Brother Thomas (Olly) Pickett AM is the quiet force behind Wheelchairs for Kids Australia (WFKA), a volunteer-powered charity that has delivered over 61,500 all-terrain wheelchairs to children in more than 80 countries. Named 2025 Senior Australian of the Year, Olly has dedicated the past 30 years to improving the lives of children living with disabilities in developing countries.
A retired metalwork teacher and Christian Brother, Olly began building wheelchairs in his Perth workshop after a simple request from a local Rotary Club. With no prior experience, he taught himself to design mobility devices for rough terrain. Today, his World Health Organisation-compliant wheelchair model is adjustable, durable, and life-changing—giving children the chance to attend school, move independently, and experience dignity.
Olly still leads the WFKA factory daily, overseeing operations from a buggy and mentoring a dedicated team of retirees who assemble up to 30 chairs a day. The workshop is more than a production line; it is a hub of friendship, purpose, and quiet impact.
Before founding WFKA, Olly spent nearly four decades teaching and running a vocational workshop for teenagers who had dropped out of school—some of whom helped build the charity’s first wheelchairs. He attributes his ability to serve so fully to his role as a Christian Brother. Not having a family of his own, he says, allows him to devote himself entirely to others.
The ripple effect of his work has reached far beyond the children who receive the chairs. In Australia, WFKA has created a meaningful volunteer ecosystem. Retirees fill the factory, community members crochet blankets and sew accessories, and thousands of Australians have been inspired to support the cause. Olly’s story has mobilised a nationwide network of kindness and action.
Humble and tireless, Olly has transformed lives not just through wheelchairs, but through his example of compassion, service, and hope.
Yamatji Elder Dr Mara West is a respected changemaker who has spent more than 50 years improving outcomes for Aboriginal communities. A cultural governance advisor at The Kids Research Institute Australia, she leads health research projects that centre Aboriginal voices and uphold cultural integrity. In 2022, she helped develop national guidelines for Aboriginal health research, and her strength lies in creating inclusive environments where researchers, educators, policymakers and community members feel empowered to share knowledge, learn from one another, and build solutions together.
Mara has held influential roles across education, health, climate, and policy. She currently chairs the Aboriginal Research Projects Forum (Telethon Kids Institute), HEAL WA’s Aboriginal Steering Group, the Homelands Water and Energy Group (Murdoch University), and the Governing Council of North Metro TAFE. She is also a member of the ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Roundtable and serves on the Industry Advisory Board for the Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence.
Earlier in her career, Mara pioneered on-Country education delivery and created an award-winning training model for Aboriginal job seekers in the mining sector. Her leadership is grounded in cultural authority and community connection. A mentor and cultural trainer, Mara supports staff across all levels to build understanding and work respectfully with Aboriginal people. She continues to champion health equity, clean water and energy access for remote communities.
In 2023, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Murdoch University for her outstanding contribution to community and cultural leadership across Western Australia and beyond.
Lucy Durack is one of Australia’s most beloved performers, known for her leading roles in Wicked, Legally Blonde, Sisters, and The Letdown, and for her warm presence on screens and stages nationwide. Born and raised in Perth, Lucy studied at WAAPA and has become a musical theatre icon, earning Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Awards for her work and inspiring a generation of performers.
Her portrayal of Glinda in the original Australian cast of Wicked and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde showcased her signature blend of talent, humour, and heart. Lucy has since appeared on screen in popular shows such as Neighbours, The Masked Singer, Australia’s Got Talent, and Back to the Rafters, and voiced characters in animation, including the international hit Bluey.
Beyond performance, Lucy is a writer, podcast host, and advocate for mental wellbeing and women’s health. She has co-written original musicals and screen projects and brings her experience as a mother to her storytelling and advocacy. In 2023, she joined the cast of Midnight: The Cinderella Musical, contributing to new Australian theatre works while also supporting emerging artists.
