Putting the ability in disability
Jazzy Lane Hair Studio snags top gong at awards
ONE of Toowoomba’s most popular hairdressing salons has taken out the top gong at the 6th annual Business DisABILITY Awards.
Jazzy Lane Hair Studio’s owner Gay Hold accepted the Judy Antonio Memorial Award during the sold-out event at the Armitage Centre on Thursday.
“I was so honoured. I couldn’t stop crying the next day. It’s been wonderful,” Ms Hold said.
Ms Hold said she was thrilled to have her schoolbased apprentice Rhiannon Graham from Clifford Park Special School receive the Elissa Flanagan “Aim High” Scholarship.
Abbey Dodds, who was instrumental in arranging Miss Graham’s apprenticeship, also was highly commended in the Business Engagement Award category.
Ms Hold said she had been inspired to do more by one of last year’s award winners, and hoped she could in turn inspire other people to make their workplaces more inclusive, describing it as “incredibly fulfilling”.
Event organisers described Mrs Hold’s contribution to social and workplace inclusion as extraordinary.
The salon owner, who became the youngest salon manager at Stefan when she was only 18, opened her Toowoomba business in 2011 and regularly participates in charity events to help people less fortunate. She recently established Tranquil Trims, which provides a low sensory hairdressing experience for children and adults with Autism.
The Judy Antonio Memorial Award was established to honour the legacy of Judy Antonio, the Awards’ founding patron, who lost her battle with motor neurone disease in 2016.