Australia's most successful Olympian could soon add Young Australian of the Year to her growing list of achievements after being nominated as Queensland's pick for the 2024 accolade.
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Emma McKeon, 29, became the first female swimmer and the second woman in history to win seven medals - four gold and three bronze - at a single Olympics during the 2021 event in Tokyo.
She has also broken multiple Commonwealth Games, Olympic and world records and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2022.
Born and raised in Wollongong, south of Sydney, McKeon relocated to Brisbane in 2014 for her swimming career and now calls the Gold Coast home.
The 2024 Australian of the Year Award recipients for Queensland were announced at a ceremony in Brisbane on Wednesday evening.
The state's nominee for Australian of the Year is men's empowerment advocate Marco Renai.
Mr Renai founded the Men of Business (MOB) Academy, a senior secondary school aiming to empower at-risk young men with skills, knowledge and confidence.
After his personal experience as a troubled teen and later volunteer work in youth justice, Mr Renai raised $1 million to open the doors of academy in 2020.
Three years later and the academy is a federal and state-funded accredited organisation with two branches, 35 staff, thousands of graduates and 195 students.
The founders of a food relief organisation which has fed more than one million people have been nominated as Queensland's 2024 Senior Australians of the Year.
Reverend Robyn Burch, 72, and Reverend Lindsay Burch, 75, started Havafeed in 1994 with a van and donated loaves of bread.
Nearly three decades later, it is a regular fixture at a community centre where visitors can enjoy a hot meal, pick up a hamper, connect with others or talk with a local support service six days a week.
The co-founder of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History has been named as the 2024 Local Hero for Queensland.
A chance discovery of a dinosaur fossil during routine sheep mustering in 1999 by David Elliott, now 66, led to the revival of Australia's palaeontology field.
As palaeontologists began to return to the region to investigate following his discovery, Mr Elliott and his wife Judy founded the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History in 2002 as a not-for-profit charity.
Acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles said the awards exemplified outstanding Queenslanders from all walks of life.
"The recipients have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to Queensland and Australia, and their tireless efforts and dedication to making positive change and improving the lives of others," he said.
The Queensland recipients will join those from the other states and territories for the national awards to be announced on January 25, 2024.
Australian Associated Press
