Get to know the Australians who were named as the 2025 Australians of the Year

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Neale Daniher AO — who has helped to raise and invest over $100 million into motor neurone disease (MND) research — has been named 2025 Australian of the Year.

Neale co-founded the organisation FightMND, which works to raise awareness of the debilitating disease and help future generations of those diagnosed with it.

While living through advanced stages of the condition, the former Essendon AFL player and Melbourne Demons coach has drawn on his profile and connections to attract support for the cause.

The 63-year-old was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and has outlived by many years the average life expectancy of those diagnosed with the disease.

The average time between diagnosis and death in MND is three years, with only 10 per cent of those diagnosed surviving beyond eight years, according to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

“When Neale was diagnosed, he was told to just tick off his bucket list. But the type of person that he is, he decided that he wanted to do something with the time he had left,” his wife Jan said after her husband was awarded the 2025 Victorian Australian of the Year.

There is currently no cure for the disease, which affects the nerves that communicate between the brain and muscles and progressively erodes sufferers’ ability to move their limbs, and then their ability to eat, speak and breathe.

“Having no hope is devastating. We wanted to change that narrative. We wanted to give those diagnosed hope,” Daniher said after winning the state award in November last year.

“Our mission is a world without MND. Until then, we hope the community continues the fight with us.”

Co-founder of Wheelchairs for Kids named Senior Australian of the Year

Brother Thomas Oliver (Olly) Pickett AM has been named Senior Australian of the Year for 2025.

The 83-year-old Christian Brother and retired Catholic school teacher from Geraldton, Western Australia, co-founded Wheelchairs For Kids in 1996.

The organisation provides free adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy expertise for children in developing countries.

Since then, more than 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs have been gifted to children in over 80 countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, Pacific island nations and throughout Africa.

Wheelchairs For Kids began after Queensland Rotarian Des LaRance took a holiday to Fiji.

“He found these little kids on the ground with cerebral palsy and he thought: ‘I’m going to do something about this’,” Pickett said after winning WA Senior Australian of the Year.

He started by making wheelchairs from parts of “bikes he found at the tip”, said Pickett, who was then running a steel workshop for youths who had left mainstream schooling.

“That’s how I got involved, and I’ve loved it ever since”.

The charity now produces wheelchairs made to meet World Health Organization standards. Pickett also spearheaded the development of a world-first, low-cost wheelchair that grows as the children do.

With over 250 retiree workshop volunteers, Wheelchairs For Kids is one of Western Australia’s largest volunteer-led charities.

A further 550 people from aged care and community groups across the nation sew covers for wheelchair soft supports and crochet rugs and soft toys, which are sent out alongside wheelchairs.

Speaking at the awards ceremony on Saturday night, Pickett dedicated his award to the organisation’s volunteers.

First Nations scientist named Young Australian of the Year

Scientist Dr Katrina Wruck, a proud Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman, has won Young Australian of the Year.

Dr Wruck’s research — which has been recognised with several awards — focuses on developing new materials and sustainable methods to address contaminants in water.

She hopes that her work can help combat rheumatic heart disease, a disease that affects many Indigenous Australians in remote communities, she said in a recently released Australian of the Year Awards video.

Access to laundry facilities is one way to remove the bacteria that causes rheumatic heart disease, Dr Wruck said.

Her business, Nguki Kula Green Labs, aims to harness the power of green chemistry to create reusable laundry systems.

Her research is also examining ways to break down toxic forever chemicals to make them benign, providing a way to reduce contamination in the environment.

The 30-year-old describes herself as a proud advocate of First Nations knowledge and wants to inspire others to step into STEM.

“I’m very passionate about engagement with young people from marginalised groups, such as Indigenous people and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds,” she said, adding that she is frequently told by the students she speaks to that she’s the first Indigenous scientist they’ve met.

Cafe pair brewing jobs for migrants jointly named Local Hero

Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello have been jointly named Australia’s Local Hero for 2025.

Their business Cafe Stepping Stone is a gateway for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to get a job, who otherwise face hurdles in getting employment.

Cafe Stepping Stone, which is run as a social enterprise in Canberra, also allows for on-the-job training and qualifications through nearby organisations.

Two women stand behind a lectern microphone.

Local Heroes Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello during the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards at the National Arboretum in Canberra on Saturday night. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Through the business’s two cafes, the pair have since employed 50 women over the past four years.

Employment at the cafes has focused on women who are the sole-income earners in the house, new arrivals to Australia, those at risk of homelessness or those with limited English, while also helping them with training and job pathways.