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The Social Justice Commission for the Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba is pleased to announce that the winners of the 2009 Social Justice Award are David Totenhofer and Jennifer Wharton. Each year this Commission recognises outstanding work in the area of social justice. In past years recipients have been involved in campaigning for affordable housing, education, youth, refugees, the environment and the legal rights of those with a disability.
David and Jennifer established the Oakey Reconciliation Group in 2009. This group has achieved enormous things in its young life. Oakey has close to a ten percent Aboriginal population. More then half of this population is under the age of 18. On most social indicators there remains a large gap between Aboriginal residents of Oakey and the rest of Australia. Without receiving any funding a full NAIDOC week programme was held in Oakey for the first time in many years. David and Jennifer promoted the message ‘It’s OK to be Aboriginal in Oakey’. This group has also advocated to get much needed health services in the town and has, again without funding, commissioned a strengths and needs analysis.
David is employed as an economic and community development officer with Toowoomba Regional Council. His work with the reconciliation group is much more then a job. He has given selflessly of his time and helped to ensure that local Aboriginal people gain a sense of belonging and have a place at the table. Jennifer has an inspirational passion for her people and her culture. She has high expectations and is looking for opportunities rather then excuses. She has shown great courage in taking on a leadership role. The music that she has promoted with her brother Robert and singer songwriter Josh Arnold has been the sound track for a positive change in the Oakey community.
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