Meet our 2026 Australia Day Award recipients!

• The Citizen of the Year award was presented to Dr Renee Cremen, with Anna Alexander receiving a Highly Commended award.
• The Young Citizen of the Year award was presented to Claudia Kurowski, with Summer Adams receiving a Highly Commended award.
• The Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Noelle Halpin.

Five inspiring locals have been announced today as recipients of the 2026 Australia Day Awards, honoured for their dedication, leadership and generosity in making a difference to the Cairns community.

Held annually, Cairns Regional Council’s Australia Day Awards Ceremony celebrates residents who go above and beyond to strengthen community connection and support those in need.

Cairns Mayor Amy Eden said the Australia Day Awards recognised people who gave their time, energy and passion to make Cairns a better place for everyone.

“This year’s recipients reflect the diversity, resilience and generosity of our community, and Council is proud to honour their contributions,” Cr Eden said.

“Across three categories, we recognised leading citizens, young people and volunteers who leave a mark on their community and help Cairns to thrive.

“Caring for our neighbours and celebrating local champions are central to our national identity, making Australia Day a fitting occasion to recognise our five award recipients.”

Citizen of the Year – Dr Renee Cremen

Dr Cremen has made an enduring contribution to her community by securing the long-term sustainability, safety and quality of healthcare in the Babinda region.

She played a pivotal role in transforming the 22-bed Babinda Hospital into a Commonwealth-funded Multipurpose Health Service, protecting its financial viability and enabling service growth.

When the town lost all local GP services, she helped establish an in-house, bulk-billing medical practice, ensuring residents retained access to essential primary care.

Citizen of the Year (Highly Commended) – Anna Alexander

Ms Alexander has made a significant contribution to Cairns and regional Australia through values-driven leadership, policy expertise and deep community commitment.

Most notably, she identified a gap in leadership pathways and led the transformation of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leaders Program into the region’s premier leadership initiative, strengthening the future workforce.

Ms Alexander has contributed strategically to bodies including Advance Cairns, the Regional Jobs Committee and Smart Green Economy initiatives, always focused on practical outcomes for the region.

Young Citizen of the Year – Claudia Kurowski

Ms Kurowski has made an exceptional contribution to her community through youth leadership, advocacy and service at local, state and national levels.

As the Member for Cairns in the Queensland Youth Parliament in 2024 and 2025, she made history as the youngest ever elected, serving as Chief Government Whip and later Youth Minister for Health.

In this role, she led the drafting of two significant youth bills on healthcare security and Ryan’s Rule reform, both reviewed by the Queensland Cabinet and still under consideration for implementation.

Beyond parliament, Ms Kurowski is the co-founder of The Gratitude Initiative, a charity supporting young girls through education, leadership workshops and donations to regional hospitals and international causes, including raising $5,000 for girls’ education overseas.

Young Citizen of the Year (Highly Commended) – Summer Adams

Ms Adams has made a passionate contribution to the Cairns community through remarkable self-driven leadership in wildlife conservation, community care and youth empowerment.

Motivated by a visit to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, she founded Summer Spirit, a sustainable initiative where she handcrafts and sells products at markets and online, donating all profits to conservation and community causes.

Entirely self-funded, Ms Adams invests countless hours in production, marketing, safety compliance and stall operations, often sacrificing weekends and social time.

She became a top three Australia Zoo Visionary Wildlife Warrior fundraiser in 2024 and completed wildlife carer training locally with The Agile Project in 2025

Volunteer of the Year – Noelle Halpin

Ms Halpin has made an immeasurable contribution to the Cairns community through more than 20 years of dedicated volunteer service across education, sport, charity and community wellbeing.

She has held key governance and leadership roles with numerous organisations, including schools, sporting clubs and charities, providing financial oversight, administration, mentoring and hands-on support that has strengthened each organisation she served.

As President of She Shed Cairns Inc, Ms Halpin leads one of the region’s most impactful women’s support organisations, helping create a safe, inclusive and empowering space for women of all ages and backgrounds.

While modelling servant leadership, Ms Halpin has volunteered monthly with Rosies for over two decades, offering food, compassion and dignity to people experiencing homelessness.