Community leaders, charity founders, a Paralympian, health advocates and a wildlife rescuer are just some of the nominees for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards for Queensland.
The 2025 award nominees are:
2025 Australian of the Year for Queensland:
- Roby Curtis – Founder, Emmanuel City Mission (Karalee)
- Mirusia Louwerse – Musician and ambassador (Cleveland)
- Geoffrey Smith – Co-founder, Australian Spatial Analytics (Yeronga)
- Dr Leon Stensholm – Mental health advocate and founder, Lookout 07 (Mountain Creek)
2025 Senior Australian of the Year for Queensland
- Jill Costello OAM – Co-founder, ManUp! Australia (Kholo)
- Dr Bronwyn Herbert – Social worker and scholar (Wynnum North)
- Uncle Glen Miller – Founder, Butchulla Men’s Business Aboriginal Association (Maryborough)
- Wayne Sticher – Founder, Cycling Without Age, Gold Coast (Hope Island)
Mrs Costello OAM is the co-founder of ManUp! Australia.
When Jill and Brian Costello learned Brian had prostate cancer, they had trouble finding information and support. Determined to raise more awareness, especially in rural areas, the couple founded ManUp! Australia in 2010.
When they launched the program, Jill and Brian visited 37 communities. Three years later, they were visiting 65 per year.
Brian passed away in 2018. The couple’s daughter, Leah, joined the charity to ensure it could continue. Today, Leah and Jill spend 10 months of the year on the road, visiting more than 80 regional and remote communities to educate people about prostate cancer. Over the past five years, 142 men have been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer as a result of the program.
Jill, 67, also developed the Queensland Directory of Prostate Cancer Services, a free app that helps men navigate the healthcare system. For her contributions to healthcare, Jill was awarded the Order of Australia in 2023.
Dr Herbert (pictured, right) is a social worker and scholar.
She completed a Bachelor of Social Work at age 40 years, her master’s at age 61 years, and was awarded her PhD last year at age 90 years.
As a child, Bronwyn saw her parents give food and clothing to people who were struggling. Then, as a new widow experiencing grief with a newborn, she noticed no help was available to a young couple in the same hospital who had lost their baby. Bronwyn enrolled in a social work course and embarked on a career that has lasted 60 years.
As a social worker, Bronwyn noticed many children who experienced homelessness with their parents, fell into homelessness as adults. She wanted to know why – and retired at 81 so she would have time to study this for her thesis.
Now 91, Bronwyn’s work and research has changed countless lives nationally and contributed to a better understanding of homelessness and how to break the cycle.
Uncle Glen Miller (pictured, above) is the founder of Butchulla Men’s Business Aboriginal Association.
He is a Butchulla elder who is a teacher, mentor, friend and support person to many.
Having worked in state government, 75-year-old Glen knows how best to bring about change. In 2015, he founded Butchulla Men’s Business Aboriginal Association (BMBAA) to help the young Indigenous men of the Fraser Coast reclaim their cultural identity and heritage. BMBAA strives to support boys to transition into men who have respect, responsibility and pride; all are welcome, whether Indigenous or not, through the Rites of Passage program.
He is on several Fraser Coast committees and works with local high schools to support young Indigenous people and spread Aboriginal history and culture within the community.
Glen was also the driving force behind the Butchulla Warrior’s Memorial, which recognises the fight by local Indigenous men for their country. It’s the only memorial of its kind in Australia and was successful in winning both the Community and Premier’s Reconciliation Award in the 2024 Queensland Reconciliation Awards.
Wayne Sticher (pictured, above) is the founder of Cycling Without Age on the Gold Coast.
For firefighting veteran Wayne Sticher, community service didn’t end at retirement. A lifetime cyclist, Wayne launched the Gold Coast chapter of Cycling Without Age in 2020 so that everyone, no matter their age or ability, could enjoy a bike ride.
Cycling Without Age takes the elderly or those who have disabilities out on specially designed trishaws piloted by volunteers. Its youngest passenger was three months old and the oldest, 104. Passengers report improvements in mood, appetite and sleep after a trip.
The local community has also rallied around the initiative. The volunteer team, who are trained to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all passengers, is now 60 strong with an age range spanning 65 years. On top of Cycling Without Age, 66-year-old Wayne holds several volunteer positions in the community, including as a radio operator for Volunteer Marine Rescue Southport.
Cycling Without Age was recognised last year with the Queensland Volunteering Impact Award.
2025 Young Australian of the Year for Queensland
- Dylan Conway – Founder, Brothers and Books (Chermside West)
- Alexa Leary – Paralympian (Gold Coast)
- James Peterson – Founder, breakingFree (Wellington Point)
- Dr Katrina Wruck – Scientist (Logan)
2025 Local Hero for Queensland
- Elizabeth Gough – Lifeline volunteer (Silkstone)
- Paula Pool & Demelza Gardem – Founders, Fuel for Schools (Townsville)
- Claire Smith – Founder, Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast (Nambour)
- Sue & Jasmine Tasker – Driving force behind Angels Community Group (Bundaberg)
The nominees for Queensland are among 137 people being recognised across all states and territories.
The award recipients for Queensland will be announced on the evening of Monday 18 November 2024 at a ceremony in Brisbane, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They will then join the other state and territory recipients as national finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2025 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO congratulated the nominees for Queensland.
“The Queensland nominees for 2025 inspire us through their achievements and contributions,” said Mr Fraser.
“They remind us of the importance of resilience, of taking a leadership role and thinking out of the box, along with the power of simply extending care.”
