Australia Day Awards
The awards recognise Townsville’s unsung heroes and pay tribute to the special people in our community who have gone above and beyond to help improve the lives of others and contribute to a diverse, friendly and strong community.
This special person could be your neighbour, a friend or someone you have come across through your local school, church or community group. Whoever comes to mind, they are someone who works selflessly to help improve your life and the lives of others.
The efforts of these quiet achievers can often go unnoticed in our busy lives. The Australia Day Awards are about taking the time to ensure these remarkable individuals are honoured and receive the recognition they deserve.
2025 Australia Day Award Winners
Thank you to all nominees for your commitment to the Townsville community. The winners were announced at the Australia Day celebrations on Sunday 26 January 2025.
Images: A representative from the Townsville Toy Library, Alex Salvador, Edmund Mildren, Ethan Cavanagh, Olivia Ford, Jason Lange and Finn O’Neill.
2025 Citizen of the Year Award
Edmund (Ted) Mildren
Ted is a committed volunteer who has made a difference to the lives of retired members of the Air Force and their families. Ted was a founding member of the RAAF Association Townsville Branch, starting in August 1990, and has been involved with the RAAF Association for more than 40 years. Ted’s advocacy for military firefighters has been recognised by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
2025 Young Citizen of the Year Award
Ethan William Cavanagh
For the past seven years Ethan has used his birthday to give back to the community by organising donation drives for various charities including Ronald McDonald House and Althea Projects. Ethan has demonstrated commitment to community service, kindness and has a passion for helping those who are less fortunate. His most recent initiative, Bags of Kindness, is an example of his leadership, initiative and community spirit.
2025 Arts & Culture Award
Alex Salvador
Alex is the founder and facilitator of the longest running, local community drum circle in Queensland, The Full Moon Drum Circle which was established in 2001. Alex has facilitated special fundraising efforts during the Full Moon Drum Circle, such as the Typhoon Haiyan Aid Appeal. Alex has run facilitated workshops at schools, indigenous communities and the Youth Detention Centre. The drum circle provides people the opportunity to experience the magic of music.
2025 Community Volunteer Award
Townsville Toy Library
The Townsville Toy Library is a not-for-profit, volunteer-operated toy borrowing service supporting countless Townsville families since 1978. They provide the community with access to high-quality, educational, and environmentally friendly toys. The library is run entirely by volunteers, with a dedicated team of ten committee members and around 50 volunteers who ensure the library operates smoothly.
2025 Senior Sports Award
Olivia Ford
Olivia is a 21-year-old deaf sprinter who qualified for the Deaf Olympics which are held in Tokyo in November for the 100m and 200m sprints. Olivia trains 7 days a week and works part time to fund her trips away for track meets around the country. She is the current National Champion for 100m and 200m and ranked number 1 as aT01 (Deaf Classification) in Australia and Oceania.
2025 Junior Sports Award
Finn O'Neill
Finn has played an important role in Townsville, Queensland and Australian Hockey. He is involved in the high-performance squad in Townsville as well as Queensland Academy squads. Finn represented Townsville at the Under 16s and under 18s Qld State championships, gaining player of the tournament at the under 16s indoor and outdoor championships. He played in the Queensland under 18s team, which saw him compete at the national championships. Finn was selected in an Australian team to play in Europe as well as the Queensland high performance academy who recently toured Malaysia.
2025 Environmental Excellence & Sustainability Award
Jason Lange
As the co-founder of Atlas Soils, which won sustainability business of the year in 2022, Jason Lange and his organisation were one of 8 Queensland businesses to attract funds from the COLES Nurture Fund initiative for his work in driving innovation and sustainability. Jason was awarded $490,000 to develop a new system for packaged food waste separation in Townsville which diverts food and packaged waste from landfill as well as build a range of high-quality soil products.
Previous Winners
Thank you to all nominees for your commitment to the Townsville community.
Visit our Previous Australia Day Awards Winners page to see the winners of past years.
