Multicultural Sector Outstanding Achiever – Individual

Winner: Dawn Hay

Dawn has been an active volunteer and community advocate for over 50 years and is highly regarded for her compassion and unwavering commitment to helping others.

Dawn has worked tirelessly for the Central Queensland Multicultural Association which is committed to cultural connectivity and harmony and supports people from diverse backgrounds settle within the Rockhampton region and beyond.

Dawn’s leadership of the CQMA saw the Association secure funding from the Queensland Government and independent donations, to enable it to provide employment opportunities, education, research, advocacy support and community engagement for new and older migrants in the Central Queensland area.

In addition, her volunteer work with the Central Queensland Hospital Health Service committee, helping culturally and linguistically diverse members of the community navigate the health care system is to be commended, as is her long-term support of migrant health workers.

Highly Commended

Mai Nguyen-Tu

Mai Nguyen-Tu is a driven and respected community leader, and the longest serving President of the Vietnamese Women’s Association.

Over 45 years of volunteering, Mai has played an integral role supporting and advocating for Vietnamese women, increasing their skills and confidence, and linking people to services and the wider community whilst preserving Vietnamese culture, traditions, and language.

Sarai Tafa

Sarai Tafa has achieved outstanding success in the areas of research, health and entrepreneurship for young Pacific Islanders and people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. For example, as founder of the Pasifika Young Peoples Wellbeing Network, Sarai has impacted over 700 people through leadership courses, health literacy and wellbeing projects, and training of multicultural peer researchers.  Through her involvement in the ‘Health in My Language’ project, and the Tufa Business social enterprise pilot, Sarai has engaged across the multicultural sector and beyond to improve cultural responsiveness and health and wellbeing for many Queenslanders.