June Mayne Gould began her Asia Pacific journey in Golden Square, Bendigo, Australia, in 1919. She was the second child of a family grown from two generations of miners, who worked in the Australian gold mines, and teachers, who came to help build the schools and churches in this booming town that helped build the State of Victoria.

Growing up in Port Melbourne, June soon found she had the call of the sea in her heart and trained for surf lifesaving, receiving many certificates and awards for her achievement. All these and more led her to travel in Oceania and the greater Asia Pacific as an adult, settling in Long Beach, California, a major port town alike Melbourne, to raise her family.

Although June did not have a formal education herself, due to the lack of family finances and the onset of the second World War, the home schooling and mentoring she received from her grandmother, aunt and mother, who were all top teachers in their towns, made her a keen observer of world events and a constant and vigorous encourager of all those around her to do their best. She was always happy to help people in need. Throughout her 30 plus years as a retail manager in the States, June mentored many young female executives who, like her, rose through the ranks of the large department store chain they worked for.

June’s generosity in letting her son, Noel Gould, Founding Member and Co-chair, APEC Voices Leadership Council, use a good portion of her modest retirement savings to help develop the Voices of the Future for APEC helped establish the program’s first years in Malaysia (1998), New Zealand (1999) and Brunei (2000). Thanks to the financial contribution of June, the Voices of the Future for APEC has grown from strength to strength and is known today as APEC Voices of the Future.

The June Mayne Gould Leadership Award for the APEC Voices of the Future, which was launched at the APEC Voices 2011 in Honolulu, is named in honour of June Mayne Gould for her immense contributions in the development of youth leaders in the 21 APEC Member Economies and will be presented annually to an outstanding student who has demonstrated sincere, positive, encouraging, helpful character and leadership throughout the APEC Voices Week, greatly contributing to the program by helping other students do their best and get the most out of their APEC experience.

The recipient of the June Mayne Gould Leadership Award will receive an APEC Voices Scholarship to the following year’s APEC Voices program, where the award winner serve as a junior staff member to the APEC Secretariat Team leading the APEC Voices Week.

All award winners will be recorded on a special commemorative plaque placed at the APEC Voices Secretariat, which is based at the National Youth Achievement Award Council of Singapore.