Frankston City celebrates 2025 Citizens of the Year
Published on 28 January 2025
Frankston City’s 2025 Citizen of the Year Award winners have been celebrated at a special ceremony at Frankston Arts Centre.
Deputy Mayor Steffie Conroy announced the 2025 Citizen of the Year to be Wayne Holdsworth, who was nominated for his outstanding community contributions, impressive advocacy against sexual extortion and heartfelt fight to protect the mental health of the local community.
Wayne has been able to channel his own family tragedy – the passing of his 17-year-old son Mac – into the creation of SmackTalk, which aims to protect people against online threats and promote suicide prevention.
Since starting SmackTalk, Wayne has delivered numerous free presentations across the country, launched Unplug24 to encourage people to disconnect from social media, raised thousands of dollars in donations, been instrumental in the introduction of tougher laws around the minimum age for social media usage and was also nominated for the 2025 Australian of the Year Award.
Wayne is not only changing community understanding around these important social issues, but he is saving lives.
Wayne said: “I am really proud to be able to stand in front of you here today, leaving a legacy for my boy Mac. We lost him just over a year ago, my wife Maggie and I decided to use his death as a catalyst to do more around suicide prevention.”
“We have an opportunity to make a difference in the community. So, I’d encourage everyone to jump on smacktalk.com.au and register your interest in having a session delivered and as every session goes, we’ll save lives.”
Cr Emily Green announced the 2025 Young Citizen of the Year to be David McFarlane, who has made a significant and lasting impact on the local Scouts community through his unwavering commitment over the past 13 years.
As Unit Leader of the Mavis Rover Unit, David has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a genuine passion for guiding younger scouts.
David commits a large portion of his personal time to the Scouts and other community events. His devotion and efforts have been recognised with serval Scouts awards, which is a testament to his hard work and excellence in service.
Whether he is mentoring young scouts, leading seminars or working alongside his peers, David is positively impacting the lives of all those who interact with him.
David’s mother, Thelma McFarlane, attended the awards on his behalf and said: “When you volunteer you don’t expect anything, you are just volunteering to do your best for the community.”
“No one expects to actually be nominated and win an award for just doing what they think they should be doing.”
Cr Sue Baker announced the 2025 Community Group of the Year Award winner to be Women and Mentoring (WAM) for their work in matching supportive volunteer mentors with women and non-binary people who are experiencing legal issues.
The unique, early intervention program has been running for more than 16 years to provide a pathway for people to develop and use positive life skills.
Through their support, individuals can address the root cause of their original legal offence and prevent future involvement in the criminal justice system.
WAM builds connection and understanding throughout the community, breaking down shame and stigma for those who engage the service. They show that positive mentorship can create a positive and lasting change in a person and their community.
Women and Mentoring, Mentor Coordinator, Heather Stewart said: “It’s amazing to win. WAM is an organisation that has grown, we started off so small. So, the fact that we got to this point is amazing and what’s really fantastic is that we get to talk about what WAM do and hopefully more volunteers will put their hand up to help women in their own community.”
Frankston City Mayor, Kris Bolam, praised the award recipients for their contributions: “Congratulations to all our winners and thank you for your unwavering dedication to ensuring our city is a safe, supportive and thriving place. You should all be incredibly proud of your achievements – just as we are – and the lasting marks you have left behind.”
This event also included a citizenship ceremony, in which 68 Frankston City residents were formally welcomed as new Australian citizens.