Multicultural awards opening

THE Victorian Multicultural Commission is accepting nominations for the 2021 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence.

Honouring individuals and groups across the state who have made an outstanding impact to one or various multicultural communities, the Awards include 15 diverse categories.

People and organisations can be nominated for the Premier’s Award for Community Harmony with other areas include the media, business, police, local government, youth leadership, community innovation, education, refugee advocacy and sport.

The 2020 Multicultural Awards for Excellence put Ballarat community leaders in the spotlight.

Ballarat African Association president, Dr Michael Akindeju received the Community Innovation Award for his leadership of the BAA’s Re-Branding African Australian Identity project.

“The Awards were more competitive… than they’ve ever been, so I feel very valued, and know what we are doing across the region is value-adding,” he said.

“Having this recognition validates my efforts, and what we’re doing locally, so it’s important.”

Ballarat Keralites Foundation of Australia member and SoupBus volunteer, Nelson Xavier Kizhakkekunnil Sandhiyave was highly commended in the same category of the Multicultural Awards.

He was honoured for cooking for the vulnerable, donating fruit to Alfredton Primary School and sewing facemasks for the homeless.

Make a nomination until Sunday, 5 September at multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au.