Monash Council has honoured outstanding members of our community at the Sir John Monash Awards ceremony for 2023.
Held at Council’s Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) in Wheelers Hill, the ceremony celebrated 45 nominees across nine different award categories.
Chinmayi Jonnalagadda, a Year 12 student at Brentwood Secondary College in Glen Waverley, received the Outstanding Leadership award. Chinmayi is an active member of the Brentwood Green Team – working on waste and sustainability projects, including tree planting and clean-up days.
Cr Tina Samardzija said this is one of the best events on the annual Council calendar.
“The Sir John Monash Awards are a way for Council to honour, celebrate and thank some of the many people doing outstanding work in our community.
“We heard many incredible stories about people offering their time, expertise, and passion to make the Monash community a better place.
“My congratulations and thanks go to all award winners, especially Chinmayi Jonnalagadda who was recognised as our overall winner for the Outstanding Leadership award for her work on the Green Team at Brentwood Secondary College.
“This continues Brentwood Secondary College’s recent history with the Sir John Monash Awards as recognition for their exceptional sustainability programs and efforts of their dedicated students and teachers.
“Our future is in good hands with Chinmayi and the Brentwood team,” said Cr Samardzija.
Award winners for 2023
- Outstanding Leadership – Chinmayi Jonnalagadda
- Active Monash – Hazel Hockley
- Inspirational Women’s Leadership – Kamlavathi Reddy
- LGBTIQA+ Community Leadership – Yoshi Nakajima
- Multicultural Champion – Heath Williams
- Outstanding Advocate of People with Disabilities – Maureen Miller
- Positive Ageing Leadership – Parminder Jabbal
- Sustainability Leadership – Chinmayi Jonnalagadda
- Volunteer of the Year – Sandra Fribence
- Youth Leadership – Annie Zhou
