Paul Garang
Project Manager
Paul Garang has been instrumental in developing cultural understanding between the local Sudanese community and the wider community.
He was one of the young people known as ‘the lost boys of Sudan’, forced to flee when government troops attacked southern Sudanese villages in 1983.
Paul and nine other Sudanese refugees living in Toowoomba have published their stories in the book Walking to Freedom to help the community understand the stories of Sudanese refugees.
As project manager of the Awulian Community Development Association, Paul encourages young Sudanese people to talk to high school students, businesses and community groups about their refugee experiences and helps the Sudanese community manage family and work life in Australian society.
Paul received the 2011 Minister's Multicultural Encouragement Award.
Eloise Maree
Young Member 2012
Eloise Maree is a student, actor, writer and artistic director of her own theatre company.
Now the talented 21-year-old can add youth advocate to her already impressive resume.
Eloise has been selected as the Queensland Young Member for National Youth Week 2012, where she will act as a voice for young people from across the state.
“This is a great opportunity to work with young people across Queensland,” Eloise says.
“It’s incredibly important that all age groups celebrate and acknowledge the role of youth in today’s society.
“I also think it is important that young adults are well-versed on our most pressing issues; climate change, sustainability, support for creative thinking and good leadership to name a few.”
Eloise will liaise with young people and community groups about Youth Week issues, events and activities.
John Fox
Group 61 founder
In late 2000, retired teacher and accountant John Fox was out door-knocking when a young, dishevelled, solitary man invited him in for a cup of coffee.
From this chance encounter, John realised one of the secrets to tackling mental illness was giving people an outlet to talk and tell their stories.
John felt inspired to help and gathered several volunteers who were keen to get involved. The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane trained the volunteers and soon Group 61 was born.
Today, 82-year-old John heads up 70 volunteers and over 90 ‘friends’ (with hundreds more on a waiting list).
John’s efforts were acknowledged when he received the 2011 Queensland Disability Action Week Individual Award for community services.
“It has been an honour to help improve the lives of people affected by mental health issues,” John says.
Raina Simon
Construction apprentice
Raised on Palm Island near Townsville, Raina Simon is inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to pursue a career in construction.
Raina recently completed a 12 month construction work traineeship with QBuild as part of an Indigenous Women in Hard Hats program.
“As part of the traineeship I also enrolled in a TAFE Certificate Two in Repairs and Maintenance in Indigenous Housing,” she says.
“I now have a nationally recognised qualification in construction and plan to work as an apprentice carpenter.
“Upon completing the apprenticeship in 2015, I hope to bring my skills back to the Palm Island community.
“I also hope my achievements will inspire other young Indigenous women to pursue a career in the construction industry.”
Michael Curran and James Teh
Business partners Michael Curran (pictured, left) and James Teh run NV Access, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the ideal that access to technology should not incur an extra cost for blind and vision impaired users.
The pair drew on their experiences as blind computer users to develop the free, open-source program, NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA).
NVDA provides a synthetic voice to read words on a computer screen as the cursor moves over them, enabling blind and vision impaired people to access computer systems for no more cost than for a sighted person. Translated into 32 languages, the software is now used in over 150 countries.
The pair won a 2011 Disability Action Week Award for their services to the disability sector.
Thandie Ngoma
Student organiser
African Australian students at QUT in Brisbane are finding new doors opening to them, thanks to the work of fellow student Thandie Ngoma and colleagues.
Two years ago, Thandie and a friend, Kashim Oriaje, established the I-project, which aimed to create opportunities for African Australian students to improve their study and career prospects.
“Through the I-project we have established partnerships with local African businesses and government agencies, resulting in work experience opportunities and even jobs,” says Thandie.
Last year the group of students established the QUT Africa Association, with the broader aims of celebrating the African heritage and promoting interaction with the wider Australian community.
Thandie says she is inspired by “notable social change agents like President Obama, Oprah and my local church pastor, Wilson Lim”.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License