The Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Award

Nominations open on Monday 3 March 2025 until Sunday 30 March 2025.

Nomination Form

You will be asked to provide responses for the following:

Contact details:

• Contact details of nominator
• Contact details of nominee
• Contact details of referee
• Contact details of parent/guardian

Questions relating to Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG attributes:

1. Thinking about Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG; what activities are you (the nominated young person) engaged in within the Hume community?
2. Thinking about Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG; what leadership attributes do you (the nominated young person) aspire to?
3. Thinking about Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG; how do you (the nominated young person) inspire those around you? 

Questions relating to achieving dreams:

1. Tell us about the goal that you (the nominated young person) are trying to achieve?
2. What actions/steps have you (the nominated young person) taken towards achieving your goal?
3. Thinking about your (the nominated young person) goal, how will that help/ benefit the community?
4. If you (the nominated young person) receive the award money, how do you plan to spend the money over the next 12 months?
5. What other resources will you (the nominated young person) utilise to achieve your goal? 

Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Award Terms and Conditions:

• Nominees must be Hume residents aged 12-25 years old.
• A young person can either nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. Consent must be obtained if applying on behalf of someone else.
• Nominators must not be related to the young person they are nominating.
• Hume City Council Councillors, staff, and their immediate family are ineligible to apply for this award.
• All nominations must have the support of a referee. Referees can be a school principal, teacher, coach, mentor, community leader, religious leader, etc., but not a parent, guardian, or close relative. Individuals who are on the assessment panel cannot act as referees.
• Submissions must be received by midnight Sunday 30 March 2025.
• A panel appointed by Hume City Council will receive and judge all nominations. The assessment panel’s decision is final.
• The award will distribute a total pool of $5,000 across two categories, based on the strength of the applications.
• Hume City Council will announce the Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Award winners at the ceremony on Friday 30 May 2025. All nominees are required to attend the ceremony.
• The award money must be used within 12 months and cannot be used for past expenses.
• Recipients of the Award will be required to work with Council to use the award money appropriately.
• Recipients of the Award will be required to provide written updates or photos/videos documenting their journey to achieve the goals listed in their application with the awards funds.

The award will distribute a total pool of $5,000 across two categories, based on the strength of the applications. Therefore, there may be one or more recipients of the Award.

The award money must be used within 12 months and cannot be used for past expenses.

What will be funded?

• education costs
• conference fees
• support for personal or professional development
• equipment (e.g. sports equipment, a computer or software)

What will not be funded?

• Relaxation or social expenses
• Costs already incurred
• Shortfalls for expenses for projects already funded by another body 

The Assessment Panel will include a Hume City Council Councillor, Council staff member, Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG family representative, Calder Cannons representative, Gladstone Park Secondary College representative and a past Award recipient.

The panel will assess the nominations between Thursday 3 April 2025 – Tuesday 22 April 2025. The panel will meet on Tuesday 29 April 2025 to select the winner/s of the Award - the panel's decision is final.

Hume City Council will announce the Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Award winner/s at the ceremony on Friday 30 May 2025 at the Craigieburn Global Learning Centre from 5.30pm - 7.30pm.

All nominees are required to attend the ceremony. This event will be invite only.

The Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Awards 2023 

Leading from the front Achievement Award Winner

Jin Woodman 

The first winner in this category is 13-year-old Jin Woodman, a phenomenal young wheelchair tennis talent from Sunbury.  

In 2023, Jin has already represented Australia at the Wheelchair Tennis Junior Masters in France and at the International Tennis Federation World Team Cup in Portugal.  

Jin aspires to compete at the 2032 Paralympics in Wheelchair Tennis. The award will contribute towards enhancing Jin's training equipment to help him reach his goals. 

Leading from the front Achievement Award Winner

Mikail Tamoz 

The second recipient of this award is Mikail Tamoz. 12-year-old Mikail from Dallas is an up-and-coming talent specialising in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing. 

He has won a number of awards in Jiu Jitsu and is looking to defend his World Championship title in Abu Dhabi later this year. Mikail’s goals for this year also include becoming the National Champion in his weight class for both boxing and wrestling. 

The Award will assist Mikail in covering travel expenses for upcoming competitions. 

Gaining Ground Encouragement Award Winner

Sam Vowles 

18-year old Sam Vowles is an active member of the Sunbury community and has volunteered with the State Emergency Service (SES) from the age of 15. Sam has shown great dedication to supporting his community during times of emergency and natural disasters.  

With the Award, Sam plans to grow and enhance his skills in remote hiking, first aid, survival and rescue skills to develop his own search and rescue capabilities in the State Emergency Service. 

Honourable mentions go out to: 

The Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Awards 2021

Leading from the Front Achievement Award Winner

Angus McTaggart

18-year-old Angus completed VCE at Aitken College, Greenvale during 2020 and is now studying an Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management at William Angliss. When Angus completes his studies at William Angliss, he plans to progress to the Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Angus has been saving to pay for this course since Year 9, when he found out about this full fee paying/non-government funded course at a University Open Day. Angus will use the Award to go towards these studies. Angus plans to own a business like a café, restaurant, wine/cocktail bar), lead successful teams and mentor and teach in the industry.

Gaining Ground Encouragement Award Winner

Abigail

20-year-old Abigail is currently studying International Studies and Global Security at University. Abigail has been a volunteer with Banksia Gardens Community Services since 2019 through the gender equity project, 'Good People Act Now'. The project has allowed Abigail to pursue her passion of promoting gender equality and taking tangible action in the prevention of violence against women in our local community.

Abigail wants to use the award to enhance her leadership and technical skills, so that she can contribute to community projects more meaningfully. Abigail’s goal is to make tangible contributions to reducing gender inequality across Australia, but also specifically within Hume.

For further information contact Hume Youth Services at youth@hume.vic.gov.au or call 9205 2556.

The Corporal Cameron Baird VC MG Memorial Awards 2019

Gaining Ground Encouragement Award winners

Adam Marguglio

Adam attends Sunbury College where he is heavily involved in the VCE music program. Adam's love of creative arts, including writing songs and playing the piano, has seen him become a leader in his school’s music department. Adam regularly encourages other students in the school to perform and is contributing to a strong music culture within the school. He plans to use the award money to purchase new equipment to further his understanding of music.

Tamanna Qarar

Tamanna came to Australia in 2013 where she quickly found a love for numbers. Her excellent mathematical ability saw her become a volunteer maths tutor, which led to volunteer teaching at the Dari Language school at Hume Afghan Association. She also became a member of an advisory group for the Centre for Multicultural Youth. Now she is undertaking her Bachelor of Civil Engineering at RMIT.

She is passionate about helping young people, especially young students and young refugees, to reach their full potential. Tamanna is planning to use the award money to support disadvantaged women and girls in Afghanistan to develop sustainable employment. 

Leading from the Front Achievement Award winners

Isobel Symeoy 

After many years of extensive volunteer and community work, Isobel quickly realised she wanted to spend her life helping others. At 13, she followed in her dad’s footsteps, and joined the Junior CFA at Craigieburn Fire Station. From there, her time is filled with other selfless acts such as shaving off her hair to donate it to children with cancer, raising money for the Good Friday Appeal, and becoming a member and assisting the Craigieburn War Memorial and Remembrance Committee.

Isobel is working towards becoming a paramedic and intends to use her award money to keep helping the community. 

Rihan Rofaeel 

Rihan is a highly engaged young person in our local community thanks to her faith, volunteer work, and social justice efforts.

Her leadership achievements to date are remarkable. She also aims to meet the needs of others through volunteering with Christmas on the Streets and actively working towards the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of ‘Zero Hunger’.

Rihan plans to use the funds at a grass roots level to try and work with local grocery stores, bakeries and produce providers to reduce food wastage that could be going to a better place. Part of this also includes teaching people how to prepare healthy, quick and affordable food.