Maules Creek resident Shanna Whan has been honoured nationally for her work in addressing alcohol use in rural communities through her charity, Sober in the Country.
Mrs Whan was presented with the honour by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a celebration at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
The award pays tribute to Mrs Whan for single-handedly creating radical social impact and change around how we discuss and use alcohol in rural Australia.
When she almost lost her life to alcohol addiction in 2015, giving up drinking was just the start.
What began as volunteer work to help others locally, evolved into a grassroots charity called Sober in the Country (SITC) which now has a national reach and offers peer support, powerful broadscale advocacy and education.
Mrs Whan donated about 20,000 hours to the cause and now travels on invitation as the spokesperson for SITC.
She has appeared on multiple major national media platforms, in person, in paddocks and at conferences.
She courageously shared her harrowing journey to sobriety on Australian Story in 2019.
Now, through the national charity, the 47-year-old is amplifying the essential, life-saving message and charity campaign that it is always “OK to say no” to booze.
Chair of the National Australia Day Council, Danielle Roche OAM, congratulated Mrs Whan and the 2022 Australian of the Year Award recipients.
“Shanna is an inspiring and tireless local hero who not only overcame her own life-threatening challenges, but turned the experience into a force for good,” she said.
“Her Sober in the Country movement is changing lives across remote and rural Australia.”
Mr Morrison praised Mrs Whan for turning people’s lives around.
“Thank you for making such a huge difference to people’s lives,” he said.
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