Ariarne Titmus among 16 nominated for Australian of the Year Awards for Tasmania
By any measure Ariarne Titmus has had a stellar year and it just got better for the 24-year-old gold medallist with a nomination for Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania. See the 16 nominees.
Tasmania
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A stellar 12 months for Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus continues to roll out after her nomination for Tasmania in the 2025 Australian of the Year awards.
The 24-year-old who collected two silver and two gold medals at the Paris Olympics in July, is one of four people nominated in the Young Australian of the Year category for Tasmania.
She is among 16 Tasmanians across four categories nominated for the awards in a list which includes a cultural connector, lifelong volunteer, building apprentice, forest conservationist and a man reducing methane through seaweed.
The Tasmanian winner will be announced on Wednesday November 6 in a ceremony at Hobart’s Princes Wharf.
The nominations for Tasmania are:
2025 Australian of the Year for Tasmania
Rees Campbell – Tasmanian wild food advocate (Wynyard)
Sarah De Jonge – Founder, 1000 Hearts (Hobart)
Sam Elsom – Founder, Sea Forest (Triabunna)
Associate Professor Louise Nott – Oncologist and treatment equity champion (Hobart)
2025 Senior Australian of the Year for Tasmania
Associate Professor Penelope Blomfield – Gynaecological oncologist (Sandy Bay)
Rosemary Coleman – Athletics coach and inclusion champion (Bagdad)
Carol Nagy – Nurse and humanitarian (Hobart)
Norman Spurr – Retired farmer and volunteer (Margate)
2025 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania
Ellsie Bird – Inclusion advocate (Tarleton)
Dr Ella Smalley – Cancer care advocate (Blackmans Bay)
Ariarne Titmus OAM – Olympic swimmer (Launceston)
Romany Wake – Domestic violence survivor and change advocate (Hobart)
2025 Local Hero for Tasmania
Todd Dudley – Conservationist and founder, North East Bioregional Network (Saint Helens)
Keren Franks – Founder, Young Leaders of Tasmania (Howrah)
Damien Green – Fundraiser, blood and organ donor advocate (Hobart)
Djuker Willis Hart – Founder, Hart Cultural Connections (Trevallyn)
The Tasmanian nominees are among 137 being recognised in states and territories across Australia.
The Tasmanian winners will join the other state and territory recipients as national finalists for the national awards announcement on January 25, 2025 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO congratulated the nominees for Tasmania.
“The Tasmanian nominees for 2025 are an extraordinary group of people,” said Mark.
“The scope of their achievements and contributions is wide, and the dedication and passion they demonstrate is impressive.”
Here are details of Tasmania’s nominees:
2025 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR FOR TASMANIA
Rees Campbell
Tasmanian wild food advocate
Rees Campbell is a fifth generation Tasmanian who has elevated her community’s appreciation of Tasmania’s edible native plants through her groundbreaking research, use and celebration of these unique native plants and seaweeds.
Rees, aged 66, works closely with Aboriginal people, including the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, to share understanding. She assisted the Centre’s language workers to retrieve some names of the native plants in the palawa kani language.
Her books, Eat Wild Tasmanian, Eat More Wild Tasmanian and The Seaweed Supplement, are the only published sources on Tasmanian edible wild plants. Rees’ research has been reported in academic and mainstream publications and more than 1000 people visit Rees’ Wild Food Garden each year.
Rees speaks throughout the state to community groups, schools and childcare centres on how to grow and use Tasmanian wild food plants. Because of her advocacy, schools and childcare centres are now growing edible native plants – inspiring the next generation of Tasmanians.
Sarah De Jonge
Founder, 1000 Hearts
Sarah De Jonge believes that kindness can change the world. In 2016, she started the social enterprise 1000 Hearts as a way of offering kindness, hope and comfort to those in need. The movement has reached people around the world, including schools, healthcare services and community groups.
Through 1000 Hearts, 48-year-old Sarah inspires people to sew and share pocket-sized fabric love hearts. The hearts are small gestures of love and kindness for people of all ages who may be facing challenges like physical and mental illnesses, trauma or grief.
Carrying one of Sarah’s hearts has helped people deal with anxiety, grief, depression and separation from loved ones. She has also sent hearts to places impacted by violence, natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
Sarah has started an online community that connects and supports people from around the world. Through 1000 Hearts, she is showing love and kindness in troubled times.
Sam Elsom
Founder, Sea Forest
Sam Elsom is a climate solutions innovator who’s commercialised a new way to reduce methane emissions. Methane is a significant contributor to global warming because it’s 28 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
Sam founded Sea Forest, one of the first start-ups to successfully turn asparagopsis, a native Australian red species of seaweed, into a livestock feed supplement. Sea Forest’s SeaFeed supplement contains bioactive compounds
that stop methane production in the animal’s gut. Adding just 0.2 per cent of the supplement to livestock feed can reduce the methane emissions of cows and sheep by up to 90 per cent, while increasing productivity.
Sea Forest was named as a finalist for the $1.9M Earthshot prize set up in 2020 by Prince William and nature documentarian Sir David Attenborough.
By dramatically reducing methane emissions, 43-year-old Sam is strengthening the sustainability of livestock industries, slowing global warming and potentially changing the course of our planet’s future.
Associate Professor Louise Nott
Oncologist and treatment equity champion
Associate Professor Louise Nott’s innovative work in patient advocacy, clinical trials and oncology practice leadership is enabling people with cancer in Tasmania to achieve equity in cancer outcomes.
Louise strongly believes that cancer patients in Tasmania should receive the same treatment options as those living on mainland Australia. To this end, in 2021 she worked to establish a comprehensive research unit at Icon Cancer Centre Hobart. Since then, the Centre has offered over 20 clinical trials to more than 100 public and private patients.
Louise has been involved as a principal and sub-investigator in over 50 oncology clinical trials that advance the global understanding of cancer treatment. She also inspires her peers and the next generation of oncologists by initiating knowledge sharing – ensuring that more patients can benefit from developments in cancer care.
Through her work to overcome disadvantage in cancer treatment, 50-year-old Louise has progressed the fight against cancer, in Tasmania and globally.
2025 SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR FOR TASMANIA
Associate Professor Penelope Blomfield
Gynaecological oncologist
Associate Professor Penelope Blomfield’s life’s work has been dedicated to improving the quality and longevity of life for her patients and others affected by gynaecological cancers.
In 2000, she became the first female gynaecological oncologist in Tasmania and has remained at the forefront of the continuous advancement of medical research, both as an associate professor at the University of Tasmania and an active contributor to a range of research studies.
Holding various leadership and advisory positions in her field, Penelope has provided submissions to government committees, advice to numerous cancer advocacy groups and contributed to multiple research papers. In 2018, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to her field, Penelope was appointed by the Federal Minister for Health to the Cancer Australia Advisory Council and was reappointed in 2021.
Penelope, now 65, is passionate about addressing the disparities faced by many women diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer and champions best and innovative care.
Rosemary Coleman
Athletics coach and inclusion champion
Rosemary Coleman has dedicated much of her life to young people through her involvement in education and sport. Most recently, she has brought her talent for coaching to Para athletics, and is deeply committed to improving inclusion in sport and broader society.
Formerly a pediatric nurse, Rosemary went on to become a teacher’s assistant at St Virgil’s college where she worked with students with intellectual and learning disabilities.
She soon became the school’s athletics coach and a prominent coach of young Tasmanian athletes at the local, state, national and international levels as well as training new coaches.
At 71, Rosemary is now retired but still coaching and still an officiator and administrator of athletics, having held positions such as manager, secretary, president and committee member across multiple athletics clubs and organisations. She has changed the lives of countless young athletes, supporting them to fulfil their potential and encouraging their belief in themselves.
Carol Nagy
Nurse and humanitarian
Carol has dedicated much of her professional life to humanitarian work in the most extreme and unpredictable circumstances around the world.
For the past two decades, nurse Carol has been working and volunteering with various non-government organisations including Médecins Sans Frontières.
