan, now in its 11^th year which attracts 10,000 visitors from the Muslim and non-Muslim community.

• Minister’s Multicultural Award winner – Gabriela Corridore has been working hard to reduce the feelings of isolation and vulnerability among multicultural communities and to improve communication, confidence and support networks within the Italian speaking community in the Wide Bay area. Her diverse skills and linguistic abilities allowed her to assist groups, individuals and organisations develop multicultural policies and practices.

• Minister’s Multicultural Youth Award winner - Welcoming Intercultural Neighbours(WIN) - Gladstone Youth for Cultural Diversity group motivates young people who are passionate about cultural diversity in their community. The group coordinates cultural events and innovative activities related to social inclusion, cultural learning and sharing. As part of the youth initiative, WIN is also working closely with local high schools facilitating information sessions as well as a literacy and cultural support program.

 “It’s great to see such a diverse range of communities and regions represented in this year’s awards,” Ms Fentiman said.

“Our multicultural communities have contributed greatly to Queensland’s social, cultural and business life.

“They have created jobs, wealth and ideas, and strengthened the harmony of our great state, which is why it’s important to recognise and celebrate their valuable contribution.”

Ms Fentiman said the awards was the perfect opportunity to kick off Queensland Multicultural Week, the state’s largest celebrations of multiculturalism.

“The week promises to be bigger and better – packed with more than 75 events, performances, activities and workshops being held in communities across the state,” she said.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to get together with friends, family and the wider community to share your story and celebrate your ancestry and I encourage everyone to get involved.”

For more information on the awards visit www.qld.gov.au/qma and for more information about Queensland Multicultural Week including event details visit www.qldmulticulturalweek.com.au

Media Contact: Minister Fentiman’s office 0404475088