A tireless advocate for former Australian Defence Force members and their families has be named the Citizen of the Year for the 2025 Ipswich Australia Day Awards.
Martin Shaw was recognised for his work as President of Wounded Heroes Australia, a crisis support group based in Bundamba at a special ceremony in Ipswich on Wednesday.
Ipswich City Council hosted the event ahead of the official Australia Day public holiday on Monday.
Wounded Heroes Association Inc also picked up the award for Community Group.
Other winners included: Senior Citizen of the Year Jan White, Young Citizen of the Year Ryan White, Cultural Award recipient John Martin Del Rosario Nieva, and Sport and Recreation Award winner Stephen Rogers.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding congratulated all the Ipswich Australia Day Award winners for their outstanding work in the community.
“All of our winners have in common a selfless drive to improving the lives of others, whether it be through charitable efforts or a passion for community connectivity,” said Mayor Harding.
“The dedication shown by all of our winners to what they do for the people of Ipswich and beyond never ceases to amaze me,” she said.
Fourteen people and four community organisations were named as finalists for the 2025 Ipswich Australia Day Awards this year.
Citizen of the Year Award: Martin Shaw
Martin has been at the helm of Wounded Heroes Australia since 2011, but long before that was working to improve the lives of returned service personnel. He is known for personally engaging with people who come the crisis centre in search of support, while also having the energy and professional nous to keep the organisation running. He has worked to create a positive working environment for volunteers and undertakes much of the organisation’s operational duties such as accounting, marketing, fundraising and sourcing items for donation. He also engages and builds relationships with government and other stakeholders advocate for veterans.
Senior Citizen of the Year Award: Jan White
A former nurse who worked at Ipswich Hospital, Jan has played a key role in the community-owned Ipswich Hospice Care. In her former role as a director, she ensured the hospice gained adequate funding and she continues to volunteer with the organisation. She is an expert in palliative nursing and is a life member of Palliative Care Queensland.
Young Citizen of the Year Award: Ryan White
In his senior year of school while also undertaking the duties of being a house captain at St Edmund’s College in 2024, Ryan produced a superhuman effort to lead the way in the school’s yearly 115-kilometre charity bike ride, Skool 2 Schoolies. He raised $23,000 of the $60,000 total funds donated through the initiative to Ipswich Hospice Care and St Vincent de Paul. Ryan has been involved in extra-curricular activities such as tennis, athletics and soccer, while also helping with homeless support initiative Signal Flare.
Cultural Award: John Martin Del Rosario Nieva
As a tireless advocate for multiculturalism, John or “Jomar” has helped add to the spirit and vibrancy of Ipswich through his organisation of multiple community events while he heads of the Philippines-Australia Multicultural Association (PAMA), such as the PAMA’s yearly Springfest festival. He has also held multiple roles with the Catholic Church and has been a volunteer with the Cancer Council of Australia, raising thousands of dollars for the charity as an active participant during its annual March Charge.
Cultural Award: John Martin Del Rosario Nieva
Hot off his Official of the Year award at the council’s 2024 Ipswich Sports Awards, Paris Olympics hockey umpire Steve’s nomination adds to an impressive list of accolades collected during his 30-year career. After overseeing the men’s gold medal match in Paris, he was crowned the Federation International Hockey umpire of the year in 2024.
Community Group of the Year Award: Wounded Heroes Association Inc.
Wounded Heroes continues to run a crisis centre in Bundamba for veterans and other vulnerable members of the community, providing emotional and financial support, emergency housing, food and clothing on a daily basis. The organisation’s doors are open to anyone, whether they are experiencing homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction or mental health issues.
