Who will be named Australian Volunteer of the Year?

The award salutes a person whose voluntary contribution “reflects the diversity and impact of volunteering”.

It’s a signature event in this week’s activities, which aim to remind Australians why volunteering remains essential to charities and communities, and to celebrate those who give their time in this way.

According to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC’s) report Charity by Numbers: The Volunteer Effect”, around 22,000 charities are run entirely by volunteers, reflecting the vital contribution volunteers make to communities across Australia.

A Volunteering Australia media release said that people’s continuing to donate their time and skills to causes was critical to Australian society, “especially at times like this, delivering essential services from support in the care economy to food relief and shelter as well as strengthening community cohesion, improving mental health and reducing social isolation.”

Volunteering Australia CEO Mark Pearce said the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that 9.5 million Australians had volunteered during 2025, similar to the number who volunteered in 2020, but they were now giving more hours. Australians spent a total of 618 million hours volunteering in 2025, up from 490 million hours in 2020.

He applauded the resilience of volunteers given the difficult conditions.

“Cost-of-living pressures directly affect people’s ability to volunteer, and at the same time lead to increased demand for the essential services that volunteers help provide, such as food relief,” he said.

Pearce welcomed funding in last week’s federal Budget for peak bodies and infrastructure but said more was needed.

“Despite stable volunteer participation, we cannot take Australia’s volunteers for granted,” Pearce said. “Strategic investment in volunteering remains crucial to safeguard its contribution to resilient and cohesive communities, and to ensure it is sustainable during these uncertain times.”

Volunteering Australia has been celebrating volunteer stories from around the country on its interactive Share Your Story web page, as well as running the national volunteer award.

Volunteer of the Year candidates

All states and territories have nominated a candidate for the national honour, with Volunteering Australia emphasising that the award is designed to celebrate that national collective contribution, rather than just the overall winner.

The nominees bring a diverse and tireless volunteering workload to the award.

The ACT nominee, Trish Carling, has spent more than three decades helping people and families prepare for the end of their lives, volunteering with Palliative Care ACT.

She also finds time to support the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Clinic and support group.

“Through compassion, companionship and dedicated care, Trish Carling has supported patients, families and communities during some of life’s most difficult moments,” her nomination said.

In NSW, 19-year-old Molly Croft is nominated for her volunteer work with the Cancer Foundation, co-founding the Tie Dye Project, and as an ambassador for the charity Stand Tall.

Molly’s work is even more laudable because she was diagnosed at 12 years old with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer.

She has helped raise more than $2 million for children’s charities, while also sharing her story to offer understanding, hope and connection for young people facing life-threatening health battles.

In the Northern Territory, Dr Felix Ho began volunteering when he was only 13 years old, with St John Ambulance cadets, and he has now devoted three decades to becoming a highly respected volunteer leader, clinician and mentor. He works at a local, national and international level in emergency response, youth development and disaster preparedness.

In 2004, he volunteered more than 800 hours with St John Ambulance as national youth officer, before finding time for his other volunteer roles and projects.

“Felix also volunteers locally as a first aider at community events, serves on the Board of St John Ambulance NT, contributes to disaster management training across the Pacific through the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, and supports young people through the Australian Air Force Cadets,” his nomination said. “Balancing this alongside full-time work, Felix continues to inspire others through his humility, leadership and unwavering commitment to helping communities thrive.”

Kimberley Doyle is the Queensland nominee for her work as Special Olympics Queensland chair, expanding opportunities for athletes across sports and communities, and as a supporter of Special Olympics Mackay Fire, where she has helped introduce table tennis and bocce.

She has also supported virtual kung fu form and tai chi sessions, volunteering for Kung Fu Wushu Queensland.

Western Australia’s nominee, Brian Gallop, has spent decades driving endless kilometres across northern Western Australia, offering emergency medical response, volunteer training, community outreach and support for remote communities.

In 2024, Brian provided critical pre-hospital care in remote regions, driving more than 1000 km during breaks from paid work to assist isolated communities needing medical support.

While leading specialised training and mentoring volunteers, Brian has also helped improve the resources and facilities of remote ambulance sub-centres, bringing critical infrastructure.

In Victoria, nominee Glenys Watts is a proud Gunaikurnai Elder, and a dedicated volunteer of three decades’ standing. She has brought leadership on cultural preservation, truth-telling and community wellbeing to many Victorian organisations, while also chairing the Traditional Owner Land Management Board and contributing to the Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way strategy.

Her work has had a “profound and lasting impact on First Nations communities and the broader Victorian community,” her nomination said. “Her work has directly contributed to stronger cultural recognition, improved community wellbeing and more inclusive and informed decision-making across multiple sectors.”

Christine Chilcott boasts 30 years of volunteering in Tasmania for many organisations in the areas of sport, aged care, education, community events, facilities management, churches and local governance.

Working with the belief “If not me, then who?”, she has held roles at every level in charities across northern Tasmania.

South Australia’s finalist is Danica Gates, a prominent advocate for suicide prevention in Tumby Bay and the surrounding districts.

Having lost her brother in 2016, Danica channelled her grief into meaningful community action and has since become chair of Beacon of Hope, a volunteer-led suicide prevention network. She works to build stronger local support systems, especially for people affected by mental health distress, suicide and bereavement.

She works at least 12 volunteer hours per week and has advocated for her cause at both local and national forums.

More information

Who will win? The Australian Volunteer of the Year award homepage is here.

The ACNC’s Charity by Numbers: The volunteer effect report is here.