AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR - VICTORIA

Leviseda Douglas

Humanitarian

Seda Douglas has endured starvation, torture, forced labour, and the anguish of losing her father and seven siblings at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia . Only her mother and one brother made it to the Thai refugee camp where they spent four years waiting for a country to take them in. To our great fortune, it was Australia who welcomed them. Seda learnt from her work in the camp hospital the importance of education. She began studying from the time she arrived here in 1983 and now has diplomas and certificates in Asian and Ethnic Studies, translation, management, training, and legal interpreting as well as a Masters degree in International Development Studies. As executive producer with Radio Australia's Cambodia service and as founder of the Save the Cambodian Children Fund, member of the Centre of South East Asian Studies at Monash University and author of Sex Trafficking in Cambodia, a book highlighting crimes against women. Seda is committed to the rebuilding of the homeland she left nearly twenty-five years ago.

Ken Morgan

Children's services founder

Former car salesman Ken Morgan has gone from giving cars away on Saturday night TV to giving hope to hundreds of children in need. Ken is honorary chairman of Kids Under Cover, a not-for-profit organisation he founded in 1989. The organisation builds houses, bungalows, units, and mobile homes to accommodate children, many of whom are wards of the state, under the supervised care of various welfare agencies. These children are victims, mostly of severe physical or sexual abuse, in urgent need of a roof over their heads as well as support and counselling. Under Ken's leadership, Kids Under Cover has built over 200 bungalows and fourteen houses in all corners of Victoria, giving a home to over 1,000 children in need. Ken's selfless voluntary work for the community and his absolute dedication to helping homeless and at risk young people inspires all who come into contact with him.

Dr Hugh Wirth AM

Animal welfare advocate

Hugh Wirth's love of animals led him to a career in veterinary science - to the horror of his teachers, who tried to steer him towards medicine. After qualifying in 1963, Hugh developed a passion for animal welfare and in 1969 became involved with the RSPCA in Victoria . Three years later he was elected state president and in 1981 he became the founding president of the newly formed RSPCA Australia. Over the past forty years, Hugh has had a profound influence on public attitudes towards animals through his role in the RSPCA and as a broadcaster. Hugh has never been afraid to upset people with his strong opinions on animal welfare. In recognition of his outstanding work, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Melbourne University and two years ago was elected honorary president of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, an organisation representing over 460 animal welfare bodies in 114 countries.

Philip Wollen OAM

Philanthropic humanitarian

Through his kindness and generosity, Philip Wollen brings crucial help to many charitable causes and inspires others to share his humanitarian values and ideals. His achievements in the business world mark him as a man of action and he channels this energy into practical outcomes for the causes he champions through the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust. Philip promotes kindness towards all other living beings and strives to enshrine this as a recognisable trait in the Australian character and culture. The measure of his support can be seen in the extraordinary list of organisations the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust supports, benefiting c hildren, animals, the ill, the environment and aspiring youth . Essentially a private man, he seeks no personal publicity but is not afraid to step into the limelight for a just cause.

SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR

Norman Gibbs

Community supporter

Zodo the Clown. Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny. Norman Gibbs answers to all of these alter egos. Norman has been contributing to his community for over sixty years, from when as a twenty-year old he formed a physical fitness group at his local church. After founding a drop-in centre for troubled youth, he trained as an honorary probation officer and remains the longest serving honorary worker in this field. His tireless work in this role since 1970 led to the tag of Mr Waverly - the man who always would help or know where to get help. In 1978 Norman became a foundation member of the Moomba Clown Club. As Zodo the Clown he entertains the young, the frail, the disabled - anyone who is in need of cheering up. He also spends a lot of time each year as Santa and the Easter Bunny visiting kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE

Philanthropist

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch is an inspiration and a role model for all seniors with her high level of energy, her generosity of spirit, and her common touch. As well as raising children, she has devoted her life to philanthropy. Before her marriage in 1928, she worked as a volunteer for the RSPCA. She joined the management committee of the Royal Children's Hospital in 1933, serving as its president from 1954 to 1965. An astute and passionate supporter of many worthy causes, particularly the arts, Dame Elisabeth is also firmly committed to the health and welfare of children. She is renowned for her compassion and generosity and is universally admired for her tireless philanthropic works. It has been said that her interests are so many that they need to be listed alphabetically. Dame Elisabeth's high level of charity work, even in her nineties, is inspirational.

Marguerite Ryan

International women's advocate

Retirement hasn't stopped Marguerite Ryan's charitable works. In twenty years with the Christian Brothers Foundation, and after seven trips to Africa , Marguerite was no stranger to poverty. But what she witnessed in Kibera, a hillside slum area outside Nairobi , really shocked her. Children filled their drink bottles with filthy water from the drains; young orphans, barely clothed, wandered dirty laneways looking for food and somewhere to sleep; no roads, no fresh water, and an escalating HIV/AIDS problem. Marguerite's response was typical of her practical concern for others and her ability to highlight the needs of the poor without offending their dignity. She set up Women for Women, a fund raising group that helps Kenyan women establish their own businesses, funds children's education, and teaches life skills to the women. Marguerite's great talent is creating a sense of love and sisterhood between Australia 's privileged and these desperately poor people in Africa .

