Nova Peris-Kneebone
1997 Award

Olympic Gold Medallist

Nova Peris-Kneebone is the 1997 Young Australian of the Year in recognition of her achievements throughout her career, culminating in her gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics with the Australian women's hockey team. Nova is both the first Aborigine, and also the first Northern Territorian to win an Olympic gold medal. A mother at 19, Nova's efforts have inspired Australians around the country. Nova says that her achievements have been born out of solid hard work and pure determination and in recent years, has volunteered much of her time to give motivational talks to children in WA and the NT, on improving self-esteem and researching personal goals.