Earle Duus Award
Mental Health Week Achievement Awards & Earle Duus Award
The prestigious Earle Duus Award is an annual award presented as part of the Queensland Mental Health Achievement Awards.
Earle Duus was motivated to provide a bequest to Open Minds through his own experience of living with chronic depression. His gift enables continuing resources to be available to improve the lives of people living with mental illness, disability or acquired brain injury.
About Earle Duus and the Memorial Award
The Earle Duus Memorial Award is made possible through the bequest of the late Earle Duus, a Brisbane philanthropist. Earle Duus was an accountant and his life passions were music and the Arts.
His love of the Australian bush resulted in frequent trips to Queensland’s National Parks, which he captured in the many landscape paintings he produced in his later years. Earle Duus’ experiences living with chronic depression motivated his bequest to enable continuing resources to be available to promote people and activities that improve the lives of people with a psychiatric disability or acquired brain injury.
Open Minds was proud to award the thirteenth annual Earle Duus Award to Bayside Initiatives Group on 14 October 2011
The Bayside Iniatives Group is a consumer founded and consumer run support organisation operating in the Redlands. The group was establised approximately 10 years ago by a group of individuals that had experienced mental illness themselves and wanted to provide a service where people could engage with their own community and have a sense of belonging.
Bayside Initiatives Group Representatives, Sharon Reynolds, Steven Dolman and Andy Compton
Previous Winners of the Earle Duus Award
2010 – Nadia Beer OAM
Nadia Beer has worked in mental health for 38 years and is an advocate at The Park – Centre for Mental Health. Nadia commenced work as a psychologist at Wolston Park Hospital in 1973. In 1977 she established the Office of the Patients’ Friend, Australia’s first in-house mental health advocacy service. Nadia then continued to work as the Consumer Advocate at The Park – Centre for Mental Health. She was awarded Order of Australia Medal in 2009 for services in mental health advocacy.
2009 – The Brook RED Centre
The Brook RED Centreis a mental health consumer-directed non-government organisation located on the inner southside of Brisbane, which promotes health and ability by developing a framework for peer support with mental health consumers. It is an industry leader in adopting the principles and practice of the Intentional Peer Support Approach in the mental health sector in Australia.
2008 – Mr Sam Thompson
Sam Thompson has lived with the pain and stress of a mental illness but, with the support of his family, has turned this experience into a constructive and life-affirming challenge. In 2008, Sam completed an epic journey on his scooter covering more than 2000 kilometres between Gladstone in Queensland and Mallacoota, Victoria. The motivation for Sam’s journey was to promote awareness of suicide prevention amongst rural youth, and to provide moral support to teenagers and young adults by sharing his story. Sam’s story is truly inspirational and provides hopes for others with mental health issues.
2007 – Brain Injury Association of Queensland
The Brain Injury Association of Queenslandseeks to be the lead community-based organisation in Queensland providing support, advocacy and information to people with acquired brain injury (ABI), their families and to individuals or organisations that share the ABI experience in any way and for any reason. BIAQ was presented with the Earle Duus Award for its website, which provides excellent and invaluable information for those living with or affected by brain injury.
2006 – Micah Projects
Micah Projectsis a not-for-profit organisation located in several areas around Brisbane’s inner city, that responds to people who experience exclusion, poverty, injustice and social isolation so that they may experience inclusion, economic wellbeing, justice and connection within their community of choice. Micah Projects was recognised for its work on the problem of homelessness in Brisbane.
2005 – Sailability Bayside
Sailabilityis based at Manly and is part of a worldwide organisation that gives people with a disability the opportunity to access a range of sailing activities. Sailability received the award for its achievements in advancing the opportunities within yachting for people with disabilities, and for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities within all mainstream yachting activities.
2004 – The Big Issue
The Big Issue began in the UK in 1991 and has spread to five states throughout Australia. The magazine provides people experiencing a range of disadvantages with an immediate opportunity to work, earn an income and rebuild their lives. The Big Issue was recognised for the positive impact its fortnightly publication has made to the homeless, long-term unemployed and individuals at risk of being socially excluded.
2003 – Nundah House
Nundah Houseprovides access to a comprehensive range of supported and mainstream community activities and groups for people experiencing a mental health problem. Nundah House was chosen for the award to celebrate their achievement in advancing people with a psychiatric disability within the community.
2001 – Ms Dianne Spence
2000 – Mr Malcolm Campbell
1999 – Mrs Denise Ryan