ACH Group is delighted to announce the winners of Round 2 of the 2026 ACH Group Way Awards.
Congratulations to Support Worker Tuni Thai who won the Good Lives Award, and to Community Connector Lead Andrea Whitrow from Milpara who won Service Moments Award. We invite you to read their nominations below.
At the end of the year, winners from each round are reviewed by the Executive Leadership Team and together with results of an employee vote, the overall annual award winners will be chosen.
Good Lives Award: Tuni Thai, Support Worker
Tuni was recognised for going above and beyond to help Kathleen, a 101-year-old customer, visit her husband in hospital during a time when they were deeply missing one another.
Recognising how important this relationship was to Kathleen, Tuni proactively sought support to make the visit possible and willingly extended her shift to ensure it could happen.
Through collaboration with colleagues and partners, Tuni helped create a meaningful experience that honoured Kathleen’s wishes, independence, choice, and valued role as a wife.
The visit enabled Kathleen and her husband to spend precious time together, holding hands, sharing memories, and reconnecting in a way that had a profound impact on both of them.
Kathleen’s husband shared that he had not seen her communicate so clearly in a very long time, highlighting the positive impact that maintaining important relationships can have on wellbeing and quality of life.
Through her compassion, initiative, and commitment to person-centred support, Tuni created a truly unforgettable moment that demonstrated the power of connection, dignity, and meaningful relationships.
Service Moments Award: Andrea Whitrow
Andrea was recognised, alongside the Social Team and volunteers at Milpara, for creating an intergenerational café initiative with Morialta High School students that brought residents, families and the local community together.
Through her leadership and creativity, Café Casa Mia was transformed into a welcoming space that encouraged meaningful connections across generations.
Conversation cue cards helped students engage residents in genuine and memorable conversations, creating enriching experiences for everyone involved.
The initiative was a great success, with residents and their families enjoying quality time together in a vibrant café environment.
Students gained valuable hospitality and customer service skills while building confidence and a deeper understanding of community connection.
Andrea’s vision and commitment to fostering belonging, social connectedness and meaningful moments have had a lasting positive impact on residents, families, students and the broader Milpara community.
We’d also like to recognise the following people and teams nominated for Round 2: Amanda Jones, Linda McMath, and Saiteja Pamidimukkala.
More about the ACH Group Way Awards
The awards span over two categories:
Good Lives Award – recognises individuals/teams who bring our 4Rs (Reablement, Real Experiences, Right Relationships, and Roles) to life to support Good Lives for Older People.
Service Moments Award – recognises individuals/teams who champion our Service Behaviours of Love What We Do, Take Action & Responsibility, Put Our Hand Up for Challenges and Celebrate Uniqueness.