Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC is the 30th Governor of Victoria and Patron of The Compass Award. A distinguished academic leader, she was previously the President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University and RMIT.
Throughout her career, she has championed education, innovation, and equity. Recognised for her service to tertiary education, she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.
As Governor, she is committed to listening to Victorians and supporting the state’s democratic institutions. As Patron of The Compass Award, the Governor supports and champions the program’s mission to inspire young people to develop skills, resilience, and a sense of purpose through experiential learning.
His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM and Mrs Darrilyn Dawson are the Vice Regal Patrons of The Compass Award WA. Governor Dawson was sworn in as the 34th Governor of Western Australia in 2022, following a distinguished career in law enforcement and public administration, including as Commissioner of the Western Australia Police Force.
Mrs Dawson has over 40 years’ experience in education, having taught in government and private schools in both country and metropolitan areas. She has held a variety of leadership roles in schools and continues to contribute to education through consulting, mentoring and governance.
Through their Vice Regal Patronage, the Governor and Mrs Dawson lend their support to The Compass Award WA and its mission to inspire young people to develop skills, resilience, confidence and a sense of purpose through experiential learning.
Awards Victoria Ltd is committed to being a child safe and child friendly organisation. It recognises, respects and promotes children’s rights and is committed to protecting and empowering children who come into contact with the organisation. At Awards Victoria Ltd children are to be listened to, taken seriously and treated with sensitivity and compassion.
Awards Victoria Ltd acknowledges that children’s safety is the responsibility of the whole community and recognises its own responsibilities in keeping children safe from abuse. It has a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse.
Awards Victoria Ltd values diversity and will not tolerate discriminatory practices. It recognises the vulnerabilities of particular groups of children and pays particular attention to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children with a disability.
