SOUTH AUSTRALIA

7NEWS Young Achiever Awards - SA

2023 Winners of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards - SA

South Australian Young Achiever of the Year Award

Felicity Graham launched the not-for-profit Fostering Change Australia to educate, advocate, and change the Child Protection system. Felicity has represented No Capes, a group of young people with care experience, in the co-design of DCP’s Child and Youth Engagement Strategy. She is writing a children’s book, “Oscar’s Layers”, to educate children about child protection and help them cope with big feelings.

 

Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Health Award

Rebekah Reardon is providing ultrasound services in a compassionate and caring manner. Rebekah is a sonographer at Benson Radiology. Working within a team, she helps make ultrasound services accessible to local individuals without the extensive travel. In 2021, she received the Benson Managing Partner Award. During Covid-19, Rebekah provided ultrasound to the Mount Gambier Hospital Emergency Unit so that local individuals could access acute care under ultrasound.

 

Spirit Super Connecting Communities Award

City of Marion’s Youth Collective Committee, or YCC, have created their own youth-led model of function. Since beginning in 2019, the YCC have held an Esports tournament, Battle of the Bands, planting of a native garden, a music event at the Capella Skate Park opening and more. Members have been upskilled in community consultation, contributing to the Safe Space Project Report.

 

Websters Lawyers Service to the Community Award

Eamon Lawson is Regulatory Lead at Southern Launch where he works with regulators at the State and Federal levels to secure authorisations that enable access to space from the company’s two launch facilities in South Australia. Eamon has served as on-range Compliance Officer during five launch campaigns and is regularly involved in law reform and advocacy efforts which support the development of an effective regulatory framework governing commercial space activities in Australia.

 

First National Real Estate Innovation Award


Mary Kelly is helping accelerate the transition away from single-use plastics. Mary founded Reusably while participating in the Hacker Exchange Program in the USA in 2018. Initially starting with the idea of a coffee cup swap system, the project grew into a solution that could support the exchange of reusable containers with several applications. In late 2022, Reusably launched a Community Café.

 

Department of Human Services Aboriginal Achievement Award

Shania Richards is passionate about helping the community. In 2021, Shania joined the Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Committee, where she created the Youth Justice Bill (Age of Criminal Capability) and debated it in the Legislative Council. In 2022, Shania became the first Female Aboriginal Youth Governor of South Australia. She received the Port Lincoln Young Citizen of the Year award for 2022, and the NAIDOC SA Caring for Country Award.

 

Department of Human Services Pride Award

Lucy Solonsch is advocating for autonomy and leadership opportunities for LGBTQIA+ community members. Lucy has published her honors thesis on gender affirming care policy, which she uses to advocate to national & state bodies like the Public Health Association of Australia and SA Health, she also runs workshops and publishes articles to help clinicians provide better care to LGBTQIA+ people. Lucy works with Shine SA, Flinders University and Wiley Publishing.

 

The University of Adelaide STEM Award

Lauren Jones is a Postdoctoral researcher in the Gut Sensory Systems lab at Flinders University. Her research demonstrates an interoceptive pathway by which enterochromaffin (EC) cells physically sense food, allowing EC cells to release serotonin and drive healthy gut function and digestion. Dr Lauren was a short-term Research Scholar at the University of Nevada. She recently performed experimental work at the University of Copenhagen.

 

Scouts SA Environmental Social Governance Award 

Anna Woodley participated in the Engineers Without Borders’ Cambodia Summit in 2020, where she learned how ESG solutions were developed in countries with economic and resource constraints. She was also involved in implementing sustainable practices in the mining industry with OZ Minerals. Anna has been selected to attend UNITE 2030’s Camp 2030 Summit in New York during the United Nations’ Global Goals Week.

 

Scouts SA Leadership Award

Shahna Smith founded Amplified Beauty Australia, one of the first Indigenous owned cosmetic lines in the world. Shahna also led a First Nations Collective tourism and retail showcase, housing eight other indigenous businesses within her store. Shahna has recently returned from New York Fashion Week and London, placing Australia at the forefront. Shahna also provides female empowerment speeches at SA schools to teach young females resilience from a young age.

 

Carclew Creative Achievement Award

James Bannah, the first ever to compose an African Australian musical is also the founder/CEO of SoundsOfAdelaide, a company that shines light on all things art and entertainment in SA. He is also the co-founder of Steelo Flow, a company full of creatives and business owners. James is working on a project with State theatre scheduled to show in 2024. James also runs an after school mental health program.

 

University Senior College Create Change Award


Felicity Graham launched the not-for-profit Fostering Change Australia to educate, advocate, and change the Child Protection system. Felicity has represented No Capes, a group of young people with care experience, in the co-design of DCP’s Child and Youth Engagement Strategy. She is writing a children’s book, “Oscar’s Layers”, to educate children about child protection and help them cope with big feelings.

 

Department for Innovation and Skills Outstanding Apprentice Award

Pearl Dessart strives to overcome challenges. Pearl undertook a Certificate III in Agriculture to gain credits towards her SACE and obtained a traineeship at MacDonald Operations, a local mixed farming operator, where she continued to work for a further two years (after her traineeship). She is keen to develop her career in the livestock industry when she returns to the workforce after taking a few months to address her rare chronic illness.