Dr Harry Blackmore Award 2025 Nominations
Since 1988 the Deafness Council have presented an award during Hearing Awareness Week, the first being to Kevin Campbell from Channel 7 for his involvement in the first live captioning of the Channel 7 News.
The Award is named after Dr Harry Blackmore, a life member of the Deafness Council WA Inc, in recognition of his outstanding work over many years in advancing the interests of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.
The Award is given in recognition of the contribution made by an individual or organisation that has enhanced the quality of life of people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing or who have raised the level of awareness in the broader community of issues that affect Deaf and hard of hearing.
Pictured: Dr John Byrne, Monique Smith
Recent Award Winners
2012 Paul Higginbotham
2013 Anne Jeavons
2014 Stewart Carter
2015 John Richards
2016 Mavis Fisher
2017 Rob Eikelboom
2018 Pam Davies
2019 Geoff Reader
2020 Dr Dona Jayakody
2021 Pia Leeming
2022 Leanne Potter
2023 Dr Stephen Rodrigues
2024 State-wide Audiology Team
2025 Dr Lar Shur
Dr Lar Shur is widely recognised in the deaf and hearing impaired community as a leading paediatric audiologist. She is highly respected throughout Australia for her work in developing the national audit model for Hearing Service Providers for the Australian Government Office of Hearing Services. In 2010 she was appointed Manager, Audiology Services at Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children. In this role she oversaw the expansion of the previously urban Earbus program to the Pilbara region in partnership with Chevron.
In 2013 alongside colleagues Paul Higginbotham and Dee Parker she co-found Earbus Foundation of Western Australia where she was the inaugural Director of Clinical Services overseeing clinical outreach visits to over 200 locations in regional and remote areas of our state.
Since 2023 she has been the CEO of Earbus Foundation.
2026 Monique Smith
Monique is Principal of Mosman Park School for Deaf Children. Since her appointment to this position in 2015 Monique has led the school through a decade of extraordinary transformation. She has built a professional, bilingual team of Auslan Language Specialists, Educational Auslan interpreters and highly experienced teachers who deliver a bilingual-bicultural education model for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. In 2025 the school was named a finalist in the WA Education Awards for Excellence in Disability and Inclusion.
2026 Award Nominations
Nominations for the Award are now open and will close on December 31st 2026.
Please forward nominations to Deafness Council WA Inc, PO Box 1388, South Perth, WA. 6951.