The spotlight was well and truly on the best of the best in Brisbane recently for the 2022 Brisbane Disability Staff Recognition Awards sponsored by Holistic Horizons. On top of celebrating the sector, we also managed to raise $27,000 for RizeUp!

Please join Developing Australian Communities (DAC) in congratulating all winners, nominees and, of course, the judges, on a terrific night and a job very well done! And to our Gala and expo sponsors – Holistic Horizons!

Taking the coveted crown of Support Worker of the Year was Brisbane’s Julie Scott, from Individualised Lifestyle Support Services (ILS Services). Established in 2019, ILS Services evolved as a result of frustration in sourcing community services for family members, combined with the forging of common experiences and altruistic interests, including a desire to make a difference to those most vulnerable in our community. The NDIS-registered provider’s vision is to provide clients with a truly personalised, individualised service, going above and beyond, so each person will know they matter – a vision Julie has obviously embraced!

The Team Award this year went to … the ORCA Project Team from Wesley Mission Queensland! Getting senior students, including those living with a disability, ready for the workforce is Wesley Mission’s focus – The NDIS-approved, two-year school leaver employment supports program for people aged 17-21 years in Brisbane to give them the skills they need for success in the workforce and the chance to learn about the type of work that’s meaningful to them. It is clear this passion and commitment helped this wonderful team win this award. Congratulations!

Let’s congratulate Jessica Nosworthy from Better Rehab for grabbing the Leadership Award! Better Rehab are the experts in rehabilitation services – helping you live better, your way. With locations throughout Australia, they offer allied health services from occupational therapy to speech pathology, physiotherapy, exercise physiology and positive behaviour support.

Taking out the 2022 Sector Innovation Award was Sarah Styles from Wheelie Good Productions! Sarah is a musician, composer and performer with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, scoliosis, a hearing loss, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome and am ASD who is behind Wheelie Good Productions – an organisation familiar with the physical and mental demands of music theatre life, offering workshops for performers and non-performers, musicals and plays.

Sally Doyle, from We Care Professional Support, took home the Above & Beyond crown! We Care is passionate about delivering and empowering a person’s self-worth within the community and ensuring that everyone receives the utmost ethical respect and dignity from all staff members and others of interest – and it’s clear that Sally fits that Above & Beyond bill perfectly!

Maxwell Mackenzie, from Cairns-based Resilience Enterprises, was named Contemporary Practice Award winner of the Brisbane gala.Maxwell is an accredited mental health social worker, and also an accredited trainer and assessor as well as the founder and director of Resilience Enterprises.

Join us in congratulating Marisa Hunter of Star Disability Support who was named Front Line Manager. Star Disability Support was founded in 2020, the year of a change in times that have affected many people and they have focused on making a difference for those in need. The staff and management at Star Disability Support believe that people living with a disability or mental health issues should be entitled to the same opportunities as the rest of the community, and they are making it their mission to ensure that this happens.

“Being recognized for my contributions to the disability sector is a great honour,” Marisa stated after receiving her award. “I am lucky to be part of such a rewarding industry and was elated to be among a large group of professionals who also strive to positively impact our industry.”

With Marisa on the front line of this mission, they are making it happen! We couldn’t be prouder of what they have achieved so quickly!

And taking home the popular 2022 Brisbane Disability Connection Expo Best Expo Display Award was Aspire Hub! Through their efforts, Aspire Hub aims to be the inspiration in the community for empowering people to live the life they choose. They listen to what their customers, families and communities have to say and always strive to deliver services beyond the highest expectations. This Brisbane-based organisation provides a range of supported accommodation services, in-home disability supports, community programs and community nursing for adults and children in south-east Queensland and Perth. As well as taking home the trophy – they also helped raise $5000 for RizeUp at the gala!

We want to say thank you to all our nominees, judges and disability sector providers who were able to share the wonderful evening with us.

The calibre of all nominees was exceptionally high – making it a tough decision for the judges – St Jude’s Managing Director Joseph Binu, Blossom Community Care CEO and founder Mak Laddha, Direct Care Australia CEO Caterina Sestili, Community Housing Ltd’s Agnes Carlitz, Afford national manager Sulett Van Wyk, ACALS director Ruth Lopez Gonzales, Concept Care client services manager Kaylene Eid and Enable Ability’s managing director Nina Oygur.

The National Disability Leadership Organisaton’s (NDLO) Brisbane Disability Staff Recognition Awards 2022 were an opportunity to shine the spotlight on NDIS provider business and staff.

The gala night is one of the fundraising events Developing Australian Communities host around Australia to raise awareness for the great work providers and staff do in the sector, while also raising funds to support the development of the charity’s objectives.

The NDLO charity was established to advance the social and public welfare of people living with a disability and also to protect and promote the human rights of people living with a disability.

The Brisbane awards gala night raised a stunning $27,000 for this year’s chosen charity, RizeUp, an organisation committed to driving awareness of domestic and family violence within society by generating life-changing, practical support for the families affected, giving them the hope and empowerment to move on to a life free from violence.

While we are on the subject of gala nights, don’t forget to celebrate your sector and nominate staff and organisations for the Sydney Disability Staff Recognition Awards and Disability Connection Expo coming up on July 1 and 2, 2022.

Help us celebrate those unsung heroes in our sector!

Let’s Connect. Let’s Celebrate.

The DAC Team