When disaster strikes, most people run away. Dr Alison Thompson runs toward it – rollerblades, in fact.
The NSW humanitarian and global charity worker has been named NSW’s 2026 Australian of the Year nominee, recognised for a lifetime spent providing hands-on relief in disaster zones across the world.
Her remarkable story began on September 11, 2001, when the Australian-born volunteer rollerbladed into Ground Zero in New York City carrying a backpack of first-aid supplies. That day marked the beginning of more than two decades of front-line service.
Dr Thompson went on to found Third Wave Volunteers, a global not-for-profit that coordinates more than 30,000 volunteers in disaster and war-affected areas. The organisation has provided humanitarian and medical aid to over 18 million people across places such as Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
“I’m not special,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald in a 2024 interview. “I just believe that when you see a need, you do something. Waiting for someone else to act is how people get left behind.”
Her work embodies the Australian of the Year ethos — quiet courage and service beyond borders — and it’s little wonder she’s been chosen to represent NSW.
CLICK HERE to hear her talk about 9/11.
Recognising lifetime impact
Also honoured is Professor Henry Brodaty AO, NSW’s Senior Australian of the Year nominee, whose groundbreaking dementia research has shaped national understanding of healthy ageing.
Professor Brodaty co-founded the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales and has led major studies showing how lifestyle, exercise, and mental activity can reduce dementia risk.
For many older Australians, his message offers hope. Dementia currently affects more than 400,000 Australians, a number projected to double by 2058. His work has improved diagnosis, carer support, and policy, giving older Australians more tools to protect their cognitive health.
“Healthy ageing isn’t luck – it’s lifestyle,” Professor Brodaty said earlier this year. “We can all take steps to strengthen our brains, just as we do our bodies.”
Community hero
NSW’s Local Hero award went to Theresa Mitchell, founder of Agape Outreach, which now serves more than 1,500 meals each week to people experiencing homelessness. Since 2009, Ms Mitchell has also fostered 37 children, proving that compassion can change lives one meal – or one child – at a time.
Young blood with big heart
And rounding out the state’s 2026 honours list is Nedd Brockmann, the Young Australian of the Year nominee.
At just 26, Brockmann has become one of Australia’s most inspiring endurance athletes and philanthropists. In 2022, the electrician-turned-ultrarunner captured national attention when he ran an astonishing 3,952 kilometres from Perth to Sydney, raising $2.6 million for homelessness.
He later launched Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge, encouraging others to push their limits for charity – an effort that’s since raised more than $8 million.
As NSW’s finalists prepare for the national Australian of the Year Awards in January 2026, National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser summed up what connects them all:
“Alison shows us how one person can help millions. Henry teaches us how science can change ageing. And Nedd proves that action — even uncomfortable action — can move a nation.”For Australians of all ages, especially those 60-plus, these stories serve as reminders that service, courage and purposedon’t retire — they evolve.