[Image] YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS SHOWING THE WAY [Image] [Image]Winners of the DEETYA Career Achievement Awards V9/97 23 January 1997 The Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, has congratulated Young Australian of the Year Nova Peris-Kneebone and DEETYA Career Achievement Award winner Gareth Jekel and finalists Craig Inster and David Travers. "All too often young people receive a bad press. The Young Australian of the Year Awards show just what they can do," Senator Vanstone said. "All Australians remember Nova’s Atlanta Olympics gold medal win with our women’s hockey team, but few would know of the work she does giving motivational talks to children. "Gareth’s success proves that young people are both entrepreneurial and make a real contribution to Australia’s economy and the community. He has built up refrigeration and air conditioning companies in Melbourne employing 80 people and with revenue of over $15 million. His company sponsors R & D projects and donates awards promoting sporting achievements. "The second DEETYA Award finalist, Craig Inster, has turned an eighteen month old business into one of the Northern Territory’s leading stationers, and third finalist David Travers edits South Australia’s leading rural newspaper. "The Career Achievement Awards show just what can be achieved when young people are encouraged into enterprise. "The Government is increasing opportunities for young Australians through more relevant training systems, industrial relations reform, and help for small business to employ young people. "I am very pleased that DEETYA sponsors the Career Achievement Award for highly motivated young people, as it is important to help them learn the worth of being creative, willing and able to pick up opportunities and the value of entrepreneurial activity. Self-employment is a real career option for young people and youth enterprise must be encouraged across the community. "Young people represent our future, and youth issues hold a high priority on the Government’s agenda. Today’s awards show just what young people can do in areas ranging from education and employment to sport, culture and the arts. "We have allocated Youth Affairs as a special area to a Cabinet portfolio, and are determined to raise the status and the welfare of young people, celebrate their successes and ensure that all young people have the opportunity to be motivated citizens in whatever field they choose to enter. Further information: Christian Kerr, Minister’s Office, 08 8237 7946 [Image] Winners of the DEETYA Career Achievement Awards First Prize: Gareth Jekel, 26, of Box Hill, Melbourne. Gareth is the founder and Executive Director of New Systems Refrigeration Pty Ltd and Senior Executive, Sales and Marketing of New Systems Air Conditioning Pty Ltd. The two firms jointly enjoyed revenue of more than $15 million last financial year, up 250 per cent over the previous year. Over that period, employees have doubled to 80 and the two firms operate a fleet of 45 vehicles. Gareth has worked his way up through an apprenticeship - he was Box Hill TAFE’s top apprentice and a finalist in the Victorian Apprentice of the Year- to running an extremely successful company operating in three States. Along the way, his engineering skills led to the development of a revolutionary refrigeration and air-conditioning system for the service station industry which had environmental benefits as well as major market penetration. His relatively small firm also cracked the supermarket refrigeration industry. Gareth’s firms also donate a portion of profits to motivating others via sponsorship of R & D projects and donations to promote sporting achievements. Second prize: Craig Inkster, one week short of his 21st birthday, of Alice Springs. Craig is the Director of Rapid Stationers which he set up in June 1995 with his sister and her husband and which has become one of the Alice’s fastest-growing small businesses. Craig gained experience in his family’s office products business after leaving school at the end of 1993. He then found a job as a stationery copy operator, moved on to being a storeman and then into sales. Having gained a good feel of the local market, Rapid Stationers was born and soon won some of Central Australia’s largest stationery delivery contracts. After only 12 months in operation, Rapid Stationers was invited to become a member of a key national stationers group, Amalgamated Stationers Australia - a real honour as the group has only one member from each State and Territory, based on turnover and reputation with suppliers and customers. Third prize: David Travers, 26, of Greenock in the Barossa Valley. In eight years David has gone from a cadet journalist on a small weekly rural newspaper to the editor-in-chief post at SA’s major agricultural weekly newspaper, Stock Journal. Along the way, he has travelled to the World Athletics Championships with Australia’s disabled athletes, bought a farm, built a house and created Australia’s fastest-growing viticultural newspaper, Grape Growers. [Image] [Image] [TOP]--[Senator Vanstone's Media Releases and Speeches]--[DEETYA Home Page] [Image] Any comments or queries should be sent to wwweditor@deetya.gov.au This page was last updated on 23 January, 1997 Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia