
Photo: David McArthur
The Australian of the Year Awards
National Australia Day Council
2005-2014
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Towards the end of 2005 I received an email from the National Australia Day Committee asking if
I'd like to make the trophies for the Australian of the Year Awards. This involved making 32 State Awards and 4 major awards each year. I made the deadline for 9 years and the best part was going to the awards ceremony in Canberra, where my family and I met some of the winners, Prime Ministers and The Wiggles!
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The awards kept me busy for around 3 months each year and it was a huge honour to make them. Below are some pictures of some of the recipients with their awards and pics of the making process.

The main design used from 2005-2013; 2014 collaboration with Philip Stokes Studio Glass; and one of the state awards.

NSW 2007 State Awards

2006 Australian of the Year recipients Local Hero: Toni Hoffman Prime Minister John Howard Senior Australian of the Year: Sally Goold Australian of the Year: Professor Ian Frazer Young Australian of the Year: Trisha Broadbridge

2007 Australian of the Year Tim Flannery pic: Australia Day Council

2008 Award recipients: Young Australian of the Year: Casey Stoner Australian of the Year: Lee Kernighan Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Local Hero: Jonanthan Welch Senior Australian of the Year: David Bussau

2008 Local Hero Jonathan Welch

2009 Australian of the Year Mick Dodson

2010 Senior Australian of the Year Maggie Beer

2011 Australian of the Year Simon McKeon and Young Australian of the Year Jessica Watson

2012 Australian of the Year Geoffrey Rush

2013 Australian of the Year recipients: Local Hero: Shane Phillips Young Australian of the Year: Akram Azimi Australian of the Year: Ita Buttrose Senior Australian of the Year: Professor Ian Maddocks

2014 award recipients: Senior Australian of the Year: Fred Chaney Australian of the Year: Adam Goodes Young Australian of the Year: Jacqueline Freney Local Hero: Tim Conolan

Meeting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Meeting Australian of the Year 2009 Geoffrey Rush

Blue foam templates to make plaster, silica and fibreglass molds for the glass.

A mold for a National trophy

4 piles of glass cut at different increments ready for assembly

Screenprinted fibreglass sections ready for assembly in glass

Screenprinting names and logos for the final awards

Assembling 32 State awards!

Checking the kiln at 780 degrees celsius

State awards after firing

National awards after firing

The last step is polishing all the edges on a linisher and cerium wheel