1990 Human Rights Medal and Awards Winners
The Human Rights Awards acknowledges the promotion of public understanding and discussion of human rights in Australia through the media, in literature and through film. This year saw the introduction of inaugural awards for songwriting and regional print media.
In view of the high standard of nominations, it was decided to issue, for the first time, Certificates of Commendation in recognition of outstanding nominees' achievement. The judges awarded 23 certificates over 11 categories and these are listed with the award below.
human rights medal
Winner: Associate Professor Fred Hollows AC
The prestigious Australian Human Rights Medal was awarded to Professor Fred Hollows AC who pioneered a program aimed at reducing the incidence of trachoma-caused blindness among Australia's Aboriginal people. Professor Hollows has worked at all levels in promoting Aboriginal health as a public issue and helped establish Aboriginal-managed health services in rural and urban Australia. He has also trained Eritrean doctors in less than a year to perform cataract surgery, providing a model for the surgical prevention of blindness in the rest of Africa. Professor Hollows was subsequently named Australian of the Year for 1990.
poetry award
Winner: The Women who live on the Ground - Lee Cataldi
Highly Commended: Holocaust Island - Graeme Dixon
drama award
Winner: Blood and Honour - Alex Harding
Highly Commended: Is this Seat Taken ? - The Women's Theatre Group
Highly Commended: The Refugee - Sidetrack Theatre
prose award
Winner: Sanctuary! Nazi Fugitives in Australia - Mark Aarons
Highly Commended: Paperbark: A collection of Black Australian Writings - Jack Davis, Steven Muecke, Mudrooroo Narogin and Adam Shoemaker
Highly Commended: One of the Family - Pealie O'Neill
film award
Winner: Struck by Lightning - Trevor Farrant and Terry Charatsis.
songwriting award
Winner: Took the Children Away - Archie Roach
Highly Commended: Bran Nue Dae - Jimmy Chi and Knuckles
television drama award
Winner: How Wonderful - Lynne Hegarty
Highly Commended: Boy Soldier - Australian Children's Television Foundation
television documentary award
Winner: Breaking Through - Richard Mason
Highly Commended: Savage Indictment - Nicholas Adler and Caroline Sherwood
Highly Commended: Hurting Inside - Four Corners - ABC TV
radio documentary/ current affairs award
Winner: Disabled Lovers - Michael Mullins - ABC Radio
Highly Commended: Spirituality, Dignity and Human Rights - Alan Austin - ABC Radio
Highly Commended: Grandpa, Your Left Foot is Missing - Claudio Taranto - Radio National
metropolitan newspapers award
Winner: A Lifetime of Terror - Marion Frith - Canberra Times
Highly Commended: Organ Donation: When a gift of life goes wrong and subsequent articles in a series- Rosemary West - The Age
Highly Commended: Prue Innes series of Articles - The Age
Highly Commended: The Independent Monthly for the commissioning of the series Aboriginalities
Commended: Four individual articles from the above series: Christopher Anderson Poor Billy Lost Among the Lawyers , Mudrooroo Narogin Welfares's Child, Steve Hawke They of the Never Never, Steve Hawke Diary of a Personal Note
regional newspapers award
Winner: Barry Levy, Collection of Articles - Queensland Times
Highly Commended: Human Rights Activities Battle for Mentally Ill - Paul Maguire - Newcastle Herald
Highly Commended:Unveiling Islam - Clare Morgan - Newcastle Herald
magazines award
Winner: Terror Australis - Duncan Graham - Sydney Morning Hearld, Good Weekend
Highly Commended: Getting to Know the Women of Vietnam and Islam and Get to Know Us - Anne Musgrave - Ita Magazine
Highly Commended: The Underclass - Lyndal Crisp - The Bulletin