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 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Volunteer of the Year Awards.
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Volunteer of the Year
Bondi Beach Surf Lifesaver Robyn Farmer has been named the 2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Volunteer of the Year, for her decades-long commitment to beach safety and her extraordinary emergency response to the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
The category winners for the regional awards are:
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Young Volunteer of the Year
Ffyon McCabe
Teenager Ffyon McCabe is a volunteer at South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club where she gives around 90 hours of her time each year patrolling beaches and keeping watch over beach goers.
She has also developed her own Beach Safety Awareness Program which is now being delivered by young volunteers to more than 3,500 students across 10 schools throughout the region.
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Adult Volunteer of the Year
Tanya Coleman
Tanya is the competition convenor for the Randwick Netball Association where she helps to grade and organise competitions for 280 netball teams, involving more than 10,000 players.
She also mentors youth volunteers from the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and gives her time as coach and umpire for her local club.
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Senior Volunteer of the Year
Susie Elelman
Susie is a volunteer donor connector at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance where she builds donor relationships and supports fundraising to improve outcomes for people with cerebral palsy and their families.
She gives her time, ideas and enthusiasm to support event planning, donor engagement and fundraising.
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Emergency Volunteer of the Year
Robyn Farmer
Robyn is a patrol leader with the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club where she oversees rescues and first aid for beach goers, trains and assesses lifesavers, develops national education materials, and coaches competition teams.
On the day of the Bondi terror attack, she trained a team of lifesavers in advanced resuscitation and major bleed control, many of whom used their new skills to help save lives. Robyn provided significant first aid to victims, and post event support to other lifesavers.
2026 Sydney City/Eastern Suburbs Volunteer Team of the Year
COA Bondi Support Meals Team
The 215 volunteers from the COA Bondi Support Meals Team came together immediately after the December 2025 Bondi terror attack to provide relief and human support for people impacted by this traumatic incident.
They delivered more than 5,350 meals over 50 days for victims, bereaved families, and community members experiencing trauma and acute distress in the wake of the attack.
The team managed logistics, dietary needs, and coordinated with catering partners to provide essential relief to help families focus on recovery and bereavement.
2026 NSW Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsors
