Endless Horizon

Dame Mary Gilmore is the person featured on the back of our ten dollar note. She was a passionate social reformer in the 1890’s and a poet. She wrote ‘Europe has its peaks piercing the sky but we have the horizon’. Geoffrey Blainey wrote that ‘This land is endless horizon’. Dorothea Mackellar wrote...

I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me!

I love the horizon in Australia. The sun rises and sets on it. It promises the opportunity of something new and exciting...just over the horizon. It offers the prospect of a growth and advancement. Our ancient land has profoundly shaped us as Australians. Perhaps the endless horizon has made us a nation of optimists.

That spirit of optimism is what drives our Australians of the Year.

What's your passion?

If I could only use one word to describe our Australian of the Year Award recipients it would be passionate.

 Regardless of their area of interest, the thing that is common to them all – and there's 51 years of evidence now – is that whatever they do, they give it 110 per cent.  Not only 110 per cent of their time, but 110 per cent of their energy, their thought, their enthusiasm and their commitment. 

This is never truer that in the extraordinary year that is theirs when they are announced as Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year or Australia's Local Hero.

Does this sound like someone you know?  Someone who’s making a real difference?  We’d love to hear about them!  You can nominate them now for the Australian of the Year Awards 2012.