The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are now in their 19th year and celebrate the work of thousands of individuals and volunteer teams from a diverse range of organisations across the state.
Congratulations to the 2025 Award winners for the Illawarra Volunteer of the Year Awards.
2025 Illawarra Volunteer of the Year
Bringing hope to the region’s needy, Gloria Rohov has been named 2025 Illawarra Volunteer of the Year for putting food on the table for those experiencing hardship and arranging essential bill relief.
2025 Illawarra Young Volunteer of the Year
Chae Conte
Windang Surf Club’s 18-year-old Club Captain Chae Conte has volunteered at the club since joining as a Nipper 12 years ago. He is now the club’s Youth Rookie Coordinator and has given more than 160 hours of his time over the past 18 months alone to help keep people safe in the water.
2025 Illawarra Adult Volunteer of the Year
Hannah McInerney
Jamberoo Rural Fire Service Captain Hannah McInerney began volunteering at 18 and became the brigade’s first female captain. Now 33, she has overseen over 180 emergency incident responses per year, including bushfires, floods, and emergency operations. Hannah also delivers school training and serves as Club Captain at Kiama Surf Life Saving.
2025 Illawarra Senior Volunteer of the Year
Gloria Rohov
For over a decade, Gloria Rohov has quietly supported vulnerable Illawarra residents through food assistance and urgent utility relief at Anglicare. She helps clients manage electricity, gas, water, and phone bills, coordinates emergency food parcels, supports non-English-speaking clients, and mentors fellow volunteers.
2025 Illawarra Emergency Volunteer of the Year
Margaret Vincent
Margaret Vincent has volunteered for 40 years with St John Ambulance NSW, providing clinical leadership at major events and during disasters, including Cyclone Alfred and northern NSW floods. Her dedication to community health and safety is unparalleled, having dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to patient care since 1985.
2025 Illawarra Volunteer Team of the Year
Illawarra Bereavement and Palliative Care Volunteers
This dedicated team offers comfort to people in palliative care and their loved ones, both in hospitals and at home. They also support the bereaved as Grief Companions. Going the extra mile, some undertake biography training to offer up to six weeks of recording a person’s life story and putting it into a bound book, with photos.
2025 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsors
