Great Australian Philanthropy Award
19 November 2015 at 10:35 am
The founders of Gandel Philanthropy, property developer John Gandel and his wife Pauline, have received the Great Australian Philanthropy Award as part of the annual Research Australia Awards.
The Awards celebrate the accomplishments of extraordinary Australians who have made contributions to health and medical research in the categories of discovery, advocacy, philanthropy, health services research and lifetime achievement.
The Great Australian Philanthropy Award recognises and encourages personal philanthropic donations over a period of time by an individual or family to Australian health and medical research.
Gandel Philanthropy is one of Australia’s largest independent family philanthropic funds. It has been the vehicle for charitable giving by the extended Gandel family since its formation as the Gandel Charitable Trust in 1978.
According to the Gandel Philanthropy website, the fund has channeled tens of millions of dollars towards supporting various charitable causes in the community.
Now in its 13th year, the Research Australia Awards saw eight Australians celebrated, including Connie and Sam Johnson, founders of the Love Your Sister campaign which aims to raise $10 million for breast cancer.
The Advocacy Award recognises an Australian from either the media, a celebrity or a member of the community who has raised community awareness about the benefits of health and medical research.
Professor Sharon Lewin from the Peter Doherty Institute received the night’s most prestigious award – the Peter Wills Medal – for her leadership in science and her HIV research which is renowned globally as the world continues its search for a cure.
“Our sector is fortunate to have so many worthy individuals, teams and organisations who continue to work relentlessly to ensure that health and medical research continues to push the boundaries of discovery, improve the health outcomes of Australians and better healthcare delivery in this country,” CEO and Managing Director of Research Australia, Elizabeth Foley, said.
