Hawkesbury Honors Australia Day Award Winners

Hawkesbury City Council has congratulated the nine winners of the 2026 Australia Day Awards at a ceremony at the Council's chambers in Windsor today.

The winners are:

Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather said he was delighted to be recognising the incredible work undertaken by outstanding members of the Hawkesbury community.

"To be with all of you while you are honoured with an Australia Day Award is a great privilege. You are all people who care about your community and commit time and skill to the improvement of it. Today we recognise that," Mayor Sheather Said.

"Whether it's by inspiring others, helping others or by sharing knowledge, your contribution is appreciated and is to be commended," Mayor Sheather said.

2026 Hawkesbury Australia Day Award winners

Citizen of the Year – Bruce Earle

This award is given to a person who has contributed significantly to the Hawkesbury, creating long-term benefits for our community, and who has demonstrated selflessness, commitment and involvement in the Hawkesbury.

Bruce Earle has been awarded this year's Citizen of the Year Award for his long standing and impactful membership with the Freemans Reach Rural Fire Brigade.

Bruce has been a member of the brigade since he was 16 years old, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and mother. He has held almost every position at the brigade and has been Captain for almost 20 years.

In his time as Captain, Bruce has rebuilt the Freemans Reach Fire Brigade from a place of minimal membership to be a thriving, highly trained and cohesive group of firefighters that play a pivotal role in protecting the community during bushfire season. This was on display during the Gosper's Mountain Fire, where Bruce led the Freemans Reach Brigade, while also stepping up into Divisional Commander Roles and coordinating the wider district's response to the devastating fire.

Bruce is a natural leader, who is humble and whose passion for contributing to local Rural Fire Brigades is infectious.

Young Citizen of the Year Award – Bailey Carle

This award is given to a person, 25 and under, who has contributed significantly to the Hawkesbury and has demonstrated selflessness, commitment, and involvement in activities in the Hawkesbury.

Bailey has overcome personal adversity to excel at the game he loves - basketball. Often playing well above his age group, Bailey plays basketball in the Hawkesbury 6 nights a week proudly wearing his mum's number, 65.

Last year Bailey was selected to train and play basketball with youth teams in the USA, and he has once again been selected to return to the USA in 2026. Bailey is a great ambassador for basketball and for the Hawkesbury.

Community Organisation of the Year – Barking with Bianca

This award is awarded to a voluntary service or community group for their outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of the Hawkesbury community.

Barking with Bianca is a Doggy Day Care operating now for over 30 years.

Not only does this organisation provide pets with supervised play and socialisation in a safe environment, training, pet sitting and dog walking – they are also dedicated to community and charity work.

The organisation, through the owner Bianca, collects pet related donations and distributes them to people in need. They also partner with mental health and emotional support organisations, using therapy dogs to bring joy and emotional support to its members through interaction with animals.

Barking with Bianca also provides puppy therapy programs for vulnerable members of the community.

Sportsperson of the Year Award x 2 – Mackenzie Patterson Hollibone and Leanne Leach

The sportsperson of the year is awarded to a committed sportsperson, team, coach or volunteer whose actions inspire and encourage others.

Mackenzie Patterson Hollibone

Mackenzie is a 19 year old professional athlete based in the Hawkesbury who has excelled at Showjumping. Mackenzie has received multiple awards for showjumping at state and national levels and is currently studying Veterinary Technology at university.

She now gives back to the equestrian community by volunteering at her local club, Sydney Showjumping.

Leanne Leach

Leanne has chalked up an incredible 53 years of service for the Hawkesbury City Netball Associations Representative Committee and the Riverstone Netball Club.

Over her five decades of dedication to Hawkesbury netball, Leanne has been a constant presence whether it's coaching or mentoring and supporting players, coaches and volunteers.

Leanne's commitment strengthens the entire netball community and will leave a lasting legacy for Hawkesbury netball.

Environmental Award x 2 – Stephen Brown and Kevin O'Connor

The Environmental Award is awarded to an individual or group for their outstanding contribution and dedication to protect and enhance Hawkesbury's natural environment.

Stephen and Kevin are Pitt Town's gardening dream team, taking great pride in the presentation of their local community.

Both Stephen and Kevin regularly mow the entry and exit points of Pitt Town and other community areas, ensuring the community they love shines for locals and visitors.

Stephen and Kevin also generously give their time to maintain the lawns and yards of community members who are unable to due to illness. They both serve as members of the Pitt Town Progress Association and in 2020 Stephen was given lifetime membership as acknowledgement of his service.

Local Hero Award x 2 – Helen Kobbs and Anne Marks

Our Local Hero Award goes to an individual that has shown outstanding dedication and contribution to one or more specific areas of the Hawkesbury through either voluntary services, expertise or community leadership that has led to the betterment of the quality of life of others.

Helen Knobbs

Helen has been volunteering at the Hawkesbury Community Kitchen for an incredible 35 years, devoting many hours - through rain, hail or sunshine - to cooking and serving thousands of meals to those in need.

Helen has been described as compassionate, selfless, a great mentor, and someone who always puts others before herself.

Anne Marks

Anne has received this award for her dedication to the macropod family, which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree kangaroos, pademelons and other marsupials. Anne has been a member of Wires since 2018 and in this time has rescued, cared for, and managed almost 900 macropods.

In her work as a rescuer and carer, Anne identified patterns in the road crossing behaviour of kangaroos and started collecting data. Her research led to the installation of one kilometre of virtual fencing along Hawkesbury's roads to improve Kangaroo and driver safety.

Anne continues to advocate at all levels of government for better lighting, virtual fencing and community education around macropods to further increase their safety and the safety of the community.