The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are now in their 20th year and celebrate the work of thousands of individuals and volunteer teams from a diverse range of organisations across the state.
Congratulations to the 2026 Award winners for the Southern Inland of the Year Awards.
2026 Southern Inland Volunteer of the Year
Goulburn Show President and the region’s go-to volunteer Jacki Waugh has been named the 2026 Southern Inland Volunteer of the Year, for her tireless commitment to community, regional events and public safety.
The category winners for the regional awards are:
2026 Southern Inland Adult Volunteer of the Year
Jacki Waugh
Jacki has been President of the Goulburn AP&H Society for the past decade, where she coordinates a team of 250 volunteers to deliver the region’s signature event – the Goulburn Show.
She drives event planning, grant applications, sponsorship and stakeholder engagement, media promotion, programming and compliance oversight for the annual event.
Jacki also volunteers with several other groups across the region including the Goulburn Lilac City Festival, the Towrang Rural Fire Brigade, the Goulburn Pony Club, Mulwaree Arts and Crafts, and the Goulburn Rodeo Committee.
2026 Southern Inland Senior Volunteer of the Year
Steven Pow
Steven has racked up more than half a century of volunteering with the NSW Rural Fire Service where he repairs and maintains equipment so volunteers are ready to respond to incidents, fires and other emergencies. He serves as Deputy Captain and Treasurer for the Ridgeway Brigade and remains one of the brigade’s key daytime responders.
Steven also volunteered with BlazeAid Australia following the devastating Victorian fires in January 2026, helping fire-affected farmers to repair and rebuild kilometres of damaged fencing to restore their properties and contain livestock.
2026 Southern Inland Emergency Volunteer of the Year
Andrew Heaney
Andrew has volunteered at the NSW Rural Fire Service for more than 35 years, at Queanbeyan and Ridgeway Brigades, and has held multiple roles including Captain, Senior Deputy Captain, Deputy Captain and Maintenance Officer.
He gives his time as a frontline firefighter, a brigade leader and with other operational support. His skills as a heavy diesel mechanic, auto electrician, and welder are put to good use to maintain and repair critical firefighting equipment. His contribution as a trainer at both zone and brigade level has been significant.
He has contributed to major incidents including the 1997 Thredbo disaster, the 2003 ACT bushfires, 2019-2020 NSW bushfire emergency; and the devastating NSW floods in 2022-23.
2026 Southern Inland Volunteer Team of the Year
We Love Goulburn Gardening Group
The eight volunteers with the We Love Goulburn Gardening Group maintain the region’s public parks, heritage sites, and support community events via thousands of hours of loving hands-on garden work. They clear fallen branches, rake leaves, weed, prune, mulch and restore garden beds.
The group has been on the job for the past 21 years and are inspired by civic pride and a love of gardens and open space. Their work helps to create beautiful open spaces for the wider community and visitors to enjoy.
2026 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsors
