The 2022 Victoria Australian of the Year is athlete, paralympian, philanthropist, media commentator and advocate Dylan Alcott OAM.
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As a teenager, Alcott hated being in a wheelchair because he didn't see anyone like him in mainstream media. Then sport changed everything.
A gold medal at the Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball preceded three more in Paralympic competition after a cross-code switch to tennis.
Now, with 23 quad wheelchair Grand Slam titles and a Newcombe Medal, Alcott recently became the first male in history, in any form of tennis, to win the Golden Slam.
Amid his training and competition load as a world-class athlete, Dylan notes that his most profound impact has come from beyond the field of play.
He founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation to provide scholarships and grant funding to marginalised Australians with a disability.
Gaye Hamilton, deputy chancellor of Victoria University, is the 2022 Victoria Senior Australian of the Year.
No-one can question Gaye Hamilton's unwavering enthusiasm for Melbourne's west - whether as deputy chancellor of Victoria University, chair of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, or director of the Victorian Government's State Sports Centres Trust.
The 2022 Victoria Young Australian of the Year is co-founder and executive director of Youth Activating Youth, Ahmed Hassan.
Dedicated, hardworking and fearless, 25-year-old Ahmed Hassan has a clear vision on how to best assist and advocate for disadvantaged young people from multicultural backgrounds. He possesses an innate ability to relate and connect, passing on critical life skills around education, employment, health and wellbeing.
In 2014, at the age of 18, Ahmed co-founded Youth Activating Youth, which offers support to marginalised and disadvantaged young people.
Leo op den Brouw, volunteer with the Mallacoota State Emergency Service, is the 2022 Victoria Local Hero.
For 35 years, Leo op den Brouw has been an active volunteer with the Mallacoota State Emergency Service.
His dedication and inspirational leadership were on display during and after the 2019-20 bushfires, when the Mallacoota community faced one of its greatest challenges. On New Year's Eve 2019, a huge bushfire devastated the Mallacoota township and surrounding area. The fire ravaged 123 homes and burnt 83 per cent of the land.
The Victorian award recipients will join those from the other states and territories for the national awards on January 25, 2022.