Taryn Brumfitt named Australian of the Year
“Awer fled conflict and represented Australia at the highest level as Socceroo – an extraordinary achievement. Amar has turned his own experience of discrimination into a positive one, sparking a movement that is helping thousands of people put food on the table.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday night that the winners and nominees represented the best of Australia.
“They inspire us every day by living, serving and upholding the values of our nation,” he said at the awards ceremony in Canberra. “Our compassion and generosity, our courage and initiative, our deep-rooted sense of fairness and belief in community service.”
Young Australian of the Year Awer Mabil; Senior Australian of the Year Tom Calma; Amar Singh, Australia’s Local Hero.Credit:Getty, Alex Ellinghausen
Albanese used a speech on the eve of Australia Day to endorse what he believed would be the great benefit of the vote for Parliament.
“I think just like tonight, it’s going to be an uplifting moment of national unity,” he said at an Australian of the Year event in Canberra.
Brumfitt competed in the bodybuilding competition featured in her famous picture after going on a diet to shed the weight she gained after giving birth.
“After having my kids, I ended up hating the way my body looked,” Brumfitt said in 2017. “I wanted a tummy tuck and a breast augmentation.”
She decided against surgery, exercised for hours a day, restricted her food intake, and developed the toned physique many people crave. “It just wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t a balanced life,” she said.
After hearing friends complaining about her body, Brumfitt released the before and after photos, which led to appearances on Australian news channels and US breakfast television.
“I was so surprised,” Brumfitt said of the international attention. “I just wanted to help people”
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She created a blog called Body Image Movement, which has since grown into a motivational website and online community.
Her 2016 documentary Embrace has been seen by millions, according to the Australia Day Council, and is available on Netflix. She has written four books and released a documentary called Embrace Kids in September.
Her work has reached more than 200 million people, according to the Australia Day Council, and has been recognized by UN Women.
Brumfitt’s selection is the third consecutive Australian of the Year known for her advocacy on social issues, after Grace Tame was selected for her role as advocate for sexual assault survivors and Dylan Alcott for disability rights.
Meanwhile, Calma, who co-authored the key report supporting the Voice to Parliament referendum proposal, has been named Senior Australian of the Year for his 45 years of legal practice, which include helping to create the Close the Gap framework. contributed and became Chancellor of the University of Canberra.
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Mabil, who plays club football in Europe and represented the Socceroos at last year’s FIFA World Cup, grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp after his family fled Sudan’s civil war. He emigrated to South Australia at the age of 10 and recently founded the non-profit organization Barefoot to Boots, which aims to help refugees.
Singh founded the charity Turbans 4 Australia which has become known for delivering food and supplies to communities affected by natural disasters such as floods and bushfires. Singh founded the charity to develop an understanding of the character of Sikhs after he was racially slandered while wearing his turban.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/body-positivity-advocate-taryn-brumfitt-named-australian-of-the-year-20230125-p5cf96.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_politics_federal Taryn Brumfitt named Australian of the Year
