Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Fred Chaney AO
Social justice campaigner
Fred Chaney has spent the last 30 years working to advance the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. He helped establish the state's Aboriginal Legal Service, for which he worked voluntarily in the early 1970s. He served as a Liberal senator for Western Australia and was the federal minister for Aboriginal Affairs. He served as Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia for a number of years and is still a member of the Board, as well as the Chair of Desert Knowledge Australia. His work in the fields of social justice, human rights, equality and anti-racism has been outstanding.
Dr Penny Flett
Geriatrics specialist
Dr Penny Flett has had a long interest in geriatric medicine but has been a champion for people of all ages who require a high level of ongoing support. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Brightwater Care Group, which provides residential and at-homes services for elderly and young disabled people, and Chair of the WA Aged Care Advisory Council. In this role she oversaw the development of a State Aged Care Plan, which provided the first ever blueprint to guide the evolution of health and aged care services for the elderly. Dr Flett's goal is for the community to revalue older people, and respect their wisdom and experience.
Professor Max Kamien
General practitioner
Professor Max Kamien has a long history of service to the Australian community in the field of general medical practice. He chaired a parliamentary enquiry into the retention and recruitment of country doctors, leading to the establishment of the WA Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine and the Country Medical Foundation, which is helping to take more doctors back to rural WA. He has also provided medical assistance in countries such as East Timor, and chooses to practice in areas of need in WA. Professor Kamien's drive, foresight and determination have seen him make a practical difference in people's lives.
Ros Worthington OAM
Humanitarian
Ros Worthington is a woman driven to help others and is an unstoppable force in the WA charity scene. After suffering chronic breast disease and undergoing a mastectomy and reconstruction, Ros set up a mastectomy boutique in Perth and founded the Breast Cancer Foundation of WA which has raised millions of dollars and helped thousands of women. Ros also works with indigenous communities and Aboriginal women suffering breast cancer to create awareness and support services, and established the Make-A-Wish Foundation in WA, granting hundreds of wishes for terminally-ill children.
Senior Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Patrick Dodson
Indigenous leader
Patrick Dodson has given a lifetime of service to the Australian community. He was Australia's first ordained Aboriginal Catholic priest, the founding chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, and a commissioner for The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. As director of the Central Land Council he played a key role in many politically contentious negotiations with the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments. Patrick has devoted his life to building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. He has demonstrated that reconciliation is a practical reality and a future that we should all be working towards.
Malcolm Douglas
Outback adventurer
Malcolm Douglas is Australia's answer to David Attenborough. As a natural history filmmaker for 40 years, Malcolm has earned respect and a wide following with documentaries about the wonders of the Australian wilderness and its inhabitants. In 1983, he established Crocodile Park, a research centre that is home to one of Australia's finest display of crocodiles. Malcolm has also developed a unique wildlife park and animal refuge just outside Broome. Over the years Malcolm has educateed the public about the environment and is a true champion of the natural environment.
Peter Fitzpatrick AM
Business and community leader
Peter Fitzpatrick is a natural leader and an outstanding communicator who motivates and encourages people to reach their full potential, however it is his generous contribution to the community for which he is most revered. In 1990, he was the driving force behind the establishment of Youth Focus, which offers a lifeline to young people who show early signs of suicide, depression and self-harm. He then established a foundation to support the organisation, which today counsels over 500 young people and 150 families each year. Peter Fitzpatrick is one of Western Australia's most highly regarded business and community leaders.
John Schnaars
Indigenous war veteran's advocate
John Schnaars has worked diligently and courageously to address the lack of recognition of the Indigenous war veterans who fought for our country even before they were recognised as citizens. An Indigenous veteran himself who served in the Vietnam War, John decided to provide a headstone for every Indigenous solider who did not have one. So far he has organised 50 headstones and held ceremonies for each veteran, providing their families with the recognition and dignity they deserve. John has been unrelenting in his fight to right the wrongs of the past and allow our Indigenous veterans' efforts to be remembered, honoured and treasured.
