Over 20 years, Sobia Hashmi and her husband Irfan have transformed healthcare in remote and rural communities in South Australia, including Coober Pedy where they still own the local Pharmacy and continue to provide excellent service.

They’ve established six pharmacies in areas where there were previously none – which forced people to travel long distances for basic medications and care. At Coober Pedy where Sobia and Irfan began in Australia, the pharmaceutical system was beginning to fail in remote areas.

Through the dedicated Hashmi team, Coober Pedy and its dependent communities in the Far North of South Australia have experienced reliable and consistent pharmaceutical services. The remote areas were blessed to have experienced trainees from overseas contracted by the Hashmi family to serve in the outback community for a suitable period.

From a community perspective, Coober Pedy is already a diverse, multicultural community by the nature of the opal mining industry. The Hashmi family was embraced as part of the larger collective of nationalities already resident in the town. In 2024 the remote areas of the Far North of South Australia, are better off health-wise because of the initiatives of the Hashmi family in earlier years. We thank them independently of any awards. The Hashmi’s are a deserving choice.

Sobia (48) and Irfan (51) are committed to serving their diverse communities, and to this end employ staff who collectively speak 21 languages, allowing them to reach vulnerable populations and provide culturally sensitive healthcare.

They have mentored countless intern pharmacists from overseas, coordinating multilingual education and outreach initiatives to help pharmacists enter the much-needed workforce in regional Australia. Their free weekly webinar series has assisted 4,000 overseas pharmacists in passing their exams in the last 12 months alone.

Their pharmacy group has won various other awards and recognition for its commitment to improving health literacy and access to healthcare services, including an SA Multicultural Governor’s Award in 2022.

More recipients for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards for South Australia were announced at a ceremony in Adelaide on Thursday evening.

The 2025 Australian of the Year for South Australia is child protection expert, Professor Leah Bromfield.

Professor Leah Bromfield has devoted her life to establishing practical, evidence-based solutions to child abuse and neglect – important but challenging work.

Currently the director and chair of child protection at the Australian Centre for Child Protection, Leah developed the first evidence-based analysis of child protection practice frameworks. She informed improvements including the development of a new framework in South Australia and was on the team which advocated for – and got – the first National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children in 2007.

Over two decades, 46-year-old Leah has risen to become one of the most trusted researchers in the field. Her calls for transformation and radical redesign have led to world-first insights and contributed to significant changes in our understanding of, and responses to, child abuse and neglect.

She’s leading the development of a new child protection vision for South Australia, exploring unconventional approaches and interrogating assumptions to break the cycle of abuse.

Indigenous advocate and knowledge holder, Charles Jackson OAM, is the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year for South Australia.

Charles Jackson OAM’s passion has been working with Indigenous Australians for more than 50 years.

The youngest of fourteen children, Charles didn’t go through mainstream schooling. He left home at 15 years of age and began his working life as a drover. He’s held many jobs including, marriage celebrant, cultural awareness teacher, board member, services coordinator and NDIS officer.

Charles was the first Aboriginal in Australia to become a JP in 1978. – they all reflect Charles’ unwavering commitment to the underserved members of his community.

Today, Charles is a knowledge holder for Flinders Ranges Nation and working towards Wilpena Pound becoming a world heritage site.

Charles’ latest venture is his new business, Urndu – an organisation that helps the Aboriginal community via culturally appropriate training and provides support and resources for people with disabilities or age-related impairments.

Through his role as an advocate for the Aboriginal and wider community, the 75-year-old hopes to create a brighter future for all.

The 2025 Young Australian of the Year for South Australia is Founder of the South Australian Youth Forum, Amber Brock-Fabel.

In a world where young people often have laws made for and about them, 20-year-old Amber Brock-Fabel is ensuring youth voices are heard.

Amber founded the South Australian Youth Forum in 2021 at just 17 years old. It empowers those aged 14 to 18 to discuss critical issues such as climate change, period poverty, gender equality and youth loneliness. The insights gathered – including surveys and models of engagement – are then presented to lawmakers and relevant organisations.

Under Amber’s leadership, the Forum has secured partnerships and collaborations with various organisations, gaining both national and international recognition, and was recently represented at the United Nations Summit of the Future, the National Inquiry into Civics Education and the Australian Conference on Youth Health.

The youth-led initiative won the Connecting Communities Award at the Young Achiever of the Year Gala in 2024, while Amber herself received the Governor of South Australia’s Commendation for Excellence.

National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO congratulated the South Australia recipients.

The South Australia recipients will join those from the other states and territories for the national awards to be announced on 25 January 2025.

“The South Australian award recipients are doing important work with real impact and we look forward to welcoming them to Canberra,” said Mark.

“Professor Bromfield has spent her life working to protect children; Charles is a knowledge holder and advocate for his community; Amber is ensuring young people are heard; while Sobia and Irfan are sharing much-needed health literacy, care and support to diverse communities across the state.”