Dean Morris is only 18-years-old and has already accomplished more than some will in a lifetime.
The dedicated Mandurah resident started a campaign called GOSAC - Give Our Strays A Chance when he was just 10 to raise awareness about adopting and donating to animal shelters in Western Australia.
Eight years later, Mr Morris won 2021 Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year for his incredible work rescuing stray wildlife in WA.
Since starting GOSAC, he has raised nearly $500,000 in donations to go towards this cause.
Dean has also recently written a book with the aim of educating children and young people about animal welfare and how they can work in their community to make it a better place.
The book is called 'Saving the World One Stray at a Time' and tells the story of a stray dog at the pound and a young boy trying to make a difference to help.
Dean is working to visit schools and libraries across the community to talk about animal welfare, leadership and how young people can work to improve their communities.
Mandurah MP David Templeman praised Mr Morris for his commitment to rescue and save stray wildlife in the community.
"The work Dean has done in the community to rescue and save stray wildlife is quite inspiring and I was fascinated to meet with him and discuss how he started on this journey, Mr Templeman said.
"I was very impressed with Dean's book and I think it is wonderful that he is seeking to inspire other young people to make a difference in their communities in any way they can.
"We are so lucky to have such a motivated young man like Dean in our community and I hope other young people can gain inspiration from his story."