An Indigenous social entrepreneur who creates stable employment opportunities for Indigenous youth has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at Curtin University’s Alumni Awards ceremony.
Perth-based Dr Amanda Healy, a Koori woman from the Wonnarua nation of the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales, received the honour at the 2021 awards ceremony held last night, for her sustainable contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander innovation, business and enterprise.
She joined eight other outstanding Curtin alumni in being acknowledged for their meaningful contributions to industry and the wider community.
The Community Service Award was presented to Kulbardi and Kooya Fleet Solutions Chief Executive Officer and Bibbulmun Fund Chair Mr Kim Collard, a Balladong-Wilmen man of the Nyungar Nation, in recognition of his significant contribution to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Co-founder of PainChek®, an artificial intelligence-powered pain assessment tool, Dr Mustafa Atee was awarded the Innovation Award for his dedication to dementia research and the difference he is making to the aged care sector.
Moneyhub Chief Executive Officer Samantha Seaton received the Professional Achievement Award for the Faculty of Business and Law for her achievements in financial technology that help people manage their money.
The Professional Achievement Award for the Faculty of Health Sciences was presented to Aboriginal Health, Child and Adolescent Health Service Director Melanie Robinson, in recognition of her significant contribution to improving health outcomes, raising the voice of her people to address inequalities and advocating for culturally appropriate education pathways for First Nations people in Australia.
SEMIR Group Product Creation Vice President Jeromy (Han-Wei) Lim won the Professional Achievement Award for the Faculty of Humanities for his strong leadership and team-building efforts to rise to his position within a major company that has more than 3,400 stores across China, just nine years after graduating.
Tech innovator, software developer and occasional filmmaker, David Newman was awarded the Professional Achievement Award for the Faculty of Science and Engineering, for his innovations in the fields of image compression and image capture with applications in cinematography, broadcast television and consumer videography at Cineform and GoPro.
Lieutenant Commander Ashleigh Payne was named a winner of the Young Achievement Award for her outstanding achievement as a junior leader within the Royal Australian Navy, specifically as Commanding Officer at HMAS Bathurst.
The other Young Achievement Award winner was Perth Airport Aviation Business Development Vice President Pan Pan, in recognition of his work to connect WA with Asian countries to facilitate trade, business and cultural exchange during the pandemic and his long-term dedication to service in immigrant communities.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne congratulated each of the winners at the 2021 Alumni Awards.
“These awards celebrate the phenomenal achievements of some of Curtin’s brightest stars – graduates who are making a real difference to people, industry and research all over the world,” Professor Hayne said.
“It is a great honour to be able to give each winner at the 2021 Alumni Awards the recognition they so richly deserve. Congratulations to all the winners for their significant contributions.”
For more information about Curtin’s Alumni Awards, visit here.
The winners of the 2021 Alumni Awards include:
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD WINNER: Mr Kim Collard (Bachelor of Applied Science (Aboriginal Community), 1998; Graduate Certificate in Health Economics, 2005; Graduate Diploma in Health Economics, 2005; Master of Health Economics (Aboriginal Health), 2006; Associate Diploma in Aboriginal Community Management, 2007)
INNOVATION AWARD WINNER: Dr Mustafa Atee (Bachelor of Pharmacy, 2005; Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmacy, 2011; Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy), 2011; Doctor of Philosophy – Pharmacy, 2022)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER: Dr Amanda Healy (Graduate Certificate in Small Business Growth Management, 2008; Master of Business Administration, 2016)
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – BUSINESS AND LAW WINNER: Mrs Samantha Seaton (Bachelor of Business, 1989)
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – HEALTH SCIENCES WINNER: Ms Melanie Robinson (Bachelor of Science (Nursing) General, 1993)
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – HUMANITIES WINNER: Mr Jeromy (Han-Wei) Lim (Bachelor of Arts (Fashion and Textile Design), 2011)
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WINNER: Mr David Newman (Bachelor of Engineering (Common Core for Electrical & Computer Engineering), 1990)
YOUNG ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER: Lieutenant Commander Ashleigh Payne (Graduate Certificate in Geography, 2019)
YOUNG ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER: Mr Pan Pan (Master of Professional Accounting, 2010)
