Cootamundra’s Bob Holder and Kate Cleary of The Farm at Galong are among the NSW nominees for Australian of the Year awards. Image: Edwina Mason.
Two people from southern NSW are among the nominees for the 2026 NSW Australian of the Year Awards, highlighting the region’s contribution to national achievement.
Cootamundra’s Bob Holder, 94, has been named a finalist for NSW Senior Australian of the Year.
Believed to be the world’s oldest competitive cowboy, Holder has competed professionally for more than 80 years, including in team roping events, and was inducted into the Australian Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2017.
He entered his first rodeo at 14 after forging a note from his mother to compete in an over-16s event in Tumut — and won, taking home prize money equivalent to five weeks’ wages.
In 1959, The Cootamundra Cat, as he is affectionately known, became the first Australian to win prize money at a US professional rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Holder remains active on the circuit not just in a competitive capacity but in promoting the popular sport, inspiring new generations of riders.
Social worker Kate Cleary is a finalist in the NSW Local Hero category for her work at The Farm, a residential program she established at a disused convent at Galong, near Harden-Murrumburrah.
The Farm at Galong supports women recovering from addiction and domestic violence, with a focus on those whose children are in out-of-home care, helping them rebuild their lives and reconnect with their families.
Since opening in 2019, it has helped dozens of women recover and reunite with their children.
Previously recognised as NSW Volunteer of the Year in 2024, Cleary continues to expand The Farm’s programs to provide life-changing support for women and their families.
The NSW nominees are among 134 Australians recognised across all states and territories.
The awards operate in four categories: Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero.
Recipients are selected based on their past achievements, ongoing contributions and impact on their community or field.
State award recipients will be announced on Monday 10 November at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, with the ceremony to be streamed online at australianoftheyear.org.au
They will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards in Canberra on 25 January 2026.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser said the nominees highlighted the impact of Australians who contributed in different ways.
“The nominees for the NSW awards inspire others through extraordinary achievements and contributions,” he said.
“They remind us we are all capable of so much, whether it’s a simple act of care that creates a movement, a moment spent with someone in need that brings about change for many, fighting for what’s right or doing things differently,” Mr Fraser said.
