COTA Victoria CEO Tina Hogarth-Clarke paid tribute to the 16 winners named in the 2019 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards in a ceremony at Government House, Melbourne.
11 outstanding Victorians received COTA Senior Achiever Awards from the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, and the Minister for Ageing, the Honourable Luke Donnellan.
The COTA Senior Achiever Awards recognise significant contributions to local communities and the state.
Margaret Young, 80, a palliative care advocate, was named the 2019 Victorian Senior of the Year in recognition of her outstanding work supporting people facing a terminal diagnosis.
Ms Young has supported many people over the past 11 years as a voluntary grief counsellor with Eastern Palliative Care. Recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, Margaret has agreed to document her own experience for a film as she faces her own death to help benefit others.
Ms Hogarth-Clarke said the awards were a timely reminder of the huge contribution older Victorians made.
‘Older Victorians are more likely to volunteer, put in unpaid hours as carers, parents and grandparents and they bring significant diversity with more than 40 per cent of older Victorians born overseas,’ Ms Hogarth-Clarke said.
Her Excellency said that the Victorian community needed to change the conversation about ageing. She said the community needed to start acknowledging the wealth of experience, skills, knowledge and wisdom older Victorians brought to their respective communities.
Minister Donnellan said the awards celebrated Victorian seniors whose kindness and generosity made our state stronger and fairer.
‘I’d like to acknowledge the high-calibre of nominations in this year’s Victorian Senior of the Year Awards and congratulate all the finalists on their impressive contributions.’
The award winners ranged in age from 68 to 98. The West Gippsland Bushwalkers Club received the Age-Friendly Victoria Award.
The Victorian Senior of the Year Awards acknowledge older Victorians who volunteer to assist, support and encourage others in their communities.
The awards also recognise community organisations or businesses that create age-friendly communities through inclusion and active ageing. The awards are a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services and COTA Victoria.
Winners’details could be found at 2019 Victorian Senior of the Year Award recipients
Media enquiries: Phillip Money COTA Victoria 0407 329 055