ABOUT THE AWARD

The Tilly Aston Achievement Award will be offered to all schools in the Federal electorate of Aston. The award will be presented annually by the Federal Member for Aston, Mary Doyle, usually at the school’s end of year celebration, depending upon Ms Doyle’s availability. 

The Award is commemorative to Matilda Ann (Tilly) Aston, a blind writer, teacher, poet and activist, after whom the Federal electorate of Aston is named.

Some quotes attributable to Ms Aston are:

  ‘Poor eyes limit your sight. Poor vision limits your deeds.’ 

 'I never admitted an inferiority complex,' she confessed, 'save in one aspect, which was shown in the constant desire to excel as a woman in spite of my handicap, since I knew that to overcome I must use more of myself than a seeing person to attain equal power and status' (Memoirs of Tilly Aston p. 179).

AWARD ELIBILITY

The Tilly Aston Achievement Award aims to recognise outstanding students who demonstrate a commitment to strive for social justice, active participation in the community and have displayed courage to pursue change.

Each school will nominate one recipient and that name must be submitted to our office by 11 October 2024, along with background information as to why that student has been chosen. This should not be longer than 200 words.