Nominees for the 2022 WA Senior Australia of the Year award have been announced, representing a diversity of fields from genetic disease research and migrant help, to advanced mathematics and grandparenting,
The four are among 16 WA residents in the running to be named the WA Local Hero, Young Australian, Senior Australian or Australian of the Year on November 4, at the Westin Hotel in Perth.
Whoever is chosen from the four will join the other state and territory recipients as national finalists for the national awards announcement on January 25.
The WA nominees are:
Professor Nigel Laing AO
Nigel has made major contributions to the field of rare genetic disorders, identifying the genetic cause for more than 30 diseases. He has also driven national initiatives such as the pre-conception screening program.
In addition, he developed molecular neurogenetic research at the Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute and molecular neurogenetic diagnostics at Royal Perth Hospital.
Nigel's investigations into Australian families with dominantly inherited diseases saw him identify many genetic causes - including mutations in the SOD1 gene causing familial motor neuron disease.
Dante Maribbay
Since arriving in WA from the Philippines in 1988 with his wife and family, Dante has been a powerhouse in Australia's Filipino community, working ceaselessly for migrants, refugees and overseas students.
As a grant-in-aid welfare officer, Dante has advocated with other welfare officers to ensure Centrelink gives equal benefits to husbands and wives. He's also helped exploited skilled workers approach the Fair Work Ombudsman to receive unpaid salaries from ruthless employers.
As president of the Filipino Communities Council of Australia from 2016 to 2018, he represented 300,000 Filipino migrants.
Emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger AC;
Janet's 40-plus year career in mathematics at UWA has involved everything from modern computer cryptography and secure banking, to getting images captured in outer space back to earth. She's only the second and youngest woman in Australia to have become a professor of mathematics.
Her work focuses on sophisticated theoretical research in group theory - making impossibly difficult problems manageable. Its far-reaching applications include helping search engines retrieve information efficiently from the internet.
She is passionate about mentoring young scientists, especially women. She has also transformed school education, encouraging more girls to study maths.
Janice Standen, president of the volunteer-run charity Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren WA, advocates passionately for grandparent carers. Jan joined GRGWA in 2013 when her three grandchildren came to live with her. She knows the day-to-day battles grandparents experience as primary carers.
Under her stewardship, GRGWA offers free legal and counselling support, a food bank pick-up centre, a donations distribution service and an op shop providing free clothing and toys. It also connects new grandparent carers to services and community. She has driven the rapid expansion of
GRGWA, raising its profile and increasing membership and outreach by more than 40%.
OTHER AWARD NOMINEES:
WA Australian of the Year:
Kirstin Butcher: Founder and CEO of genvis (Perth); Julia Hales - Performance artist and disability advocate (Perth); Dr Scott Hollier - Co-founder and CEO of the Centre For Accessibility Australia (Maida Vale); Paul Litherland - Cyber safety educator and campaigner (Perth).
WA Young Australian of the Year
Sukhjit Khalsa - Spoken word artist, writer and performer (Perth); Tom Oliver - Activist for people with autism in the justice system (Fremantle); Dr Hayley Passmore - Child health researcher in neurodisability (Perth); Kendall Whyte - Founder/CEO of the Blue Tree project (Claremont).
WA Local Hero
Catrina Aniere - CEO of Millennium Kids (Perth); Professor Leonard Collard - Professor at UWA's School of Indigenous Studies (Perth); Kenneth (Ken) Gibbons - Founder of Telethon Community Cinemas (Perth); Craig Hollywood - Founder/CEO of Short Black & Sidewalks (Perth)
Kirstin Butcher: Founder and CEO of genvis (Perth); Julia Hales - Performance artist and disability advocate (Perth); Dr Scott Hollier - Co-founder and CEO of the Centre For Accessibility Australia (Maida Vale); Paul Litherland - Cyber safety educator and campaigner (Perth).
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