Young Achiever Awards - 2010/2011

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  Callum Forbes, Shiv Shanthikumar and Nick Orchard.

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.

·       CALLUM FORBES for achievement in the field of “Entrepreneurship and Management”

·      SHIV SHANTHIKUMAR for achievement in the field of “Medicine”

·      NICK ORCHARD (Sir Albert Coates Awardee) for achievement in the field of “Assisting Troubled Youth”

CALLUM FORBES  - “ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MANAGEMENT”

After completing secondary school at St.Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Warragul, Callum enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce program as part of the new Melbourne model.  He plans to undertake postgraduate studies in Law.  He is currently a resident of Trinity College.

While gaining his education Callum has engaged in many activities which he sees as complimenting his formal education and drawing on his management and leadership skills.  In 2003 he established Forbes Technology Australia, a small Information Technology and Communication business.  In 2005 he was elected Chairman South Gippsland Development Committee and continues in this role

While completing his VCE he noted that some students had the advantage of tutors and support activities and some did not.  He is CEO of the Engage Education Foundation a non-profit organisation developed to ensure students are not disadvantaged.  Engage currently links tutors and VCE students and provides various support activities at low cost to students. See www.engageeducation.org.au/

SHIVANTHAN SHANTHIKUMAR - “MEDICINE”

Shiv completed a Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery and Medical Science at the University of Melbourne in 2010 and this year is undertaking his internship.  He attended Trinity Grammar and was School Captain of Trinity Grammar in 2004.

Shiv has applied his skills to less fortunate groups.  In 2008 Shiv and two other former students responded to a request from Dr Liz Tudor at Trinity for students to run the youth centre in the remote indigenous community at Oenpelli in West Arnhem land during the summer.  He has made three trips to Oenpelli and now chairs a committee of the old boys association to continue this support in the future.  In 2010 he spent 5 weeks in East Timor attached to the Royal Australian College of Surgeons team, who worked with local trainee surgeons, to provide health care for the people of Dili.

Shiv’s travels have made him conscious that many places do not have effective health care.  He is focused on developing his medical skills and discovering opportunities to use these skills to assist those who don’t have access to a lot of the things many of us take for granted.

NICK ORCHARD (Sir Albert Coates Award) - “ASSISTING TROUBLED YOUTH” 

Nick is a project officer with the workforce support unit of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization (VACCHO).  He provides training and expert assistance to 70 Koori Alcohol and Other Drug workers across Victoria.

Nick has a rare ability to engage ‘at risk’ young Indigenous persons.  He uses the Arts, particularly Hip Hop music to encourage them to express themselves through poetry and song.  He is a member of Indigenous Hip Hop Projects (IHHP) who have been working extensively in Aboriginal communities around Australia since 2004.  Nick worked with More Than Opera and our member David Kram to establish an incentive program for three young men recently released from incarceration.  He also developed a group program for young offenders that included; using hip hop as a means of engagement and to build literacy skills; and providing individual client support, drug and alcohol counselling and mentoring. 

See  www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzcJKmrd7Xk 

Nick has used education and training to add key skills.  He commenced but has now deferred a fine arts degree at RMIT.  He has this year completed a diploma level program in Community Development (Alcohol and other Drugs), and is currently undertaking an advanced diploma in Management.  He has also completed a range of short programs to gain key skills.