The National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Awards and the Coralie Ober Honor Role were introduced by the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee in 2012 to provide peer recognition of, and appreciation for the important commitment and contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander make to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Additionally, they recognise the role that organisations and non-Indigenous people also play in reducing these harmful effects.
Award Category Winners:
Excellence Award, female worker – Elizabeth Dale, Psychologist and PhD Student at University of Wollongong/Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and Alcohol, NSW
Excellence Award, male worker – Paul Luttrell, Koori Access Worker at Ngwala Willumbong, VIC
Remote Worker Award, female worker – Marion Sutton, Outreach Manager at Barkley Region Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Group, NT
Remote Worker Award, male worker – John Grantham, Drug and Alcohol Worker at Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council, SA
Encouragement Award, female worker – Norma Ashwin, Counseller/Educator at Hope Community Services, WA
Encouragement Award, male worker – Tyrome Zitha, Indigenous Health Worker at QLD Health – Torres Cape Hospital Health Service, QLD
Appreciation Award, male or female, non-Indigenous worker – Associate Professor Kylie Lee, Deputy Head of Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and Alcohol at University of Sydney, VIC
Recognition Award, service/program – Drug & Alcohol Unit, Aboriginal Medical Service Cooperative Redfern, NSW
Inductees to the Coralie Honour Roll:
Bradley Freeburn, Drug and Alcohol Coordinator at Redfern AMS, NSW
Uncle Pat Farrant, Cultural Lead/Co-Manager at Bunjilwarra, VIC
Muriel Jaragba, Senior Aboriginal Mental Health Worker at Angurugu Health Centre, NT
Jimmy Perry, Project Officer at Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council, SA
The Excellence Awards recognise a female and male worker as having made an important commitment and contribution to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least 5 years.
The Remote Worker Awards acknowledges the unique challenges facing workers in remote locations. The Awards recognise a male and a female worker as having made an important commitment and contribution to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least 5 years.
The Encouragement Awards recognise a female and male worker who has been active in the alcohol and drug sector for four or less years. The Encouragement Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding capability, empathy and enthusiasm in their short career.
The Appreciation Award recognises a non-Indigenous female or male worker as having made an important commitment and contribution to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least 5 years.
The Recognition Award acknowledges a service or program that has made a significant contribution in reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over at least 5 years.
These award recipients will receive a plaque and a cash prize.
The Coralie Ober Honor Roll
The Coralie Ober Honor Roll was named in honor of Coralie Ober who was a registered nurse, consultant and researcher. She was an Islander by birth with kinship ties in the Aboriginal communities of Cherbourg, Palm Island, the Torres Strait Islander community of Saibai and Vanuatu in the Pacific Islands. She was responsible for the development of Indigenous Risk Impact Screen and Brief Intervention (IRIS) and also sat on a number of state and national committees, including the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee.
The Coralie Ober Honor Roll recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals who have made a significant contribution, over a considerable period of time (at least 10 years), to reducing the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It acknowledges and publicly recognises the exceptional effort, which is made by workers who have tirelessly contributed to this sector over a number of years.