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Our nominee this year was Maria van Ravenstein. Maria was born with Down syndrome, which is a form of intellectual disability, however Maria with great support from her family has not allowed that disability to impede her achievements in life.
In her thirty years of living, Maria has attended mainstream school with assistance, and continued her education through community based programs. Maria has since developed a keen interest in music, drama, film making, performing in a local choir, and also being a member of the Funky Turtles rock band.
Her many achievements include writing and making an original film on alcohol abuse, for which she was awarded the highest honour, and the film was sent to London for the film festival for people with disabilities.
Her special interest in music and performance takes her regularly to aged person accommodation facilities to entertain residents and has travelled to Tasmania to talk to groups about her full participation in life despite what some see as an impediment to success. Her firm resolve to achieve has never wavered.
Our club has nominated six people since the inception of this program in 1999, and all have been most worthy recipients of their award.
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