Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett wins 2025 Senior Australian of the Year

Key points:

• Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett was awarded the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year for his efforts to improve the lives of children in developing countries
• Since 1996, Mr Pickett’s not-for-profit organisation, Wheelchairs for Kids, has provided more than 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs to children in developing countries
• If you know an older Australian you’d like to nominate for the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year website

The Senior Australian of the Year award was recently presented to Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, emphasising the importance of volunteering and helping others.

On January 25, 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented 84-year-old Mr Pickett with the Senior Australian of the Year award at the National Arboretum in Canberra.

In 1996, Mr Picket co-founded Wheelchairs for Kids, a not-for-profit organisation in Western Australia dedicated to providing adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy for children in need.

Approximately 250 volunteers, with an average age of 74, have helped to build and donate more than 60,000 custom wheelchairs to children in developing countries. The wheelchairs have been sent to countries such as Afghanistan, Tanzania, Syria and Malawi. 

According to the Australian of the Year website, Mr Pickett ‘spearheaded the development of an innovative, low-cost wheelchair design to World Health Organization standards that grows as the children do — a world first.’

In addition to the charity’s 250 volunteers who help to build the wheelchairs, a further 550 people are involved in making soft toys, crocheted rugs and sewing soft covers for the wheelchairs.

In Prime Minister Albanese’s speech on January 25, 2025, he praised the efforts of all Australians who strive to make their communities better, including the award winners and nominees. 

“[…] Australians have always found ways to do things better — to make our country better. It is that spirit that drives us as we look ahead and set about building the future,” he said.

“For what burns in our hearts as brightly as our compassion, fairness and generosity is our ambition, our curiosity and our courage. That’s the spirit we see embodied by every Australian of the Year and by every Australian who has ever been nominated.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented the Australian of the Year awards in Canberra recently. [NADC/Salty Dingo; supplied]

In November 2024, Mr Pickett was announced as the Western Australia winner of the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year. Mr Pickett was born in 1941 in Melbourne and currently lives in Perth.

The other finalists for 2025 Senior Australian of the Year were:

• Charles Jackson — South Australia;
• Dr Karl Kruszelnicki — New South Wales;
• Michael Foley — Northern Territory;
• Dr Peter Brukner — Victoria;
• Marilyn Ralston and Peter Ralston — Australian Capital Territory;
• Associate Professor Penelope Blomfield —  Tasmania; and
• Dr Bronwyn Herbert — Queensland.

The Australian of the Year award ceremonies began in 1960, with the first Senior Australian of the Year award announced in 1999 for Australians aged 60 years and over.

Although the 2025 Australian of the Year awards were presented earlier this week, the program is still available to watch on ABC iView.

Council on the Ageing Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow praised Mr Pickett’s efforts to improve the lives of others as an older Australian.

“We congratulate Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett for being awarded the great honour of being the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year,” she said.

“There truly is no age at which we stop being capable of extraordinary things. Brother Pickett and the rest of the incredible finalists in the Senior Australian of the Year awards are living proof of that.”

Chair of the National Australia Day Council John Foreman congratulated the award winners and expressed gratitude for their efforts in helping others.

“The 2025 Australians of the Year are amazing Australians doing extraordinary things,” he said.

“Brother Olly’s compassion and energy are the driving forces which have [sic] brought mobility and freedom to countless children around the globe. He reminds us that, through volunteerism, you can truly impact the lives of others.”

Volunteering can help you feel a greater sense of belonging, provide you with purpose, help you connect with others and improve your social networks. Another benefit of volunteering is that it can improve your mental and physical health, highlighting why volunteering is an important addition to the retirement plan.

Making a positive difference in your community by volunteering and learning new skills can also give you a sense of accomplishment that could improve your own well-being.

If you know an older Australian you’d like to nominate for the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year website. 

Did you watch the Australian of the Year Awards when it was on television?

Let the team at Talking Aged Care know on social media. 

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