Last year’s Senior of the Year is reflecting on her year of advocating for better dementia awareness, after Ballarat’s 2018 winners were announced on Wednesday.
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Mental health campaigner Robyn Cunningham is the Ballarat Senior of the Year, announced at an award ceremony held at the Ballarat Town Hall.
Ms Cunningham has volunteered with the Office of the Public Advocate for more than 18 years, visiting almost 100 mental health facilities in the last financial year to ensure those in care are not being exploited.
The 2017 recipient Anne Tudor said her accumulated experiences caring for her mother who had Alzheimer's disease, and now her partner Edie Mayhew, crystalised into a passion for improving access to dementia resources, particularly for LGBTI individuals.
“Serving others is often a constructive response to challenge, hardship or trauma,” she said.
“It’s satisfying to see change, to see more people becoming interested or involved, to experience community understanding, inclusion, empathy and warmth.
“I’m certainly very appreciative that some people in the community thought the work we were doing was of sufficient importance to nominate us.”
The Senior Achiever Award was presented to Marie Wilson, for her commitment to the Ballarat arts community through the Lyric Theatre Company and the Ballarat Jazz Club.
Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh said the calibre of nominees and previous winners showed that life now truly “begins at 60”.
“This award shines a light on those in our community who, often with little fuss and who we don’t even hear about, contribute a great deal of time in an unpaid manner,” she said.
John McNeight received the Healthy Active Living Award for his involvement with the Ballan Angler’s Club, and long-stnading commitment to the protecting aquatic environments.
The award ceremony kicked of Victorian Seniors Festival, which takes place throughout October.
Councillor Belinda Coates said the awards aim to recognise those over the age of 60 making a positive difference.
“What makes Ballarat a special place is our community,” she said.
“As has been the case for a number of years, the Seniors Festival is presenting a huge array of terrific events.”