2022 Alumni Awards
Federation University recognised 12 outstanding graduates in the 2022 Alumni Awards. The Awards formally recognise their achievements within their chosen field of study and beyond.
The 2022 Ballarat Alumni Awards event held at the Mt Helen campus on Thursday 27 October while the 2022 Gippsland Alumni Awards event held at the Morwell Innovation Centre on Wednesday 2 November.
The recipients are:
2022 Alumnus of the Year
Tim Shaw
Field of Study: Business
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Tim Shaw has made an outstanding contribution to the lives of young people, education and the Wimmera community. As Executive Officer of the Wimmera Southern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network (WSMLLEN), he has created and implemented a wide range of innovative partnerships, projects and programs to support the education and development of the region’s youth including the MATES mentoring program; the Let’s Read partnership; and the Wimmera South West Virtual School. Under Tim’s leadership, WSMLLEN has won Community Group of the Year; the Connecting Communities Award; the Overall Leading Volunteer Team Award and been a finalist in the Victorian Early Years Awards, the Volunteering Victoria State Awards and the Volunteer Recognition Awards.
2022 Alumna of the Year
Leah Mether
Field of Study: Arts
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to Federation University or its predecessor institutions; Outstanding service to the community
Leah Mether is a communication specialist and trainer, motivational speaker, and facilitator. She is an expert on the skills and qualities that create connection and make someone good to work with, not simply good at what they do, and believes soft skills are the new hard skills. With a background in corporate communications, business and journalism, she works with executives, leaders and teams to improve their communication, mindset and self-management under pressure, helping businesses across the country to radically improve their effectiveness. In 2019 Leah was named winner of the Business and Professional Services category at the Gippsland Business Awards.
2022 International Alumnus of the Year 
Palaniappan Ramanathan Chettiar
Field of Study: Education
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Dr Palaniappan Ramanathan Chettiar (Palan) helps people learn and perform. His drive to elevate the standards of higher education, human resource development, healthcare, and social entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Malaysia has been significant. Palan is on the board of University Malaya; Director of University Malaya Holdings; and Chairman of University Malaya Hospital Specialist Centre. He founded the Palan Foundation to provide scholarships to disadvantaged youth and has been recognised with a British Society of Learning & Development Fellowship, and Malaysia’s second highest civilian honour of Tan Sri. He was also conferred the Datoship title in recognition of his lifelong service and contributions to the community.
2022 Young Alumna of the Year
Stephanie Mundy
Field of Study: Sports Science
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement
Stephanie Mundy has impacted the sports performance industry at local, state, national and international levels as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and advocate for women in sports. She has coached at the Maribyrnong Sports Academy; Liberty University, USA; the Richmond Tigers AFLW and at the Victorian Institute of Sport where she optimises the performance of athletes as they prepare for World Championships, Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2020 Steph was named a City of Ballarat Active Women and Girl’s Ambassador to encourage and support young women participating in activity and sport across the city.
2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Alumnus of
the Year
Michael Harding
Field of Study: Visual Arts
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement
Uncle Mick Harding of the Taungurung people, is a cultural activist, educator and artist dedicated to protecting and reinvigorating culture within his community. Drawing inspiration from the legends of his people, Mick has devoted years to developing his woodcraft and drawing skills, learning specialist techniques to create artifacts as his ancestors did with his own individual style. He has been commissioned to create artworks for dignitaries around the globe including a gift from the State of Victoria for the birth of Princess Charlotte; and trophies at the Australian Open Tennis. Mick has served on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council and as Director and Cultural Ambassador for the Taungurung Land and Waters Council Victoria.
2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Alumna of the Year
Nikki Foy
Field of Study: Community Service; Education
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Nikki Foy is a proud and passionate Aboriginal woman and leader who has spent her life ensuring the welfare and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are acknowledged, recognised and improved. She has advocated for indigenous interests on many community and professional boards, committees, reference and working groups including the Federation University Reconciliation Action Group; the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative; the City of Ballarat Koorie Engagement Action Group; and the Local Aboriginal Network. She has been named City of Ballarat Multicultural Ambassador; Mallawalla Community Award winner; and the 2013 NAIDOC Community Education Award. One of Nikki’s most powerful community projects was the inaugural Ballarat Survival Day Dawn Ceremony at Lake Wendouree in 2020.
