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 Upper North Shore Volunteer of the Year Awards.
2025 Upper North Shore Volunteer of the Year
Retired Turramurra pilot Glenn Bridgland has been awarded the 2025 Upper North Shore Volunteer of the Year for his life-saving work flying sick children to receive critical medical treatment.
2025 Upper North Shore Young Volunteer of the Year
Max Harpham
Max has been a volunteer mentor at The Shepherd Centre for the past two years, where he supports teenagers with hearing loss to develop the skills and confidence to live in a hearing world. At six months of age, Max became the first and youngest baby to receive a bilateral cochlear implant at the Centre. He is now in his third year at university, studying to become an audiologist. His experiences and achievements are an inspiration to other young people with hearing loss, giving them the tools, resources and networks to embrace deafness and thrive.
2025 Upper North Shore Adult Volunteer of the Year
Declan O’Hare
Declan volunteers with the Justice Advocacy Service, offering vital support to clients with cognitive impairments and intellectual disabilities to help them navigate the criminal justice system. In his court role, Declan, who lives with autism, assists clients during legal proceedings to understand court processes. What truly sets Declan apart is his use of lived experience to connect with and advocate for others.
2025 Upper North Shore Senior Volunteer of the Year
Glenn Bridgland
As a volunteer pilot with Little Wings, Glenn has helped hundreds of children and their families living in regional and rural NSW to access specialist and often lifesaving medical treatment in major cities. The retired long-haul airline pilot has flown more than 180 missions and has given hundreds more hours mentoring and training new pilots.
2025 Upper North Shore Emergency Volunteer of the Year
John Aitken
John has given countless hours of his time over the past 15 years with Marine Rescue Cottage Point and Marine Rescue Sydney, responding to emergency callouts and keeping people safe on the water. He skippers the Cottage Point rescue vessels across Cowan Creek and the Hawkesbury River, coupled with his radio officer duties across the rescue service’s Sydney operations, while also overseeing the treasury duties for the Cottage Point service. He is also a prominent member of the Rotary Club of Kuring-gai, volunteering his time with them for decades.
2025 Upper North Shore Volunteer Team of the Year
Hornsby Street Side Medics
The Hornsby Street Side Medics team helps more than 300 homeless people by providing them with free medical care. They prescribe potentially lifesaving medications, diagnose illnesses, attend to wounds and administer antibiotics to prevent complications like amputations. The team is made up of GPs, medical specialists, paramedics, nurses, allied health professionals and support staff who give their time one day a week all year round.
2025 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsors
