Logie winner Carrie Bickmore named Victoria’s Australian of the Year for brain cancer fight: See the other major award winners
Gold Logie winner Carrie Bickmore has been named the 2026 Australian of the Year for Victoria, after raising more than $27m for brain cancer research following the death of her husband from the disease in 2010.
Gold Logie winner Carrie Bickmore’s dedication to brain cancer fundraising and research has been honoured with the radio and TV presenter named the 2026 Australian of the Year for Victoria.
Bickmore will join winners from other states and territories for the national awards announced on January 25.
The former Project host launched her crusade after her late husband Greg Lange died of brain cancer in 2010 after a 10-year battle.
Since then she has raised more than $27m mostly through her Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer initiative.
Bickmore won the Gold Logie award in 2015, donning a beanie during her acceptance speech to encourage people to wear a beanie to fund the cause.
In 2021 she established The Brain Cancer Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to bring together the field’s best research to find a cure.
Bickmore said the honour was “really bittersweet” because she wouldn’t be receiving it if her husband had not died.
“While I graciously accept the award, if I could go back and make that little 21-year-old, young Carrie not have to watch her boyfriend have a seizure in bed and then endure a nine year battle with brain cancer — I would do that,” she said.
“It was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever watched and it took me a long time to know what to do, post that.
“Then I realised with my platform, that I had the ability to make sure that no other amazing man like Greg, no other young girl like myself — who hadn’t even had a chance to work out what life was going to be for her — (would) have to go through something like that.”
National Australia Day Council chief executive Mark Fraser congratulated all the Victorian award winners.
“Carrie has made an indelible impact on funding for researchers to do their critical work in finding a cure for brain cancer,” he said.
Elderly homeless advocate Bryan Lipmann, 77, was named the Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria at the same ceremony in Melbourne.
In 1989 Mr Lipmann founded Wintringham — a not-for-profit organisation specialising in the housing, support and care of older people facing homelessness.
The organisation now supports 3000 people with accommodation and home care services.
Mentor and community leader Abraham Kuol was rewarded for his work by being named
the Young Australian of the Year for Victoria.
Mr Kuol, 28, has helped raise more than $3.5m for programs to support African-Australian families and youth.
The youth leader helps young people from his community when they are dealing with the police and justice system — all while studying for a PhD in criminology at Deakin University.
Mr Kuol also co-founded the Black Rhinos, a soccer and basketball club to help at-risk youth, and is also a director at Sandown Lions Football Club.
And the Local Hero for Victoria was announced as hay bale organiser Linda Widdup, from Carlisle River in the state’s southwest.
Ms Widdup was acclaimed for organising deliveries of farm feed in response to drought and natural disasters.
She founded Aussie Hay Runners in 2019, the voluntary organisation now using more than 70 trucks to deliver more than 90,000 bales of fodder to farmers.
Mr Fraser said Ms Widdup was “literally helping to keep farmers and their livestock going in tough times”.
The national winners, including Australian of the Year, will be announced in Canberra on January 25.
The current Australian of the Year is MND fundraising and footy legend Neale Daniher.
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