Lucy’s enduring contribution to the arts, her generosity of spirit, and her celebration of joy and kindness have cemented her place as a cherished figure in Australian entertainment. She continues to uplift audiences of all ages and champion local talent with heart and humour.
Nigel Satterley is one of Australia’s most influential property developers, with a career spanning over five decades. From humble beginnings in the Wheatbelt, Nigel built Satterley Property Group into the country’s largest privately owned residential land developer, creating places people love to live. Delivering over 225 master-planned communities and more than 130,000 lots, Nigel’s work has helped thousands of Western Australians, and Australians more broadly, into their first homes. In 1999 he was presented with the United Nations World Habitat Award for the Urban Renewal for the New North and New Kwinana.
Nigel’s impact goes beyond the numbers. His people-first approach has transformed housing expectations, focusing on walkable communities, family parks, and connected neighbourhoods. Under his leadership, the business injects over $650 million annually into local economies and supports thousands into their first homes. Despite industry pressures, Nigel remains guided by integrity—ensuring homes are completed, even stepping in when builders fall short, at no cost to buyers.
In 2023, he became only the third West Australian inducted into the Property Council Hall of Fame. He has also served nationally on the Federal Government’s housing reform advisory committees and remains a strong voice for skills development and housing affordability. Alongside his wife Denise, Nigel has dedicated around 5% of pre-tax earnings to medical research, youth programs, grassroots sport, and vital community services. They have been key supporters of Telethon for over 50 years, and fund children’s health initiatives across WA and Victoria. Following Denise’s cancer battle, they have contributed significantly to breast cancer research and detection programs.
Nigel’s philosophy is simple: do well and give back. His legacy is not just measured in developments, but in lives uplifted, communities built, and futures shaped with care and purpose. In his words: “We all need to contribute back to society.” That belief is not just something Nigel says, it’s something he’s built brick by brick.
Brother Thomas (Olly) Pickett AM is the quiet force behind Wheelchairs for Kids Australia (WFKA), a volunteer-powered charity that has delivered over 61,500 all-terrain wheelchairs to children in more than 80 countries. Named 2025 Senior Australian of the Year, Olly has dedicated the past 30 years to improving the lives of children living with disabilities in developing countries.
A retired metalwork teacher and Christian Brother, Olly began building wheelchairs in his Perth workshop after a simple request from a local Rotary Club. With no prior experience, he taught himself to design mobility devices for rough terrain. Today, his World Health Organisation-compliant wheelchair model is adjustable, durable, and life-changing—giving children the chance to attend school, move independently, and experience dignity.
Olly still leads the WFKA factory daily, overseeing operations from a buggy and mentoring a dedicated team of retirees who assemble up to 30 chairs a day. The workshop is more than a production line; it is a hub of friendship, purpose, and quiet impact.
Before founding WFKA, Olly spent nearly four decades teaching and running a vocational workshop for teenagers who had dropped out of school—some of whom helped build the charity’s first wheelchairs. He attributes his ability to serve so fully to his role as a Christian Brother. Not having a family of his own, he says, allows him to devote himself entirely to others.
The ripple effect of his work has reached far beyond the children who receive the chairs. In Australia, WFKA has created a meaningful volunteer ecosystem. Retirees fill the factory, community members crochet blankets and sew accessories, and thousands of Australians have been inspired to support the cause. Olly’s story has mobilised a nationwide network of kindness and action.
Humble and tireless, Olly has transformed lives not just through wheelchairs, but through his example of compassion, service, and hope.
Professor Sue Fletcher AO is a globally recognised biomedical researcher whose groundbreaking work has transformed the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). From their lab in Western Australia, Sue co-developed the world’s first ‘exon-skipping’ therapies for DMD, enabling some boys to maintain muscle function and independence.
Approved by the US FDA, the drugs ExonDys51, Vyondys53 and Amondys45 originated from work by Sue, in collaboration with Steve Wilton and their team. This global impact came after a 19-year journey from concept to approval, a feat rarely achieved in scientific research, let alone by researchers working so far from the pharmaceutical giants of the US and Europe. Sue also served as Chief Scientific Officer at a WA biotech and contributed to a treatment for inherited blindness that is now in clinical trials.
