On 10th May Sue Izatt from AMF attended the Barnardos 2018 Mother of the Year event at View by Sydney, Pier 2 in Sydney, along with Joanna Vella (Sydney Credit Union), and Kristen Watts and Louise Aubusson of Endeavour Mutual Bank.
The annual event celebrates the work of everyday mothers and the positive difference they make in the lives of children. It is the largest and most recognized national award celebrating motherhood. Nominations are invited for the Mother of the Year award in each state and those winners attend the main event where overall winner is announced. Keynote speaker was Lucy Turnbull.
The event was attended by over two hundred people representing Barnardos staff, media personalities, sponsors and state winners along with their nominators. All state winners and their nominator were interviewed by the MC Ben Fordham. Their stories were all deserving of the Mother of the Year award as they all had been responsible for making a vital improvement in the lives of children they had fostered, included as part of their family, or cared for in their local communities.
The winner was Noelene Lever from Sydney who was presented with the award by Tom Daunt, CEO of ALDI Australia. Along with raising five children of her own, Noelene also fostered more than 50 children, some through to adulthood. She was also heavily involved with the Aboriginal Community in Redfern and worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service, Aboriginal Children’s Services and Gulamar. She was nominated by her foster daughter, Sarina Kepeli.