Richard Williams

Fund raiser

Richard Williams is an accomplished businessman who has used his position in the community to leverage opportunities to raise very significant funds for a number of causes, most notably the Royal Children's Hospital. Richard is one of the founding members of the Pied Pipers, which to date has raised well over $4,000,000. His army of secondary school students become Pied Piper helpers for the Good Friday Appeal and sell posters at the AFL Grand Final. It was Richard's idea and it's his organisational skills that make the Annual Sports and Comedy Night such a success. Held every September with an audience of around 600, the event has raised nearly $900,000 over the past twenty-four years. Richard gives freely and generously of his time and resources for the enrichment of his community.

YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR

Jarrod Lyle, 25

Professional sportsman

He says that living your dreams is what life is all about and Jarrod Lyle is doing that and more. Six years ago, Lyle was stricken with acute myeloid leukaemia that sent him to hospital for nine months and seemed to have cut short a bright amateur golfing career. Yet in February this year, Jarrod finished one off the pace in the Royal Melbourne Classic, just behind two of the world's best professional golfers. Now in remission, the story of his recovery captured the imagination of the public and on the golf course that day Jarrod received by far the biggest reception. In July, Jarrod fulfilled his dream of teeing off in the British Open. His world ranking points as a professional golfer are now at 43.77. Jarrod never gave up and has shown that anything is possible if you believe in your dream.

Duncan McLean, 25

Entrepreneur and charity founder

Through determination and sheer hard work, Duncan McLean has developed a successful business in an extremely competitive market while maintaining his strong passion for helping others. From his $20 investment four years ago, Duncan has built an unconventional swimwear manufacturing and marketing venture into a company with a turnover of over $500,000 from sales here and overseas. Just as importantly, he has used his creativity and marketing skills and channelled his enthusiasm into the One Funky World Foundation, whose major project so far is to provide urgently needed wheelchairs for over 500 Tongans, many of whom have been confined to their homes for years. He's also raised $30,000 for the Heartwell Fitness Scholarship Program, a sports program for disabled children, and he supports a program in Port Moresby that teaches homeless youth basic agricultural skills. Duncan 's success is testament to young Australians' creativity and their ability to break convention.

Katia Sanderson, 25

Student volunteer

Katia Sanderson believes that voluntary work provides young people with a fresh perspective and produces a broad minded, socially engaged and compassionate generation of leaders. With a group of like-minded students, Katia formed Ampersand, a non-profit organisation with the aim of encouraging university students to take on community work as volunteers. The ampersand character represents a connection between two entities, hence Ampersand's mission: To help create an enduring culture of social reciprocity. Katia developed these ideas from her own experience. As a live-in volunteer at the Children First Foundation's rehabilitation farm, she cared for children from war-torn and poverty stricken countries brought to Australia for serious surgery. Then she travelled to Albania , meeting up with some of them, and worked with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity providing food and clothing to street kids and, reaching out to village communities. Through her dedication, Katia continues to bring volunteering into the youth mainstream.

Eliza Stankovic, 25

Paralympian

Only days before her sixteenth birthday, Eliza Stankovic was struck down by the deadly meningococcal virus. She survived but lost both legs at the knees and most of her fingers. An avid sportswoman before her disability, excelling in netball and basketball, she was keen to continue her love of sport. Some doors closed for Eliza but her positive attitude and sheer determination opened others. Eliza's sporting achievements as an elite, world class Paralympic wheelchair track athlete are outstanding. Twelve months after she began competing, Eliza won bronze in the 2002 Commonwealth Games 800 metres wheelchair final. At Athens in 2004 she swept to a silver medal in the same event at the Paralympics and was a finalist in five other events. Earlier this year, she had her third successive victory in the premier 10 km road race in Sydney . Eliza is currently training for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

LOCAL HERO - METROPOLITAN VICTORIA

Shanaka Fernando, Abbotsford

Social challenger

By establishing the "Lentil as Anything" concept, Shanaka Fernando has set a wholly successful example to society of how a commercial enterprise can be operated on a socially responsible, idealistic and altruistic basis and still be financially successful and popular with the public. Since Shanaka relinquished his personal capital in the first restaurant and turned it into a cooperative and youth training enterprise, the business has grown into four restaurants employing about eighty young people and providing space for artists and writers. This not-for-profit business celebrates compassion, individuality, and artistic expression under a philosophy that challenges and defies our consumerist society. The policy of "no set prices" where customers pay only what they can afford or what they think the meal was worth is a social experiment that encourages people to have an internal conversation with their conscience and their ethics. And on top of that, the food is terrific.

LOCAL HERO - REGIONAL VICTORIA

 Dr Bernard Jenner, Highton

Paediatrician

Throughout his career, Dr Jenner has shown outstanding dedication and leadership in his role as a community paediatrician. His qualifications and experience in family therapy as well as medicine enable him to provide a holistic approach to supporting families with complex needs. Bernie's community recognises him for his outstanding achievements as the founder and president of two organisations. Gateways Support Services helps families deal with the grief of a family member having a disability. Hope Bereavement Care is a program for those who suffer the unthinkable, the death of a child. He also established a program of home dinners for young Geelong footballers displaced by the draft. Bernie has the knack of creating support networks for people facing all kinds of disadvantage and then backing away from the limelight to let others take the credit.