2022 Alumni Award for Community Service
Harpreet Kandra Singh
Field of Study: Education
Nomination Category: Outstanding service to the community
Harpreet Singh Kandra is community leader and volunteer passionate about social justice, multiculturalism, health and the environment. He has provided support for those facing food and financial insecurity including the contribution of over 2500 grocery kits and over 5000kg of groceries, as well as providing aid after natural disasters and through environmental work. Harpreet was included on the inaugural Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Honour Roll and recognised as the 2019 Australian of the Year by the Cardinia Shire Council. He has secured millions in funding for projects and been nominated for Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence; the Volunteering Victoria Award; Stan Henwood Award, Gembrook Community Awards; and Cardinia’s Shire Council’s Event of the Year Awards
Distinguished Alumnus 
Arifin
Field of Study: Business
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Arifin is an advocate of lifelong learning. He has made a significant contribution to the higher education and learning sectors in Indonesia and in 2014 was involved in the establishment of the Universitas Pelita Harapan. An avid supporter of holistic learning, Arifin encourages young people to discover which fields of study and future careers align best with their passions, aptitudes and personalities, and to match their passion to their study program. Arifin has authored several textbooks about the Indonesian taxation system, and entrepreneurship, and is a frequent guest speaker on the topics of business, entrepreneurship, and personal development
Distinguished Alumna
Sae Ra Germaine
Field of Study: Computing
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to Federation University or its predecessor institutions
Sae Ra Germaine is an Information Technology professional and passionate advocate for internet and technology accessibility, free and open source initiatives, and the unrestricted sharing of information. She is heavily involved with Linux Australia, the peak body for open source communities in Australia, having served as both Secretary and President. Sae Ra was also Vice- President at Internet Australia, a peak member-based organisation representing all Australian Internet users which promotes development of the internet in Australia to benefit the whole community.
Distinguished Alumnus 
Omaru Maruatona
Field of Study: Cybersecurity
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Dr Omaru Maruatona is an expert in cybersecurity. After completing a PhD in Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) he worked as a technical security analyst and a cybersecurity architect before founding Cyber-AI company, Aiculus, which uses specialised algorithms to intelligently detect sophisticated threats between digital systems. Omaru has successfully led the company to secure pilot customers, investment and expansion into Singapore, and a collaboration with a global bank and government entity. Omaru advocates for diversity in the cybersecurity and technology domains and was a finalist in the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation.
Distinguished Alumna
Doris Paton
Field of Study: Education
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding service to the community
Dr Doris Paton is an accomplished academic and respected Aboriginal Elder with a passion for the advancement of First Nations People through education, and the reclamation and revival of Aboriginal languages across Australia. Speaking Gunai and Monaro Ngarigo languages, Doris has been teaching language for over 20 years. She was Director Vice-Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Languages Corporation, and Chairperson of the Victorian Indigenous Languages Implementation Reference Group, Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority. Her cross-cultural awareness programs have enhanced communication in the community and with groups and services. Her work has been reported in journals and presented at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education. She was appointed to Federation University Council in 2020.
Distinguished Alumna (posthumously)
Jan Feder
Field of Study: Ceramics
Nomination Category: Outstanding professional achievement; Outstanding academic or research achievement; Outstanding service to Federation University or its predecessor institutions; Outstanding service to the community
On discovering ceramics and the expressive potential of clay, Jan Feder immediately knew it was the medium for her. With a particular focus on colourisation or glaze, Jan was respected by her fellow students for her diligence and technical ability. Her death in 1981 evoked an immediate response from her peers for a memorial. A ceramics collection which would benefit future students was decided upon as a fitting tribute to Jan Feder’s life and works and the Jan Feder Memorial Collection was established. The collection now includes the work of over 80 ceramic artists including many international renowned contributors.