Do you know someone who typifies the Aussie spirit of helping others and making our community a better place?
Blacktown City Council is calling for nominations for the 2026 Australia Day Awards so we can honour locals and organisations from across a broad spectrum of society.
Blacktown City Mayor Brad Bunting encouraged people to nominate an unsung hero and give them the recognition they deserve.
"I often meet all kinds of people who go out of their way to help those less fortunate and don't ask for any reward," he said.
"These individuals' service benefits the whole community.
"Council hosts the Australia Day Awards as a way we can all say thank you, and give these individuals and groups the platform they deserve."
The awards include: Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Environmental Citizen of the Year, Community Event of the Year and Community Group of the Year.
Nominees can come from a range of fields. Examples include volunteering, education, the arts, sport and more.
Paul Wynne of Prospect and Marion Coles of Minchinbury were awarded Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year for 2025.
Paul was a long-serving school P&C president and was part of the committee that set up Grace's Place at Doonside, which supports child victims of homicide.
Marion founded the Pay It Forward Angels, a Western Sydney group that donates essentials such as food to people in need.
Nominations for the 2026 awards can be made via Council's website: Australia Day Awards - Blacktown City.
Nominations close Friday 2 January 2026.
