2011 NSW Premier’s Filipino Community Awards Profiles of winners

(left to right) Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, Manny B Castillo (Arts and Culture Award),  Marivic Manolo - Philippine Community Council of NSW Inc (Community Harmony Award), The Premier Kristina Keneally, Lolita Farmer  (Lifetime Achievement Award), Elsa Collado - Philippine Community Council of NSW Inc (Community Harmony Award), Julie Nunez (Community Service Award), Arturo Sta. Barbara (Trade and Industry Award).

NSW Filipino community leaders have been recognised for their volunteer work, community service and achievement at an official ceremony at NSW Government House on the 2nd of March 2011.

Lifetime Achievement

Lolita Farmer OAM

Lolita Farmer is recognised for her ongoing commitment to the betterment of her community. She was highly qualified before arriving in Australia but then undertook law studies, eventually becoming the first Filipino women to become a practicing lawyer in New South Wales.

For three years she held a United Nations post working with humanitarian issues in discrimination and women’s rights.

Lolita was recognised with the Order of Australia Medal in 1981. Lolita’s achievements culminated with her recent appointment as Chair of the Worldwide Filipino Alliance.

Trade and Industry

Arturo Sta. Barbar

Arturo Sta. Barbara is acknowledged for his dynamic business and trade activities that link Australia and the Philippines. His organisation, Sta. Barbara & Company, is recognised as the biggest Filipino Australian import and export business in the food category. Sta. Barbara has been operating for 20 years and has created many employment opportunities in Australia and the Philippines.

Arturo’s business is involved in a whole range of food products, from ice-cream to sardines, as well as door-to-door cargo express delivery between the two countries, manufacturing, packaging and exporting Philippine food products to Australia.

Arts and Culture

Manny B Castillo

Manny B Castillo has been one of the key public faces of the Filipino community for the last thirty years as President of the Philippine Australian Sports and Culture Incorporated.

The organisation’s annual Fiesta Kultura has been running for 23 years and is said to be the largest gathering of Filipinos anywhere outside of the Philippines itself. This key annual display of Philippine culture now includes a Trade and Tourism Expo, a Filipino Food Festival and a Youth Festival.

Manny has twice received the Philippines’ Presidential Award as well as numerous other awards in Australia and in the Philippines for his leadership in the fields of arts and culture.

Community Harmony

Philippine Community Council of NSW Inc

(left to right) Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, accepting the award on behalf of the Philippine Community Council of NSW Inc, Director Marivic Manolo and President Elsa Collado and The Premier Kristina Keneally.

The Philippine Community Council of NSW is being recognised for its long record of leading the Filipino community in this state. The P.C.C. has been a very active community organisation over the past 21 years and has brought harmony to the diverse Filipino Community and facilitated good relations with other ethnic and mainstream organisations.

The Council creates an environment where there is camaraderie and co-operation and provides opportunities for co-operative approaches to community issues.

Community Service

Julie Nunez

(left to right) Veronica Alcantara President of the Philippine Health Care Association, Minister for Citizenship, John Hatzistergos, Julie Nunez (Community Service Award Winner) and The Premier Kristina Keneally.

Julie Nunez has been recognised for her fantastic record of volunteering within her own community and within the broader community of Blacktown, where she was named Woman of the Year in 2010.

She was a founding member of the Philippine Health Care Association and other community organisations in which she tries to foster an attitude of care for others in need.

Julie was a pioneer in encouraging government organisations to employ Filipino community workers in government workplaces like Community Services and Centrelink and has also fostered the development of Community Bilingual Information Programs in Blacktown.