There was a buzz in the air as 62 nominees, the largest number received to-date, were recognised at the 2024 Sir John Monash Awards ceremony.
Held at Monash Council's Museum of Australian Photography in Wheelers Hill, the awards celebrated nominees across 12 different categories.
Assistant-principal Leasyl Richards and Year 2 teacher Erin Bartleton from Wheelers Hill Primary School received the Outstanding Leadership award, recognising their work as champions of the environment and embracing sustainability at school, leading by example for students, school and the broader community.
Monash Mayor Cr Nicky Luo said it was a privilege to meet, speak with, and acknowledge people doing incredible things in our community.
"The Sir John Monash Awards recognise inspirational people doing wonderful things in the Monash community.
"It's been wonderful to hear incredible stories about people offering their time, expertise and passion to make Monash a better place.
"Some people were recognised for finding solutions to the many environmental issues we face, others for creating opportunities for people to connect with each other, and many for showing support, passion and dedication for a cause or issue that is important locally.
"This year's awards were also the first time our Reconciliation Champion category was included, delivering on a commitment made by Council in our Reconciliation Action Plan.
"My congratulations and thanks go to all award winners, especially Erin and Leasyl who were recognised as the overall winners in our Outstanding Leadership award," added Cr Luo.
The Monash Award winners for 2024 are:
Outstanding Leadership
Erin Bartleton and Leasyl Richards of Wheelers Hill Primary School
Active Monash
Mark Collins
Inspirational Women's Leadership
Forough Derakshan
LGBTIQA+ Community Leadership
Jesra Garcia
Multicultural Champion
Monash Interfaith Gathering Inc
Outstanding Advocate of People with Disabilities
Jacob Walton
Positive Ageing Leadership
Liangcheng Fu
Reconciliation Champion
Rebecca Tyson
Sustainability Leadership
Erin Bartleton and Leasyl Richards
Volunteer of the Year
Donna Taylor
Young Leader
Isabella and Ryan Xie
Youth Leadership
Thomas Maguire-Nguyen