Her work ranges from managing complex medical programs, to providing desperately needed healthcare to vulnerable people in conflict zones and areas facing natural disasters and disease outbreaks. This includes Afghanistan, Ukraine, throughout Asia Pacific and most recently, Gaza and the West Bank. Carol, aged 66, also helps at-risk children access social support and education.
She exemplifies resilience, compassion and bravery, frequently placing herself in difficult environments and using her expertise to help in delivering patient care. By speaking about her experiences in the community, she’s raising awareness about the impact of war, disaster and poverty on some of the world’s largely neglected peoples.
Norman Spurr
Retired farmer and volunteer
Driven by an innate sense of fairness and great determination, Norman Spurr is not a man to let anyone fall by the wayside. Now retired, Norman was a farmer, a church deacon and volunteer, and a respected mentor in the Boys Brigade for many years.
Norman has a talent for bringing people together, organising working bees and other group efforts to support a long list of causes, over many decades.
With many struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and with the ensuing cost of living crisis, Norman co-ordinated the donation and transport of more than 140 tonnes of vegetables from farmers and other food suppliers, helping innumerable charities and welfare agencies provide meals to disadvantaged people.
Endlessly generous with his time, resources, skills and spirit, Norman was recognised in 2021 with the ABC Radio Community Champion award. Now 84, he still gives his time to support those doing it tough.
2025 YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR FOR TASMANIA
Ellsie Bird
Inclusion advocate
Ellsie Bird is a rising talent in construction whose visionary thinking, leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence has set her apart.
As the first female apprentice at Mead Con, a leader in construction in Tasmania, she has been a trailblazer since her entry into the industry. Ellsie has become a mentor and advocate for new apprentices and has helped to foster a cultural shift towards inclusivity, serving as an example to others through her dedication, leadership and welcoming attitude.
Ellsie, aged 24, is passionate about carpentry and has continued to undertake diverse education to broaden the scope of her practice, ensuring she is always on the cutting edge of industry quality and safety standards.
In recognition of her outstanding skills and knowledge, and her role in championing a more diverse and supportive construction industry, Ellsie was awarded the Master Builders Association’s State and National Apprentice of the Year Award in 2023.
Dr Ella Smalley
Cancer care advocate
At 23, Dr Ella Smalley – a postdoctoral research fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research – was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This lived and professional experience gave her a unique perspective on the specific challenges of young cancer patients.
It inspired her to join the Youth Cancer Action Board, through which she advocates for improved care for young people experiencing cancer.
Ella’s tenacity and drive has led her to spearhead initiatives for youth that deliver benefits nationwide, such as improved mental health programs and subsidised fertility preservation. She also recently co-ordinated an outreach program connecting young people with chronic illness, passionate about STEM, with mentors.
Ella’s resilience and dedication were recognised when she won the Tasmanian Young Achiever of the Year award in 2024. Now 27, she hopes to connect with policy and change makers to continue to increase consumer and community involvement and deliver better healthcare outcomes for vulnerable groups.
Ariarne Titmus OAM
Olympic swimmer
At the age of only 24, Ariarne Titmus OAM has already achieved more in her sporting career than most could ever dream of.
Ariarne first made a name for herself on the global stage in 2018, winning two gold medals and a silver medal in the freestyle events at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
After Ariarne began working with expert coach Dean Boxall in 2016, she was named Swimming Australia’s Swimmer of the Year in 2019. Ariarne has demonstrated extraordinary dedication and grit to improve her performance in the pool, and some of her long-time idols have now become her rivals both in Australia and overseas.
Ariarne holds several world records and has won gold medals in both the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics. With her quiet strength and determination, she is a role model for young swimmers who want to improve and test the boundaries of what is possible.
Romany Wake
Domestic violence survivor and change advocate
Romany Wake, 22, has lived through unimaginable tragedy as a witness and victim to domestic violence, and that lived experience has driven her to become a passionate advocate and campaigner for change.