Sue’s scientific achievements span decades, earning her numerous honours including Officer of the Order of Australia, WA Innovator of the Year, and the Eureka Prize for Medical Research Translation.
Beyond the lab, Sue has supported families affected by neuromuscular conditions for over 30 years. A life member of Neuromuscular WA, she has provided advocacy, scientific insight, and heartfelt support—attending community camps, and helping families navigate hope and uncertainty.
Now in retirement, Sue continues her research on motor neurone disease with her team at Murdoch University and remains a passionate mentor of early- and mid-career researchers, describing them as the ‘engine room’ of the research sector. She focuses much of her time on helping them prepare grant applications, navigate the often difficult research funding landscape, and stay connected to purpose.
For Sue, scientific progress is only meaningful if it’s shared—if the next generation of researchers is equipped and empowered to carry it forward.
For the families she supports and the researchers she inspires, Professor Fletcher’s legacy is one of compassion, courage, and life-changing impact.
Nina Kennedy OAM is Australia’s most successful female pole vaulter and the reigning Olympic and World Champion. From winning pretend medals at her school’s mini-Olympics to standing atop the podium in Paris 2024, Nina’s journey has been marked by perseverance, humility, and excellence.
Inspired by Steve Hooker’s Olympic win in 2008, Nina believed someone from WA could become the best in the world—and she did just that. She won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, followed by a shared gold in 2023 after clearing a new national record of 4.90m in an unforgettable display of sportsmanship. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nina captivated the nation with a stunning gold medal-winning jump, becoming Australia’s first-ever female Olympic pole vault champion.
Her record-breaking achievements have earned her numerous honours, including WA Sports Star of the Year, two AIS Male Able-Athlete of the Year awards, and the Bruce McAvaney Performance of the Year.
When she meets young athletes who recognise her from the TV or ask for a photo at local clubs, it still takes her by surprise. But she embraces it, recognising the importance of showing young people what’s possible.
Nina remains closely connected to community sport—volunteering, officiating, and mentoring young athletes. She regularly attends local athletics meets, inspires children at school visits, and uses her platform to advocate for athlete wellbeing and equal opportunity.
Nina leads by example—an elite athlete who is not only breaking records but lifting others as she climbs, showing young Australians what’s possible when talent meets belief and hard work.
Kennedy Lay is the founder of Fly2Health Group, a pioneering organisation revolutionising healthcare delivery in Australia’s rural and remote communities. Combining his background in physiotherapy with his training as a Qantas pilot, Kennedy took to the skies—flying a two-seater aircraft to provide vital services to patients who would otherwise go without.
Today, Fly2Health has grown into a national network delivering over 30,000 appointments annually, with a team of more than 145 professionals offering physiotherapy, psychology, speech therapy, occupational therapy, general medicine and more.
Kennedy’s innovative approach breaks down geographic barriers, bringing healthcare to some of the country’s most isolated regions. To further support regional families, he launched Fly2Foundation—a not-for-profit providing free flights to Perth for those in need of medical care. One family from Lake Grace, whose young son has cerebral palsy, recently benefited from this life-changing support.
Kennedy’s impact is particularly felt in remote Aboriginal communities. In Tjuntjuntjara, his team introduced the first-ever physio and OT services, dramatically improving mobility outcomes and quality of life for residents.
A Telstra Best of Business WA finalist and 7NEWS Young Achiever of the Year, Kennedy is also a 40under40 winner. His story inspires young Australians—especially those from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds—to think big and act boldly.
With a goal to triple Fly2Health’s reach, Kennedy continues to lead with passion, equity, and purpose—proving that distance should never determine the quality of care. Driven by the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit instilled by his single mother, Kennedy is determined to provide healthcare equity to all Australians, no matter where they live.
Kennedy’s passion and leadership continue to inspire, making a real and lasting difference in communities right across Australia.