Young Australian of the Year Finalists 2009
Annabelle Coppin - 24
Beef cattle producer
Growing up on an isolated cattle property in the Pilbara, Annabelle Coppin has risen to become a spokesperson and leading light in the live-export industry. She currently manages a 2300-hectare property, and recently became one of the youngest people in Australia ever to be awarded the prestigious Nuffield Scholarship. which she will use to study beef export trends by going to the Middle East, Indonesia and South America. Annabelle has shown great initiative and displayed a maturity and character well above her age. She is a dynamic advocate for her industry and is always working hard to improve the beef trade.
Sam Hill - 23
World mountain biking champion
Sam Hill is a professional downhill mountain biker who was named Off Road Cyclist of the Year in 2007 and was World Champion in 2006 and 2007. Sam rode his first bike at two years of age, and started competitive mountain bike riding at nine. When he rode his first downhill event at the age of 12 he immediately fell in love with the sport. In 2001, at the age of 16, Sam attended his first overseas races, travelling to Canada and the USA. Since then he has become unstoppable in his domination of the sport.
Tim Roberton - 28
Humanitarian worker
Tim Roberton has worked quietly and effectively to bring joy to the disabled and the needy. He cares for his younger brother who is in a wheelchair, as well as running Catch Music, which he established to encourage those with physical and mental disabilities to join in making music in whatever way they can. Tim has also helped those overseas, spending 12 months in war-torn Jerusalem and Palestine, and then working for World Vision in Nazran responding to the devastation caused by the Chechnya wars. Tim is a humble man who is driven to help others, working quietly to provide support and achieve positive change in people's lives.
David Wirrpanda - 29
Indigenous footballer
This year, footballer David Wirrpanda was named the ninth most influential Indigenous Australian by The Bulletin. At the age of 17 he was the West Coast Eagles youngest ever debutante, and has since notched up his 200th game. David has used his influence to encourage young Indigenous people to get an education. In 2005, he launched the David Wirrpanda Foundation to assist and develop underprivileged young people through education, promoting healthy lifestyles and strong role models, and building self-esteem. His aim is to make change slowly from the ground up.
Australia's Local Hero Finalists 2009
Diane Annear
South Perth
Women's supporter
Diane Annear was instrumental in establishing a number of homes in WA as refuges for victims of domestic violence. She also established the Women's Legal Referral Service and voluntarily drives women to meet lawyers who assist them with property settlement entitlements pro bono until the point of settlement. Without this service these women would have remained in refuges with the sense of disempowerment that often comes with being a victim of domestic violence. As a result of Diane's intervention, many women have obtained enough funds to secure private rentals and the confidence to rebuild their lives. Diane has sensitively created a bridge between victims of domestic violence and the law.
Graeme Drew
Bremer Bay
Sea rescuer and educator
A professional fisherman, Graeme Drew is the co-founder of the Bremer Bay SES and Sea Rescue. In 2003, after the tragic death of his nephew after falling into a dangerous rip, he established a trust in his memory. This trust has purchased self-inflating buoyancy vests that are hired out from bait shops, installed warning signs on dangerous sections of coast, promoted ocean fishing safety, educated school groups on ocean safety, and built the prototype of a system called the Silent Sentry that has already been instrumental in saving two lives. Graeme loves and respects the ocean and wants to ensure that the community are able to safely enjoy it.
Melissa Matheson
Jarrahdale
Community spirit
Melissa Matheson is a resident of a tiny town of Jarrahdale. Her goal is to restore the area and ensure that a pristine environment is handed on to future generations. She is a Landcare volunteer and has established The Friends of the Park, a group responsible for environmental projects in the town. She has also been instrumental in establishing a skate park and the new Jarrahdale Youth Club, and was a founding member and vice president of the Jarrahdale Community Association. She is a community-minded person who wants to make a difference and has been described as having 'more energy than a bumble bee in the middle of Spring.'
Kerry Stanley
Bindoon
Charity rider
Most of the female members of Kerry Stanley's family have suffered from breast cancer so she decided to do something about it. She planned an epic 4300km charity trail ride from Bindoon, just north of Perth, across the Nullabor Desert to Beaudesert in Queensland. Named 'Ride for Life', Kerry and her daughters, aged 10 and 12, rode for up to nine hours a day over 110 days, breaking a world record in the process. The ride was gruelling and beset with challenges, but Kerry never considered giving up. She achieved her goal of raising community awareness about the disease and raised more than $21,000 for breast cancer research.
