Manukau City Council

When you reach for the stars you shine. Five young achievers gave new meaning to this old adage when they were selected from a group of 16 finalists across five categories to win the 1999 Manukau Young Faces Awards.

The Winners are:
Jody Young, 23 of Manurewa : Brookfields Lawyers Business Award

Lydia Mowlem, 23, of Papatoetoe: Manukau Institute of Technology Education Award

Simon Wills, 23, of Bucklands Beach: Bartercard Ambassador Award

Nancy Mau'afu, 18 of Otara: New Zealand Post Community Service Award

Rachael Brand, 22, Half Moon Bay: Rotary Club of Manukau Arts & Entertainment Award

Congratulating the winners, Sir Barry Curtis Mayor of Manukau said, "All participants will be well versed in the challenges, rewards and very often, the disappointments, involved when competing at this high level. The entrants who did not make it through to the final selection along with the successful ones this evening can feel very proud that they had the character, determination and talent to participate. Whatever you pursue in this life the important lesson is to continue to believe in yourselves and remember Winston Churchill's good and simple philosophy: Never give up - never, never, never, never,"

The Awards, which were established in 1996, have become a benchmark for outstanding achievement of Manukau's youth in the age groups 15-25.

They are organised annual by The Rotary Club of Manukau, with sponsorship support provided by Manukau companies: New Zealand Post; Bartercard; Manukau Institute of Technology; and Brookfields Lawyers. The finalists were:

Brookfields Lawyers Business Award - Karl Fleet (Papatoetoe), Alex Watson (Manurewa), Jody Young (Manurewa).

Bartercard Ambassador Award - Ashton Dunn (Howick), Ian McLeod (Pakuranga), Simon Wills (Bucklands Beach).

Rotary Club of Manukau Arts & Entertainment Award - Rachael Brand (Half Moon Bay), Taiwan Leasuasu (Mangere), Leni Sulusi (East Tamaki).

New Zealand Post Community Service Award - Nancy Mau'afu (Otara), Tony McClean (Howick), Jason Roper (Howick).

Manukau Institute of Technology Education Award - Lisa Claxton (Weymouth), Rebecca Gissing (Howick), Lydia Mowlem (Papatoetoe), Kerensa Watson (Howick).

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