- Published:
- Friday 14 October 2016
Regional Victoria’s community leaders have been celebrated for their tireless work in the 2016 Regional Achievement and Community Awards tonight.
Patron of the awards, Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford, congratulated all award winners, each striving to make regional Victoria a better place to live, work and visit.
The awards acknowledge and reward the valuable contributions that individuals, communities and businesses are making throughout regional and rural Victoria.
Ms Pulford presented the Business Achievement Award and the Leadership and Innovation Award.
The Business Achievement Award acknowledges successful businesses that make a significant contribution to the economic development of regional and rural Victoria through their pursuit of business excellence.
This year’s winner was PETstock, an Australian owned company with 125 stores across Australia and New Zealand. PETstock’s charity foundation, PETstock Assist, in partnership with PetRescue, supports almost 1,000 Australian animal rescue groups.
Recently, PETstock coordinated a $1 million dog and cat food donation, distributing 58 tonnes to 240 animal rescue groups.
The Leadership and Innovation Award shines the spotlight on those who have overcome significant difficulty, adversity or hardship to achieve excellent outcomes and raise pride in their community and our state.
The winner for 2016 was Koroit and District Primary School. The school developed a six week program to build parent understanding and confidence in the social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of pre-schoolers.
Since commencement of the program, there has been a noticeable improvement in learning and an increased rate of literacy
The Andrews Labor Government is proud to be a major sponsor of the awards, which have grown over 14 years to become the most prestigious awards program in regional Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford
“Our people are what make regional Victoria a great place to live, visit and work. Tonight’s winners demonstrate the level of passion and drive to make it an even better place.”
“We continue to invest in the things our regions need – jobs, infrastructure and strengthened communities, paving the way for future leadership and innovation.”
“The Regional Achievement and Community Award winners should be congratulated for their leadership and for inspiring our next set of leaders.”