Lions Children of Courage Awards 2024
The Lions Children of Courage Awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of young people who have shown incredible strength in overcoming adversity.
These Awards recognise the tremendous effort made by children living with a disability, physical and/or mental, their strength, courage and determination in overcoming their personal challenges. These Awards also recognise the love and dedication of the parents and guardians of these children for their total devotion in supporting their child’s development and to reach their goals.
Each child nominated was presented with a special medallion by Her Excellency, the Honourable Frances Adamson AC Governor of South Australia, in the Ballroom at Government House on Monday, 28 October 2024.
The judges for the 2024 awards were Libby Kosmala OAM, Patricia Brougham AM, Lion Kaleeda Rasheed and Lion Ripu Gill. We sincerely thank them for performing this task, it certainly is not an easy one. Each nominated child is deserving.
This year, we received eight (8) nominations from a range of organisations, with nominators including physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and many more. Nominations came from across metropolitan Adelaide and regional parts of South Australia.
This year’s award recipients included:
Justin Bradbury
Justin has made huge improvements in his strength, independence and mobility. He tries his best at everything he does, he is determined to be as independent as possible and is proud of his progress and achievements.
Aiden Brown
Aiden is a cheeky young man who is courageous, determined and has a positive attitude. Aiden has made significant progress in his mobility and communication skills, engaged with his therapy sessions and becoming more independent.
Isabelle Drzal
Isabelle is a cheeky, kind and creative young lady making immense progress in all areas of her development, while building her confidence and bravery to take part in activities more independently.
Verity Knight
Verity continuously demonstrates extraordinary resilience, determination and courage in every aspect of her life. Verity participates in all aspects of school life and inspires everyone around her as she faces challenges with courage and a positive attitude.
Charlotte Murray
Charlotte is determined to not let her impairment stop her from travelling, doing well at school and accessing the community. She is active in sports, supporting fundraising efforts and even had the opportunity to speak at Parliament House in Canberra at Power of Speech earlier this year.
Nicholas Singleton
Nicholas strives to overcome his difficulties, actively engaging in activities and his own development. Nicholas shows kindness to others, and recently organised to collect items to share with children at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
Rose Stewart
Rose has made incredible progress in her development over the past 12 months, while never complaining. Rose continues to show incredible determination, hard work and commitment.
Harrison Waechter
Harrison is a courageous young man who has made phenomenal progress with his communication, due to his determination and resilience. Harrison is committed to his goals and is working hard to continue achieving them.
This year’s special award recipients were:
A young man who lives life to the fullest. He is bit of a thrill seeker and doesn’t let the challenges he faces stop him from participating in anything he wants to do. He is determined, resilient and courageous. Congratulations Harrison Waechter.
A young lady who not only shows courage and determination in her development and challenges she faces, but shows consideration for others through being inclusive of others and providing kindness to, and being there for, other children when they need support and comfort. Congratulations Isabelle Drzal
Once again, these awards would not be possible without the support of the organisations and special schools, and their staff that support children with disabilities. Thank you for your ongoing support for these awards.
Congratulations again to all of this year’s award recipients, and their families.
We look forward to continuing these awards in 2025.
