An impressive list of awardees were recognised in the inaugural Filipino-Australian Nursing Awards at a black tie dinner in Sydney last weekend.
It was an odd coupling. A group of Sydney-based Filipino-Australian radio broadcasters and journalists reached out to the nursing community in Australia to celebrate the works of outstanding Filipino-Australian nurses.
But as Shakespeare once wrote, all's well that ends well. Despite coming from two different industries, both groups shared the common dream of one day honouring those who have devoted much of their lives to the community through their work in healthcare.
That day arrived when on March 23, at the Tivoli Room of the Rooty Hill RSL Club in Sydney, 12 Filipino-Australian nurses received Excellence Awards in their respective specialisations (one was a student category) while three received Special Citations, one of which was a posthumous citation.
Hosted by non-profit media group Adhika and organised jointly with the Philippine Health Care Association of Australia/Philippine Nurses Association Australia (PHCAA/PNAA), the Excellence in Nursing Practice Awardees were (in the order announced):
Aged Care & Administration: Nelly Detera-Tiga (44 years of service)
Renal Specialist/Nephrology: Roel Hernandez (36 years of service)
Peri-operative Nursing: Sergio Jumonong (39 years of service)
Surgical Nursing & Administration: Veronica Alcantara (37 years of service)
Education & Clinical Teaching: Milagros Lopez (42 years of service)
Paediatrics & Obstetrics: Cynthia Duran (41 years of service)
Disability & Aged Care: Myrna Bulanadi (34 years of service)
Education & Research: Dr. Cindy Leigh (47 years of service)
Mental Health: Felicitas Perez (40 years of service)
Surgical Nursing: Edna Thompson (34 years of service)
Leadership & Administration: Prescilla Luzon (34 years of service)
Oustanding Student Performance - Oncology/Palliative Care: Marites Manese
Introducing the awards was PHCAA/PNAA's first president and founding member Ella Magallanes Martirez who said that, ultimately, "we [the nurses] are all winners regardless of the outcome of the nomination".
The evening also featured two Special Citations, namely to Prof. Violeta Lopez for her outstanding contribution to the nursing profession through her research and education; and to the Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis, who was a former registered nurse and clinical nurse educator in the Philippines prior to pursuing a consular career.
One of the highlights of the evening was the awarding of the posthumous Special Citation to Irene Kelly, a retired registered nurse who joined the guerrilla fighters during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and worked as a nurse at one of the first major hospitals in Manila prior to migrating to Australia. She passed away last week at the age of 98.
More than 260 guests at the gala event enjoyed the performances of King and I (Opera Australia) cast member Marcus Rivera, visiting Filipino artist Miguel Castro, the Sonata Singers, dance champions Brian Lorenz and Wendy He, the Visayan Association of Australia folk dance group, ballerina Rica Sey, and the VSD and Mindanao Ethnic Dance Group.
Serenading the crowd was a live band, with Adhika member Oliver Gadista from Sweet Mojo and his fellow band members, Alisha, Paul and Rog, encouraging guests to rock the dance floor.
Special guests for the evening included Bart Bassett, MP, representing the Hon. Jillian Skinner, Minister for Health and Medical Research; ConGen Louis and Consul Marford Angeles; Asst. General Secretary of the NSW Nurse and Midwives Association, Judith Kiejda; Ed Husic, MP; UTS Health lecturer and mental health and nursing expert Kevin Kellehear; and community leaders.
The evening was also Adhika's third year anniversary, giving the non-profit group an opportunity to look at the highlights of the last couple of years including the winning of three major awards of Ang Kalatas Newspaper, an award by The Filipino Australian and an award to this publication, The Australian Filipina.
Proceeds from the event will go towards fundraising efforts for typhoon Haiyan survivors.
The Adhika event was spearheaded by overall coordinator Josie Musa, alongside program directors Albert Prias and Charles Chan, with backstage manager Roger 'Long' Aguilar. Michelle Baltazar and Marcus Rivera were the co-hosts for the evening.
This year's organising committee also included Ella Martirez (PHCAA/PNAA), Julie Nunez (PHCAA/PNAA), Anne Paras (nominations panel), Jimmy Pimentel, Gerry Musa, Mon and Nilda Carpo, Marilie Bomediano, Jake and Cecille Lapuz, and Violi Calvert.
More details, photos and videos will be available in a couple of weeks on the Adhika website www.adhika.org.au
Photos: Vivian Brewington and Bob Reyes