Aspire Awards

Exciting times in the Robertson family!

On Monday I had the very great honour of being presented with a medal by the PVC Health Professor Sheena Reilly AM on behalf of the Aspire Awards. 

 

The Aspire Awards are supported by Funds in Court: https://fundsincourt.vic.gov.au/ a division of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Funds are paid into Funds in Court by a court order usually because a person is under a ‘legal disability’. This might be because they: have had an accident, injury or illness; have an intellectual or physical disability (or both) and are under 18.

 

The awards are held in memory of Kevin Mahony AM, the former Senior Master of Funds in Court. They have been held since 2016. Professor Rhonda Galbally AC and Associate Justice John Efthim, the current Senior Master, are the 2020 Patrons of the Awards.

 

“The Aspire Awards founded by Miranda Bain in 2015 provide an important opportunity to raise awareness about disability issues more broadly across the community and, ultimately, to support the development of an inclusive Australian society.”

 

In these times, a special kind of courage and resilience is needed. The nominees and recipients of The Aspire Award can lead the way and teach others in the community where obstacles can be overturned, goals achieved, and dreams realised.

 

The awards celebrate people who identify with a disability in any chosen field of work- volunteering, sport, hobby, advocacy, health, law, arts, writing. They celebrate the opportunity, dreams, and achievements of an inclusive society.

 

The nominees for The Aspire Awards are who are well respected in their community, who have been active in their own endeavours but also have given of themselves to help others. They come from all walks of life.

 

We all owe a debt to these remarkable people. Colleagues, friends and families should be proud. We are honouring the amazing talent and wonderful achievements with this award, a symbol of recognition and hope that is shared with others around the country.

 

My nomination was submitted by a colleague Mellisa Wortel, who had the following to say...

 

From a young child, Julia has dedicated a large amount of her life fundraising and raising awareness for a variety of causes including the asthma association, cancer foundations and numerous brain/brain injury foundations.

Seventeen years ago, Julia was diagnosed with a benign but life-threatening brain tumour. This had a huge impact on Julia’s life, more so as she was dealing with a range of family issues at the time.

 

Initially, she was unable to find a doctor in Brisbane that would operate on the tumour. Over the years, Julia’s symptoms worsened, and she eventually found a doctor in Sydney (Dr Charlie Teo) who successfully completed the operation.

 

After a period of recovery, she started to study at TAFE. She hoped this would assist in not only finding employment but to assess her memory which had not returned to its state prior to the operation.

 

Julia successfully completed her TAFE study and she then enrolled in and completed an Adult Tertiary Preparation Program to prepare her for university. She enrolled in the Bachelor of Clinical Sciences but during her undergraduate study, she needed to take some time out due to illness. On returning, Julia changed over to the Bachelor of Psychological Science which she will be graduating from this year.

 

Julia’s determination to succeed in her life and to assist in making the life of others better needs to be commended. Listed in the supporting documentation, there is an outline of what Julia’s life has entailed and continues to entail.

 

(I graduated the BPsychSc last year)

The national winners will be announced on Friday, October 30th 2020, Celebration from December 1st to 7th 2020

For more information about the Aspire Awards head to https://theaspireawards.com.au/