By Belinda Nolan
WHEN 18-year-old Elizabeth Anile found out her mother had nominated her for a Pride of Australia Award, the Williamstown teenager couldn’t have been more shocked.
“I had no idea. She wanted to give me a surprise so she only told me on the day. It felt really surreal because it’s such an amazing award and quite strange to comprehend.”
Despite Elizabeth’s own misgivings, the nomination comes as no surprise to all who know her.
A passionate animal activist, the teenager has been campaigning for animal rights for the past three years.
In May last year Elizabeth teamed up with a school friend to start the group Australian Teens Against Animal Cruelty (ATAAC), which now has more than 1500 members.
Since being crowned Girlfriend of the Year by teen magazine Girlfriend in May, the VCE student has gained national recognition, featuring in several prominent Victorian newspapers and online publications, before being nominated for the Pride of Australia Young Aussie Award this month.
A committed vegetarian, the Westbourne Grammar student said she was thrilled to be considered for such a prestigious award.
“It really is an honour. I wouldn’t even have considered it a year or so ago,” she said.
Elizabeth said the most rewarding part of her newly gained recognition was the support it had brought to the cause.
“It’s opened up a lot of doors and we’ve had so many people that have contacted us that wouldn’t have had any idea that we even existed otherwise,” she said.
“It’s been a really positive thing and people who were against it have realised it’s a serious issue; it’s not just a hobby. The attention has made it seem more sincere and it’s taken seriously now, too.”
While it can sometimes be a struggle to juggle her activist duties with her final term of Year 12, Elizabeth said she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her group is now working on a documentary for Animal Liberation NSW to teach Australian schoolchildren to lead a cruelty-free life.
Elizabeth said the nomination was a confirmation that people were interested in animal issues.
“It is reaching people and it is making a difference,” she said. “It’s so flattering when people write to you and say nice things because it proves that it’s not all in vain.”
The Victorian Pride of Australia Award medal winners will be officially announced at an awards ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in late October.
