From The Seekers to Neale Daniher: seeking the Aussies who make us proud
John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again.
The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds.
From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong.
World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985.
Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005.
In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners.
And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research.
It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories.
READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year?
And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him.
"It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said.
"When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds.
READ MORE
"You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here."
Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
"As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said.
"Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired.
"Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition."
But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you.
John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again.
The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds.
From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong.
World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985.
Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005.
In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners.
And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research.
It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories.
READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year?
And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him.
"It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said.
"When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds.
READ MORE
"You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here."
Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
"As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said.
"Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired.
"Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition."
But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you.
John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again.
The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds.
From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong.
World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985.
Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005.
In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners.
And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research.
It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories.
READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year?
And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him.
"It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said.
"When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds.
READ MORE
"You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here."
Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
"As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said.
"Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired.
"Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition."
But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you.
John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again.
The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds.
From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong.
World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985.
Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005.
In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners.
And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research.
It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories.
READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year?
And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him.
"It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said.
"When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds.
READ MORE
"You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here."
Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW
"As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said.
"Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired.
"Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition."
But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
What it is really like to be a WAG in Australia
For years, WAG culture has been put on a pedestal in Australia. Glamorous, polished, and always front and centre. From Rebecca Judd to Jesinta Franklin, the women behind AFL stars have been splashed across the pages of Austraia's newspapers, labelled 'glamour WAGs' and packaged into a media-driven identity that has little to do with the actual reality of life inside the AFL bubble. We don't talk enough about what it's really like to be the woman behind the athlete. The public sees the polished photos, the race day outfits, the glamour. But they don't see the long-distance parenting, the invisible mental load, or the unspoken expectation that you make yourself smaller while they chase something big. I know this firsthand. I've lived it. My husband, Lachie Henderson, spent over a decade in the AFL system, playing for Brisbane, Carlton, and Geelong. While the outside world saw the polished version of AFL life, behind the scenes, I was juggling long-distance, single motherhood, and running a business full-time – without the luxury of pressing pause. I met him while raising a child as a single mum, running my swimwear label IIXIIST, and building a life on my own terms. And while I loved him - and the life we were building - I quickly learnt that being a WAG in Australia came with a playbook. One I never really wanted to follow. Navigating the WAG world AFL culture is structured, disciplined, and deeply traditional. The same applies to the social side of it. There are unspoken expectations – who sits where at the club functions, who's in the inner circle, and how present you are within the 'group'. It's not a written rulebook, but it's there. For someone like me, who was already running a brand and raising a child, the WAG world was just another ecosystem to navigate, but never fully buy into. There's a hierarchy in every WAG circle, and you know your place in it pretty quickly. I wasn't interested in competing for a seat at the table when my focus was on my business, my child, and my life outside of football. I refused to put my life on hold. A lot of WAGs centre their lives around the AFL calendar. Training schedules, interstate travel, mid-season moves. It all revolves around the game, not the individual. Lachie and I did long-distance across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Geelong, but we always made decisions as a partnership, not just around footy. There's a strange undercurrent inside the AFL bubble. It's structured. Disciplined. And socially, it's incredibly cliquey. There's no official hierarchy - but it exists. Who you sit next to at events, how involved you are with the club, whether or not you're part of 'the group.' It felt eerily like high school, just with more fake lashes and club polos. At the time, I was doing long distance between states, juggling footy schedules, running a business, and raising a baby. I didn't have the capacity (or the interest) for the politics. I wasn't there to compete for a seat at any table. My time and energy were already fully accounted for: managing a company, keeping a child alive, and building a future I wasn't willing to shelve for someone else's career. It's not that I didn't support Lachie. I did and still do. But I've always believed in staying in your own lane. My business mattered. My goals mattered. And I wasn't going to push them aside just because I married someone with a profile. There's a reason many AFL WAGs start businesses, fashion labels, or wellness brands – it's not just about career ambition, it's about having something that belongs to you. I was building IIXIIST at the time, and later The Prestwick Place, and I was always clear that my career mattered just as much as his. The culture is not for everyone WAG culture in Australia can be welcoming and supportive, but it can also be cliquey and isolating. Some women form lifelong friendships, while others feel like outsiders in an unspoken hierarchy. The biggest misconception? Being a WAG is not a job. There's no contract, no title, and yet, there's an expectation that you play a certain role – supportive, present, polished. Some thrive in that space, while others struggle to find their own identity outside of their partner's career. When Lachie retired at the end of 2021, we were finally able to live life on our own terms. We left the AFL structure behind, moved to the Gold Coast, and co-founded The Prestwick Place together. After years of working around footy schedules, training commitments, and game-day routines, we finally had full control over our time, our business, and our future. The label never fit In Australia, the term WAG carries weight. You're either glamorous, supportive, and on-brand… or you're cold, distant, and not one of the girls. Neither version ever felt like me. I've always believed women can be both. Supportive and ambitious. Present and independent. Loving and driven. I wasn't looking to be defined by my partner's job title and I wasn't about to be reduced to mine either. There are plenty of beautiful, kind, intelligent women in that world, many of whom I admire. But the label always felt limiting. It was about who we were attached to, not who we were on our own. There's no single way to be a WAG. Some women embrace it fully, enjoying the events, the media attention, and the connection to the club. Others, like me, choose to stay in their own lane and focus on what's important to them. There's no right or wrong way to do it, but there is a choice. You don't have to dress a certain way, show up to everything, or let your partner's career dictate your own. For me, WAG culture was just one chapter of my life. It didn't define me then, and it doesn't define me now. Rewriting the narrative Today, Lachie and I are married. We live on the Gold Coast. We co-run our business and we've just had our first child together - growing our family to four. Our relationship is exactly what the term implies - a partnership. Equal parts give and take. And I say that as someone who's carried everything alone before. There's a shift happening in the way people talk about relationships, especially when both people are ambitious. It doesn't have to be either/or. It just requires being intentional. You have to make space for each other's goals. Let go of what it 'should' look like. And back yourselves to figure it out together, as you go.
The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage
Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Perth Now
Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage
Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."
