Meet the 2025 Ageing Australia You are ACE! Award winners

Aged Care Employee Day 2025, which was promoted on agedcare101.com.au, has wraped up with the announcement of the annual award winners.

Ageing Australia's annual event to say ‘thanks for caring’ to the dedicated and compassionate care workforce was on 7 August.

The peak body highlighted a wave of passionate Gen Z professionals are entering the aged care sector early with some stepping into management roles.

Aged care worker Brianna Browne began her career in the sector at just 17 years old after leaving a job in real estate.

“Straight out of school, I did my Cert IV in real estate,” she said. “But I didn’t enjoy it. I wanted to be in a role where I could care for people and build real human connections, so I gave aged care a shot and I absolutely loved it from day one."

According to the Aged Care Worker Survey 2024, conducted in December last year, the average worker is 47 years old, most are female, and many have been in the sector for decades.

Since joining Harbison Retirement Living Village, in Burradoo, NSW in 2022 as a personal care worker Brianna has moved into a management role as Deputy Personal Care Manager.

Now, she is a winner in the 2025 Ageing Australia You Are ACE! Awards in the Rising Star category for her rapid career progression and the impact she has already made at the Not For Profit provider in NSW's Southern Highlands.

In her work, Brianna ensures residents receive high-quality care while mentoring staff and helping to foster a collaborative, values-driven culture, she says.

“I’m the youngest person in a leadership role at Harbison,” she says. “Some of the people I manage are three times my age. But age doesn’t define capability. If you show up with heart and commitment, people respect that.”

For Brianna, being present is non-negotiable. Every morning she does a walk-through, greeting staff, checking in, and offering help.

“I don’t want to just sit in an office. I want my team to feel supported. I want them to know I’m here, I see them, and I’ve got their back,”

That mindset has made a tangible difference. One staff member recently approached her with a goal to move into an admissions role. Brianna arranged shadowing time and off-floor support.

“She told me she felt heard and believed in. That’s what leadership should be about,” Brianna said.

She is now planning to begin a diploma in leadership and management, with long-term ambitions to become a general manager in aged care.

“This nomination means so much to me,” she says. “It shows that passion, dedication, and the willingness to learn really are valued. It motivates me to keep striving for excellence and to help others do the same.”

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Individual - Consumer focus and care category

James Wotherspoon, Southern Cross Care, St Joseph’s Aged Care Tweed Heads, NSW

Individual - Innovation category

David Martin, St Vincent's Care, VIC & NSW

Individual - Leadership category

Faye Spiteri, Fronditha Care, VIC

Individual - Rising star category

Brianna Browne, Harbison Retirement Living Village, NSW

Individual - Volunteer category

Carol Pickering, Villa Maria Catholic Homes, VIC

Team - Consumer focus and care category

CHSP group-based program (centre-based respite and seniors social support group), SydWest Multicultural Services, NSW

Team - Innovation category

Waratah Allied Health Team, Maroba Nursing Home, NSW

Team - Making a difference category

ActiveStrongerBetter Seniors Exercise Program, NovaCare Community Services, NSW

Team - Project category

Curtin University Media Student Volunteers, Melville Cares, WA

Team - Teamwork category

Volunteer Relations, Wesley Mission Queensland

Organisation - Consumer focus and care category
St Vincent's Care, QLD

Organisation - Excellence category

Former Cadonna House employee and now resident Annette Doran

Cadorna House Aged Care, TAS

Organisation - Innovation category
Kaloma Home for The Aged, QLD

Organisation - Making a difference category

(Housemate) celebrating Emerald Glades’ national win

(From left) Linda Lawrance (Office Manager), Emma Morrison (Housemate), Abderazzaq Noor (Ageing Australia General Manager of Marketing and Communications), Tracy Winning, Chi Dirorimwe (Residential Manager), Danielle Tesse (Housemate), Taylah Boatwood (Clinical Care Manager) and Tania Campanelli

Organisation - Rural and remote category

Selectability, QLD

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A special thanks to our contributors

Caroline Egan

DCM Media, agedcare101

Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

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Ian Horswill

Journalist

Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

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Lauren Broomham

Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

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Jill Donaldson

Physiotherapist

Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

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Chris Baynes

DCM Media, agedcare101

Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

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Annie Donaldson

Nurse and Carer

Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.

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