In the immediate aftermath of the murder of her mum, Rachel, a beloved community member, midwife and mother of two, Romany founded Rachel’s Voice, a social media platform through which she bravely shared her story and provided support to others impacted by domestic abuse.
Alongside her mother’s work colleagues, she founded the Rachel Wake Midwifery Scholarship in 2023 and speaks at public rallies and vigils.
She has also worked with a range of organisations, government agencies and institutions such as the police, courts and frontline services to improve legislation. This includes the most recent National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, guiding the response to domestic abuse and helping to ensure the safety of those affected in the future.
2025 LOCAL HERO FOR TASMANIA
Todd Dudley
Conservationist and founder, North East Bioregional Network
Todd Dudley is a veritable titan and stalwart of nature conservation in Tasmania. For over thirty years, he has been committed to conservation at all levels, from on-ground work through to the highest levels of political advocacy.
Todd’s excellence and commitment in the environmental field inspired his community’s collective conscience. Using his incomparable expertise, he founded and is the president of North East Bioregional Network (NEBN). It has close to 100 members and is considered one of the most effective conservation groups in Tasmania.
Through NEBN, Todd has initiated, negotiated and managed funding for a vast array of complex projects that benefit current and future generations, including the highly acclaimed Skyline Tier Ecological Restoration project.
As the project’s manager, 63-year-old Todd achieved the restoration of over 700 hectares of logged pine plantation to healthy and resilient native forests. It’s the largest ecological restoration project in Tasmania – and one of the best in Australia.
Keren Franks
Founder, Young Leaders of Tasmania
Keren Franks has first-hand experience of the power of inclusion for people living with disability and those around them. The 50-year-old has touched the lives of countless young Tasmanians by bringing to life her groundbreaking vision.
Through her daughter Bella’s experience in school, Keren saw that an inclusive model of education can yield enormous benefits, not only for students with disabilities but for mainstream students, too.
This was the catalyst for the creation of the community not-for-profit organisation, Young Leaders of Tasmania (YLOT) in 2017, of which Keren is CEO. After a successful pilot program, YLOT expanded rapidly to run a range of programs statewide, with the central aim of facilitating social role modelling, skill development activities and facilitating peer-to-peer interaction in support schools and mainstream schools.
YLOT’s programs help to change community perceptions around disability, foster inclusion and acceptance, increase workforce participation in the disability sector, and provide opportunities for young Tasmanians.
Damien Green
Fundraiser, blood and organ donor advocate
In the wake of the devastating loss of their seven-year-old son, Archie, Damien Green and his family were determined to honour Archie’s superhero legacy.
The family consented to Archie becoming an organ donor, saving the lives of five people. It is this powerful legacy that Damien and his wife Hayley have honoured by starting Archie’s 100, a fundraiser that benefits the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
With their primary fundraising event taking place each year on Archie’s birthday, along with other initiatives such as teaming up with Variety to co-ordinate the donation of toys to sick children, Archie’s 100 has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars towards high quality equipment, research and patient care for children at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Through Archie’s 100, 44-year-old Damien also highlights the essential work of emergency services and is a passionate advocate for blood and organ donation.
Djuker Willis Hart
Founder, Hart Cultural Connections
A proud knowledge sharer, Djuker Willis Hart is a cultural guide and creative. He has committed himself to learning about all aspects of Indigenous culture so that it may be preserved and passed on to future generations and the broader community.
Djuker, whose name means ‘keeper of the tribes’, has become a leader in his community through his work as a creator of cultural objects and experienced performer of both traditional and contemporary Aboriginal dance. In particular, he is sharing his cultural knowledge through his work as a tour guide with Hart Cultural Connections.
Djuker, 31, is dedicated to growing the presence of Indigenous culture in tourism in Tasmania and Australia more broadly, and empowering his community, inspiring pride in and through culture.
He advocates for others through mentorship and employment opportunities and aims to provide a safe space for cultural learning and appreciation, fostering understanding and respect within and between communities.
Originally published as Ariarne Titmus among 16 nominated for Australian of the Year Awards for Tasmania
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