By Casey Neill
Three budding Greater Dandenong business minds received a boost to their studies from a local real estate agency.
Facey Industrial Commercial’s Frank Facey Award is in its second year, and goes to three Year 12 students, one each from Dandenong High School, Sirius College and St John’s Regional College, who have demonstrated hard work and a consistent effort in a business subject.
They each receive a certificate and MacBook Air.
Hanadi Zildzic from Sirius College, Murtaza Majidi from Dandenong High School and Beatrice Oryem from St John’s Regional College were the most recent recipients.
Facey partner and St John’s alumnus Matt O’Dea presented Beatrice with her award in March.
Facey Industrial Commercial is celebrating 100 years in Dandenong this year, and the award is named after founder Frank Facey.
Directors Mark Bond and Graham ‘Josh’ Kendall said the award was created to support local students, many of whom would contribute to Dandenong’s business community in the future.
“When Facey’s founder, Frank Facey, started his business on Pultney Street, Dandenong, 100 years ago, he was only a young man,” Mr Bond said.
“The business survived through difficult times including the Great Depression and two world wars, and has since spanned three generations and had a significant impact on Dandenong and the South East.
Mr Kendall, a former Dandenong High student, said: “We didn’t want to award the dux of the school necessarily, but someone who had shown resilience and hard work despite difficulty.
“All of last year’s recipients persevered through adversity and deserve a head start in their studies.”
Beatrice demonstrated a consistent effort in her business studies while travelling to school from Warragul on the V/Line every day.
This year she’s studying a Bachelor of Global Studies, specialising in international relations, at Monash Clayton.
“In the future I hope to work for organisations such as the UN in aid work or areas such as DFAT,” Beatrice said.
