Actors front and centre for Aussie awards
ACTOR and philanthropist Samuel Johnson OAM and actor and marriage equality advocate Magda Szubanski are among the contenders for the Victorian Australian of the Year awards.
Johnson won the 2017 Gold Logie and recently lost muchloved sibling Connie to cancer inspiring him to raise millions for his charity Love Your Sister.
Szubanski, most well known for her role as Sharon Strzelecki in Kath & Kim, has been a central figure in campaigning for the “yes” vote in the coming same-sex marriage postal plebiscite. The other finalists are cancer crusader Karen Livingstone and animal advocate Lyn White AM.
Ms Livingstone said she was honoured to be nominated after 27 years of work in the field. “The work I’ve done is extremely important to me, we don’t value cancer prevention enough until illness actually comes,” she said.
The Mentone mum-of-two lost her mother, father and husband to cancer and has since turned her personal tragedy into a force for public good.
Nominees for the 2018 Vic- torian Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero have also been announced and feature Aboriginal community leader Graham Atkinson and Paralympic champion Dylan Alcott.
The Victorian winners will be announced on October 26.
The national awards will be held on January 25.