Mallacoota’s Leo op den Brouw has been nominated for a 2022 Australian of the Year Victorian local hero award.
Leo, a Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) volunteer, is one of 16 Victorian nominated across the Australian of the Year, Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories, which feature a young man making meals for healthcare workers, a koala conservationist, the founder of a Sikh volunteer group, a human rights advocate and the only man to win the tennis Golden Slam.
The nominees are among 129 people being recognised across all states and territories as part of the program, which began in 1960.
The four award recipients from Victoria will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, November 10, in an online, livestreamed ceremony.
They will then join the other state and territory recipients as national finalists for the national awards announcement on January 25, 2022.

IMAGE: Leo op den Brouw