Young Achiever Awards - 2009/2010

Each year, the Rotary Club of Melbourne recognises and honours outstanding young achievers with an award and a cheque for $1,000. Candidates need to show outstanding success in their formal education and have made a significant contribution in the form of service to the community.

There were three awards this year presented by Professor David de Kretser, Governor of Victoria, to  Nicholas Mackay, Nikolas Tan and Jessica Butcher.

For 18 years the Rotary Club of Melbourne has made awards to recognise excellence in education, training, and vocational contributions to our community. This year’s awards take the total of awards made to 53. Alumni of these awards have gone on to make important contributions to Australia in sport, academia, music, medicine, social service and business. 

This year’s Young Achievers will speak about their achievements and plans to a luncheon meeting and receive a cheque for $1000 and a Certificate of Achievement.

·         NICOLAS MACKAY for achievement on the field of “creating positive social change”

·         NIKOLAS TAN for achievement in the field of “refugee support and Australian-Asian relations”

·         JESSICA BUTCHER for achievement on the field of “cross cultural links and interfaith dialogue”

Nic Mackay will be presented with the Sir Albert Coates Young Achiever Award made each year to commemorate a great Australian achiever and past president of the Rotary Club of Melbourne.

Each of these outstanding young people has applied their skills in different ways to build bridges between Victorians and our neighbours in other countries. Nic Mackay (The Oaktree Foundation, Key Change Music, The Human Race) has empowered youth and helped to create positive social change through education, music, and the corporate sector. Nik Tan (SAIL) has founded and developed programs to assist the settlement of refugees in Australia. Jessica Butcher (Uniting Church interfaith and schools liaison) has worked to build bridges between different cultures through a focus on interfaith dialogue.

Rotary believes that it is important to encourage excellence in vocational and professional skills and to recognise that many of our leaders in various vocations also make important contributions to our community.