Nineteen ninety-eight Parade College Captain Walter De Backer (aka Gotye) has won a prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Australian Contemporary Concert - as producer of a tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey at the Sydney Festival and Mona Foma.

Walter joins fellow Old Paradian John Wegner AO (1967), who was acknowledged with a Helpmann Award in 2005 for Best Male Performer in an Opera.

The annual Helpmann Awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, regional touring, presentations for children, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.

The Helpmann Awards also incorporate the JC Williamson and Sue Nattrass Awards for outstanding contribution to the Australian live performance industry.

The Awards, named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann and to commemorate his memory and achievements, were established in 2001 by Live Performance Australia (LPA) to recognise, celebrate and promote our live performance industry, similar to the Tony Awards on Broadway and the Olivier Awards in London.

The principal objective of LPA in establishing the Awards is to nationally and internationally serve and promote the Australian live performance industry by recognizing distinguished artistic achievement and excellence; ensuring the Awards are administered and produced with integrity; ensuring the Awards are celebrated by the industry and the Australian community, and ensuring the Awards are the most prestigious awards in the industry and the highlight of each season.