Advocacy

Noel Tovey Achievement Award
Each year Phunktional, presents The Noel Tovey Achievement award to a talented emerging artist who has shown extraordinary team building and leadership skills. This year the award was presented at the Koori Heritage Trust Gala on the 5th of December 2011.

Presented by Noel Tovey
Noel Tovey has a career spanning 54 years in Europe and Australia as an indigenous actor, dancer, singer, director choreographer, designer, writer and teacher. Some of his many career highlights include: principal dancer with Sadler’s Wells Opera Ballet; receiving the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Award for The Living Floor Project which he wrote and directed; and most recently writing and performing his award winning autobiography Little Black Bastard for festivals and theatres across Australia.

Winner 2009- Cody Matthews

2009 Award winner working with Phunktional in a Community Project, Bega Valley, NSW 2009

Award Winner 2011

 Eloise Yunkaporta

This year Phunktional, for the first time in partnership with the Koorie Heritage Trust, is pleased to be present the 2011 Noel Tovey Achievement Award to Eloise Yunkaporta from Aurukun in Far North Queensland.

Aurukun is a small and remote community and Eloise speaks Wik-Mungkan, English is her second language.  She is currently a student at the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) and was nominated for this award by NAISDA’s CEO and Head of Dance Kim Walker, well known from his work with Sydney Dance Company and the Flying Fruit Fly Circus.

Kim says, “Eloise has exceptional talent, is a caring and passionate person and someone who will make a great contribution in the dance world and in her community.”

Winner 2010 - Phillip Murray (Mildura)

Noel Tovey Achievement Award winner Phil Murray