The first Awards were in 1994. They drew 40 entries. From that time the Awards never looked back. The media soon understood what a positive ageing was all about and by 1998, OPSO invited the media from across Australia to join. This event was held at Parliament House in Brisbane.
In the International Year of Older Persons the OPSO Media Awards were held in Parliament House in Canberra. A busload of OPSO members, went down to Canberra to organize the event which to their great delight was held in the Great Hall at Parliament House, Canberra.
Minister Bronwyn Bishop became a regular patron of the event and worked with us during the next few years with the Awards held at the National Press Club, Canberra.
As the Awards grew, and for practical reasons, it was necessary to bring the event back to Parliament House in Brisbane.
The then Minister for Ageing Julie Bishop, was also a wonderful supporter and for the next few years with her assistance, the Media Awards continued to draw the media from around Australia.
And so the awards grew – until their 18th birthday in 2011 which drew 2,000 media entries of the highest quality.