Margaret Croucher Award

In 2025, the ASET-NSW Committee established the Margaret Croucher Award to honour a founding member and long-time leader whose legacy shaped the supportive professional community school laboratory technicians rely on today.


Though humble and softly spoken, Margaret’s impact on science education across New South Wales has been immense. Since beginning her career as a laboratory technician in 1988, she served seven schools across the government, Catholic, and independent sectors—including La Salle College Bankstown and St Patrick’s College Strathfield. Throughout her career, her purpose remained constant: to support teachers, empower students, and uphold the highest standards in school laboratories.


Margaret’s dedication, mentorship, and generosity have uplifted countless colleagues. Driven by a desire to ensure technicians had the knowledge and training to work safely and confidently, she consistently led by example. While her contributions were formally recognized with a Parliament of New South Wales Award for volunteer service, her true legacy lives in the confidence, connection, and capability she built across our community.


Margaret Croucher embodies what it means to serve with passion and purpose—a true professional whose quiet leadership continues to inspire us all.


Tributes from Margaret's colleagues

  • “Margaret’s infectious energy is so contagious that people around her would unite to support her vision.”
  • “She is an inspiration and a role model.”
  • “A leader who leads by example.”
  • “An inspiration to others, great mentor to many.”
  • “Maggie has always been passionately committed to ensuring lab assistants have the resources and support they need to do their jobs well.”
  • "Her work has required immense dedication, countless hours of planning, networking, and organisation."
  • "I feel very lucky to have Maggie as a mentor and am inspired by everything she has done and is still doing to empower lab techs and help us feel confident in our roles supporting teachers."
  • “Maggie is kind, thoughtful, and meticulous in everything she does, with a wicked sense of humour”
  • “Margaret is very professional with lots of skills and hidden talents. When I first meet Margaret, she was part of the SASPA team (when she worked for the DoE) and she was the person who inspired me to learn more and study, so I can gain all the skills needed to be a good Science SAO.”
  • "On a personal level, she has a great sense of humour. She has an adventurous and curious nature. You could really have a lot of fun with her behind the scenes. Margaret is extremely patient and has a real caring, sharing soul. It is always a pleasure to work and socialise with her.”
  • "Everyone would pick her brain for answers because she was just that good at her job. She had this positive effect on everyone she met. Her passion for science was infectious!"
  • "Margaret is a passionate and dedicated mentor for science laboratory professionals, bringing a wealth of experience and deep technical knowledge to every interaction. She is  a tireless advocate for better training, professional growth and recognition for all science technicians. Highly professional and approachable. She combines expertise with genuine care, always ready to guide, support, and share wisdom. Known for her sharp wit and great sense of humour, she makes learning enjoyable and inspiring, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to excel."

Nominate yourself or a colleague!

You don't have to be loud to make a difference! Do you mentor others, improve systems, lift standards, solve problems, or quietly keep everything running smoothly? This award recognises technicians who go above and beyond for their school and their profession. 

Nominations have closed for 2026.

Thank you to all those people who have nominated someone! It’s such a rewarding process for us to uncover the quiet achievers all over the state and we look forward to honouring another amazing labbie!

ASET-NSW members will be able to vote on the nominations in Week 1, Term 4 and the winner will be announced at the ASET-NSW Conference in November!

Terms and Conditions



Timeline

  • Nominations OPEN on Monday, 22nd June 2026 (Week 10, Term 2)
  • Nominations CLOSE on Friday, 28th August 2026 (Week 6, Term 3)
  • ASET-NSW members VOTE on the shortlisted candidates in Week 1, Term 4
  • Winner is announced on Monday, 16th November 2026 (Term 4, Week 6) at the ASET-NSW Conference


Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible for the Margaret Croucher Award, nominees must:

  • Be a current member of ASET-NSW Inc.;
  • Have worked as a laboratory technician for more than five years;
  • Be currently employed as laboratory technician;
  • Have made a significant contribution to the laboratory technician community; and
  • Demonstrate the ability to inspire, mentor, and encourage other laboratory professionals. 


Selection Process 

  • Nominations are open to all current ASET-NSW members. 
  • Self-nominations and nominations submitted by other ASET members are accepted. 
  • Nominations must be submitted via the Margaret Croucher Award Nomination Google Form and include a supporting statement addressing the eligibility criteria. 
  • The ASET Committee will review all nominations and shortlist up to five candidates. 
  • Personal and other identifying information will be removed from shortlisted nominations before they are circulated back to members. 
  • The shortlisted candidates will be presented to members for voting. 
  • The Committee and Margaret Croucher will consider the members’ vote when determining the recipient and will make the final decision. 
  • If insufficient member votes are received, the Committee and Margaret Croucher may determine the recipient from the eligible nominations. 


Award Announcement

  • The recipient will be announced following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the annual ASET Conference in November. 
  • The award recipient will be featured in the ASET-NSW newsletter. 

Previous Award Recipients

2025 Inaugural Award Recipient: Dearne Stephens from John Edmondson High School


Dearne more than fulfilled all of our criteria for the Margaret Croucher award, plus so much more. She is a mentor to many fellow lab techs, she advocates for training and education to equip labbies with the skills and knowledge to perform their complex roles. Dearne has also developed online courses for both new and experienced lab techs, and continues to promote work, health and safety by providing information relevant to our roles. Just like Maragret Croucher, she is an inspiration for us to excel in what we do. If Margaret's means of bringing labbies together is the ASET Conference, Dearne is the bridge that links labbies around NSW through network meetings and her email list.


Congratulations, Dearne!