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 Western Sydney Volunteer of the Year Awards.
2025 Western Sydney Volunteer of the Year
Youth advocate Sonja Vujanic has been awarded the 2025 Western Sydney Volunteer of the Year for her exceptional and relentless advocacy for education and mental health services for young people.
2025 Western Sydney Young Volunteer of the Year
Sonja Vujanic
Sonja is a uni student, carer and exceptional volunteer across a number of organisations, programs and causes. She is a leading advocate for young people to gain better access to education, mental health support and to better manage the impact of technology. Her volunteering has spanned organisations such as Teach Learn Grow, the NSW Youth Advisory Council, the eSafety Youth Advisory Council, the Sydney University Academic Board, the Starlight Express Room, and the Western Sydney Local Health District.
2025 Western Sydney Adult Volunteer of the Year
Ngan Nguyen
Nursing unit manager Ngan Nguyen is a busy mum to three children, dog lover and a Community Visitors Scheme volunteer at Sydney Multicultural Community Services. She gives her time to regularly visit two elderly people from CALD communities who are at risk of isolation, loneliness and ailing mental health. She builds her volunteering around her busy work and family life, creating strong, healthy connections for older people who may have limited family support or language barriers.
2025 Western Sydney Senior Volunteer of the Year
Russell Edwards
Russell gives his time as a JP for the NSW Justices Association, an everyday helper for the Fairfield Garden Club, and as a self-taught blacksmith for the Fairfield City Museum & Gallery. In the past year alone, he has helped more than 3,200 people with legal and JP services in Fairfield – one of Australia’s most culturally diverse and underserved communities. Rusell’s local museum needed a volunteer with blacksmith skills to keep a display open, so he learnt how to be a blacksmith. The museum and JP Association needed website help – so he taught himself coding.
2025 Western Sydney Emergency Volunteer of the Year
Michael Needham
Michael has been a volunteer with St John Ambulance’s Fairfield and Sydney University Divisions for the past three decades where he has improved training methods, mentored new members, and provided vital first aid medical care to the public. He has extended his outstanding service to the State Operations Support Group and Paddington Division, helping to lead logistics and as an operations and logistics officer, and clinical educator.
2025 Western Sydney Volunteer Team of the Year
St John Ambulance NSW – Fairfield Cadet Division
The 12 members of St John Ambulance NSW Fairfield Cadet Division include young cadets and the leaders who help to train, mentor and inspire the next generation of community first aiders. They give their time between school commitments to learn the techniques and skills, and build knowledge that helps keep their local community safe and healthy at events – big and small.
2025 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsors
