Rebekka Battista, a long-standing champion for children's health and family-centred care across the Northern Rivers, has been named Lismore City Council's 2026 Citizen of the Year at this year's Australia Day Awards. With Rebekka not available for today's ceremony, the award was accepted by her mum, Marcia Skaines, and presented by Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg, and the 2026 Australia Day Ambassador, Catherine De Vrye, at the Whitebrook Theatre at Southern Cross University. Rebekka has spent more than two decades strengthening paediatric health care across the Northern Rivers, working with Our Kids and Our House to ensure regional hospitals are equipped to deliver high-quality care and that families can stay close to home during some of the most challenging times of their lives. Her work has helped fund essential medical equipment, improve local health services and provide practical, compassionate support for families navigating serious childhood illness. Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said Rebekka "captures the best of Lismore's spirit, which is people seeing a need and getting on with fixing it". "I congratulate her on this honour and thank her for the care, resilience and commitment she has shown to improving children's health and family support across our region," he said. "I also want to acknowledge all winners and nominees across the categories. Each of them is proof that community does not just happen; it is built by people who show up." Mayor Krieg also said that this year marked the introduction of two new categories, Economic and Academic Excellence. "It was exciting to present two new categories this year, as Lismore has no shortage of people doing extraordinary things in business, education and research," he said. "These awards recognise that contribution in a way that matches the impact it is having on our community." The day's event also included welcoming Australia's newest citizens, with 52 people conferring citizenship, including 12 dependants. New citizens came from 20 countries, including Germany, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, China, Nepal, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, Vietnam, Kenya and Papua New Guinea, adding new families and new stories to the Lismore community. Here is the full list of 2026 Australia Day Award recipients. - Citizen of the Year - Rebekka Battista
Rebekka's connection to Our Kids began in 2001 after the birth of her son Isaak, who was born with renal failure and later required a kidney transplant, with Rebekka becoming his donor. Since then, she has been a driving force behind Our Kids fundraising, helping raise more than $2.5 million to support paediatric equipment for hospitals across the Northern Rivers, including Lismore Base Hospital, Grafton Base Hospital and the Tweed Hospital. She leads and delivers major community events such as the Sampson Challenge, the Our Kids Winter Ball, the Darrel Chapman Fun Run, the Melbourne Cup Luncheon and more, routinely giving time well beyond any job description. In 2024 to 2025 alone, Our Kids raised more than $140,000 to fund critical equipment that improves care and, at times, saves lives.
- Young Citizen of the Year - Charlie Murray
Charlie is a local young woman with agriculture and farming at the centre of her work and advocacy. She has represented the region through major awards programs and events, while also volunteering her time to support community causes.
- Services in the Community (Individual) - Bruce Sheaffe
Bruce Sheaffe was recognised for a lifetime of contribution to Lismore through the transport industry and sustained community service. A local born and bred, he began as an apprentice mechanic at 15 and later took over Sheaffe Motors, growing it into a cornerstone business for the Northern Rivers and expanding its heavy vehicle support services, including a fleet operation and accredited inspection capability. After the 2022 floods destroyed tools and equipment, he rebuilt and continued.Alongside his business contribution, Bruce has devoted more than four decades to the Lismore City Lions Club and has backed local initiatives like Healthy Harold by providing practical support to help programs reach local kids.
- Services in the Community (Group) - Rainbow Roos
Rainbow Roos was recognised for building one of the most genuinely inclusive community sport programs in the Northern Rivers, giving children of all ages and abilities a safe place to try sport, often for the first time. With more than 60% of participants living with additional needs or disability, the club focuses on confidence, belonging and enjoyment, with sessions designed so every child can experience success without pressure or comparison. Founded by local dad Brad Ambridge, Rainbow Roos has grown rapidly to deliver more than 25 sessions a week across Lismore and the region, creating local coaching jobs and forming partnerships with schools, preschools, NDIS providers and community organisations.
- Sportsperson (Junior) - Cooper Williams
Cooper Williams was recognised after being named in the Australian Under 17 cricket team following a standout national championships campaign in Brisbane. He finished the tournament with 255 runs at an average of 42.5, including a commanding 118 against the Northern Territory, and continued strong form at club level, sitting among the leading run scorers in the Marist Brothers LJ Hooker League side. He also plays Green Shield in Sydney for Gordon and produced a remarkable 202 not out at the Australian Marist Schools Tournament in Lismore, underlining the depth of his talent and his growing impact on the sport locally and beyond.
- Sportsperson - Connor McCarthy
Connor McCarthy was recognised for his achievements in baseball, earning selection in the NSW Country Under 18 team for the 2026 Australian Youth Baseball Championships in Victoria. Competing from 7 to 15 January, the tournament brings together state teams from across the country and attracts scouts from Major League Baseball clubs and US colleges. Connor also plays locally in the Far North Coast competition, representing Norths, and continues to build his profile through high-level representation.
- Sports Team - Marist Brothers Rugby League
Awarded after winning the 2025 Northern Rivers Rugby League premiership, defeating Murwillumbah 22-12 in the Grand Final. The nomination notes that the team overcame a disrupted season to win the club's first Grade premiership in 22 years, led by a local coach and a squad made up largely of local players.
- Environment - Ina Engermann
Ina Engermann was recognised for hands-on, front-line work protecting koalas in the Northern Rivers through her volunteer role with Friends of the Koala. Since 2020, she has responded to hundreds of rescue call-outs, including vehicle strikes and dog attacks, and has done the unglamorous hours too, late-night monitoring, trapping, rehab support and release work. She also works closely with council staff, landholders and residents to improve koala safety, report habitat pressures, and build community awareness through talks and outreach.
- Arts and Culture - Jacklyn Wagner
Jacklyn Wagner was recognised for a lifetime of photographic work that has shaped how the Northern Rivers has seen itself and how it has been seen by others. A former Chief Photographer at The Northern Star and a Sydney 2000 Olympics sports photographer, she has built a career around people-focused photojournalism, earning multiple awards and documenting the region across decades. Her body of work also includes major community contributions, including the long-running Our Kids calendar and powerful documentary projects such as Through the Heart, a 100-household portrait record of the 2022 floods that was exhibited at NSW Parliament and archived for future research. Her work is not just photography; it is local history with a pulse.
- Economic Excellence - Felicity Hyde
Recognised for rebuilding Business Lismore and strengthening support for local businesses, including re-launching business awards, hosting workshops, improving business communication through a CBD WhatsApp group, and backing the local economy through expanded trading and investment.
- Academic Excellence - Dr Chris Ingall
Dr Chris Ingall has been recognised for a career of service that has changed the lives of countless local families, both through his work as a long-serving paediatrician and as the founding force behind the Our Kids charity. Since arriving in Lismore in 1987, he has helped lift the standard of paediatric care in a regional setting and helped build a community-backed model that funds vital children's health equipment and support. He is widely respected for clinical leadership and for creating something practical that outlasts any one person, a local institution that keeps helping the next family through the door.
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