Athlete and disability advocate Dylan Alcott has been named the 2022 Australian of the Year.
Alcott, who on Thursday will compete in what will be his last Australian Open final, is the first person with a disability to win the award in the program’s 62-year history.
The 31-year-old is a three time Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball.
On the tennis court, Alcott has won 23 quad wheelchair Grand Slam titles and a Newcombe Medal – awarded to the most Australian outstanding tennis players in a given year.
Last year, he became the first male, in any form of tennis, to achieve a Golden Slam when he won the Quad Singles at the US Open.
But it is the sporting star’s achievements and leadership off the court that set him apart.
Alcott, who was born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord, has credited sport for saving his life.
“I don’t get out of bed every day to play to win a tennis tournament, I honestly don’t,” Alcott said.
“I do it because I love it, but it also provides me with a platform to do what I really want, which is to continue to change the perceptions around disability.”
In 2017, he founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation to provide scholarships and grant funding to marginalised Australians with a disaxjmtzywbility.
He also founded AbilityFest, the nation’s first and only fully accessible music festival.
Frustrated by the lack of media representation, Alcott now holds several high-profile media roles spanning TV, radio and podcasting.
National Australia Day Council chair Danielle Roche paid credit to Alcott’s “sheer grit and determination”.
“Dylan Alcott is a champion who has risen to the top of the world rankings through sheer grit and determination. His Golden Slam is an incredible feat, the first for any male tennis player,” she said.
“Dylan is an inspirational Australian on and off the tennis court. Through the Dylan Alcott Foundation, he is giving young Australians facing disadvantage the promise of a better future.”
Alcott will on Thursday compete in his last Australian Open final. He will leave the game after eight years on top.
2022 Senior Australian of the Year
Valmai Dempsey has dedicated more than half her life to St John Ambulance.
The Canberra resident known lovingly as Aunty Val started out as a cadet volunteer while still at primary school and now aged 71 is one of the ACT’s longest serving volunteers.
In 2021 alone, Ms Dempsey clocked up over 600 hours of volunteer service, leading first aid training, providing support at local events and activities, and working with the Covid-19 response team.
She co-ordinated the deployment of 2020 summer bushfire teams to first aid posts and led a 40-strong team of volunteers as they supported fire-affected communities.
Ms Dempsey also created Project Survival, which took St John’s first aid education and messages into the places drug users frequented.
She hopes to use her platform to call for learner drivers to become the next generation of mobile first aiders.
2022 Young Australian of the Year
This award went to Daniel Nour, who founded Street Side Medics, a not for profit GP-led mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness.
Dr Nour was praised for his selfless work.
At just 26-years-old, the resident doctor saw a major gap in NSW health services, prompting him to launch the organisation in August 2020.
With 145 volunteers and four clinics across NSW, the service provides medical assistance to those without a roof to call their own.
It has so far helped an estimated 300 people, treating a range of illnesses – many of which would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
The service is completely free and doesn’t require a Medicare card.
2022 Local Hero
The founder and chief executive of Sober in the Country, Shanna Whan, has helped countless people in the bush tackle their alcohol problems.
She started the grassroots charity after struggling herself with alcohol addiction and subsequently quitting drinking, and told the awards ceremony: “Let’s be honest about the fact that Australia’s got a bit of a drinking problem.
“It’s honestly more acceptable to be drunk in the country than it is to be sober,” the 47-year-old said.
She dedicated the award to those “choosing bush sunrises over hangovers” and to her husband Tim.
From initially acting as a local support network, the organisation achieved national reach and now plays a leading role in broadscale advocacy and education.
“Alcohol use is the silent pandemic we are not discussing,” Ms Whan said.
“Life in rural Australia is permanent iso. We’ve always got enough beers in the fridge, but we’ve never got enough services or support.”
