2024
Playgroup Champion Winner
Tess Galea
Arnolds Creek Grandparents Playgroup - Melton
“Tess always provides an exciting, interactive variety of playgroup activities every week. She has no Teaching or art background, yet she researches and produces fun activities for the group relevant the calendar. Tess is also so thoughtful, kind and inclusive to all, even when there is so much going on in her personal life, she shows up every week with a smile on her face. It is so wonderful for Tess to take time out of her busy days to organise a Grandparents Playgroup, providing a unique opportunity for some one-on-one time between Grandparents and grandchildren. After years volunteering, I would absolutely love for Tess to be recognised for the superstar that she truly is.”
Playgroup Champion Runner-Up
Marissa JohnPillai
Weekends Playgroup – Montmorency
“MJ has supported the Weekend Playgroup through its lifetime and it is still going! Without her hours of support, creative flair, community engagement, patience, and understanding, Weekend Playgroups would not still be running. I thank her for many different reasons and feel she should be celebrated for her passion for caring for others and keeping the community spirits alive!!”
Playgroup Champion Runners-Up
Mahdi Nosatti &
Tamara Manski
Romsey Playgroup
“Tamara spent many days alone in the outdoor play space weeding the garden, filling large council green bins each time. Often Tam was the only contact for the playgroup and lead a skeleton committee for many years, even ensuring the playgroup stayed afloat over the Covid shut down period and harsh lockdowns in Victoria. We are grateful that our playgroup was safe in Tamara’s hands for so long.”
“Mahdi and her husband Adam have been part of Romsey Playgroup for two calendar years and have raised thousands of dollars in fundraising at bake sales, sausage sizzles, all the trimmings, open days and grant applications all going towards building the children and families of Romsey Playgroup a new outdoor playground to replace our old rotted wooden pirate ship. We are so grateful to have the Nosatti family in our community.”
All 2024 Nominees
ALEAH MORALLI – Ummah Jameelah Islamic Playgroup
ALISSA AKKAD – Rugrats Playgroup
AMANDA WILSON – Nature Play Playgroup
AAYANSH GUPTA – Maternal Child Health Centre
ANASINA GRAY-BARBERIO – Pacific Island Playgroup, Broadmeadows
BELINDA WARDLE – Buninyong Playgroup
BILLI MCCARTHY-PRICE – Port Melbourne Winter Babies 2022 Playgroup
BUSHRA SHAMOON – Roxburgh Rise Primary School Assyrian Chaldean Playgroup
CARA STEPHENSON – Rainbow Playgroup, Stonnington
CATHY BOYCE – Richmond Community Learning Centre Playgroups
CLAIRE – Stonnington Playgroup
DONNA ABLETT – Warragul Playgroup
DONNA VAN DER MEIJDE – Dutch playgroup
EBONY COLUMBO – Seedlings Nature Playgroup, Port Phillip
ELIZABETH HUNTER – Little Treasures Playgroup
ERIN BOURKE – The Parents Hub Playgroup
FELICITY HOARE – Ballarat Nature Playgroup
FIDA TAHA – Ummah Jameelah Islamic Playgroup
FIONA HOLDER – Sunbury PlayConnect + Playgroup
GREGORIA RIVALORO – Narre Warren Kidz Playgroup
HAFSA HANIF – Saltwater Community Centre
HARPREET KAUR – Newbury Community Centre Indian Playgroup, Craigieburn
HOLLY JACKSON – Seedlings Nature Playgroup, Port Phillip
HUDA MOHAMMED – Ummah Jameelah Islamic Playgroup
JANELLE PAULETTE – Wattleview Playgroup, Ferntree Gully
JAYNE MANNING – Dunkeld Playgroup
JEAN KENYON – Ummah Jameelah Islamic Playgroup
JEDDA & JO – Melbourne Muslimahs Playgroup
JESS COOK – St John's Lutheran Primary School Playgroup, Portland
JESSICA – Woodlea Wombats Playgroup
JESSIE HARRIS – Honeypots Playgroup, Mt Martha
JUNE BRYANT – Kingston City Council Playgroup
KAREN BUTTERWORTH – Northern Bay Playgroup
KATHERINE LOCK –Diggers Rest Playgroup
KERRYN SANDERS – Bacchus Marsh Playgroup
LAR KA PAW MOO PE – Multicultural Assisted Playgroup
LARISSA TAYLOR – Larissa's Imaginarium Project Playgroup
LAUREN KITWOOD – Latrobe City Newborough Playgroup
LIA PEDETTI – Langwarrin Community Playgroup
LIBBY PAGE – Campbells Creek Supported Playgroup, Mount Alexander
LILY MCGUINNESS – Jack and Jill Playgroup, Malvern
LINDSAY RAYNER – Kindness Kids Playgroup, Montrose
MAHDI NOSATTI – Romsey Playgroup
MALLORY WALSH – Cobden Playgroup
MARIA ROBINSON – Melton West Primary School Playgroup
MARISSA JOHNPILLAI – Weekend Playgroup, Montmorency
MAUREEN HATCHER – Playgroup Victoria
MELISSA HAYNES – PlayBox Playgroup, Lilydale
NARELLE DEBENHAM – Natured Kids Playgroup
NICOLE EDWARDS – Ummah Jameelah Islamic Playgroup
REBECCA WOS – Little Treasures Playgroup
SARAH MAHRI – Benevolence Benebubs Playgroup
SHANTI BELING – Attwood House Community Centre Community Playgroup
SHELLEY JONES – Little Farmers Playgroup
TAMARA MANSKI – Romsey Playgroup
TARA DE BONO – Goonawarra Neighbourhood House Playgroup, Sunbury
TEGAN FARRUGIA – The Fun In Art Playgroup
TESS GALEA – Arnold's Creek Grandparents Playgroup, Melton
TIAHNA SCOULLER – Messy Mates Playgroup
ZOE O'HARA – Enjoy Church Playgroup, Clayton South