Nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards for NSW include the inventor of baby food for coral, a lawyer seeking justice for LGBTIQ+ hate crime victims, a global humanitarian, an ultramarathoner helping the homeless, the founder of a cooking movement for men, and Cootamundra’s, Bob Holder (pictured), being the world’s oldest competitive cowboy.
At 94 years old, Bob Holder is the world’s oldest competitive cowboy and an inspiration to younger riders.
Bob has always loved wild horses and cattle. At 14, he forged a letter from his mum so he could compete in an over-16s rodeo in Tumut, which he went on to win – bringing home about 3 pounds, the equivalent of five weeks’ wages. The win kicked off Bob’s 81-year professional rodeo career.
Bob was the first Australian to win prize money in a professional rodeo in the United States at the annual world championships held in Madison Square Garden in New York in 1959.
Bob has earned a permanent place in the Australian Rodeo Hall of Fame and the admiration of generations of riders. Proudly promoting Australia as he travels, Bob is humble, indefatigable and inspires generations with every ride.
The nominees for NSW are among 134 people being recognised across all states and territories. The NSW award recipients will be announced on Monday 10 November 2025 in a ceremony at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au
They will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2026 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO said the NSW nominees are inspirational.
“The nominees for the NSW awards inspire others through extraordinary achievements and contributions,” said Mark. “They remind us we are all capable of so much, whether it’s a simple act of care which creates a movement, a moment spent with someone in need that brings about change for many, fighting for what’s right or doing things differently.”
The nominees are:
2026 Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Nadia Badawi AM – Pioneering neonatologist (Warrawee)
Dr Jennifer Matthews – Marine biologist (Manly Vale)
Nicholas Stewart – LGBTIQ+ rights advocate (Waterloo)
Dr Alison Thompson OAM – Global humanitarian (Sutherland Shire)
2026 Senior Australian of the Year for NSW
Professor Henry Brodaty AO – Dementia treatment pioneer (Double Bay)
Bob Holder – Professional cowboy (Cootamundra)
Sue Mann – Home care nurse (Wamberal, Central Coast)
Peter Watson – Founder, Men’s Kitchen (Forestville)
2026 Young Australian of the Year for NSW
Nedd Brockmann – Ultramarathon runner for homelessness (Randwick)
Jack Brown – Co-founder, Talk2MeBro (Wollongong)
Ruby Riethmuller – Girls wellbeing champion (Sydney)
Dr Rand Younes – Dental health advocate (Sydney)
2026 Local Hero for NSW
Andrew Clark and Lyndell Clark – Robotics mentors (Wollongong)
Kate Cleary – Restoring lives (Galong)
Aneika Kapeen – Indigenous youth advocate (Clarence Valley)
Theresa Mitchell – Carer for the homeless (Banora Point)
The South West Slopes Times covers an area approximately the size of Fiji in country NSW. We look after a population of more than 50,000 people with our staff servicing 7 major towns and dozens of villages with our story telling footprint.
We offer weekly print editions at $3 a copy and we also offer digital subscriptions across 3 months $30, 6 months $60 and 12 months $120.
We are one of the last truly local independent family run newspaper businesses in the state.
Contact us today to find out how we can promote your business or organisation across our huge network by emailing ads@thetimes.net.au or by calling 0413 763 216.
If you have a news tip, lead or scoop for us please make contact as we love celebrating our communities. You can contribute articles via our South West Slopes Times website.
