Residents Recognised at South Australian of the Year Awards
For making an impact within our local community and all across our state, congratulations to three Burnside residents who in December 2024 were recognised at the South Australian of the Year awards.
Amber Brock-Fabel won the 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year, while Irfan and Sobia Hashmi won the 2025 Local Heroes for SA award.
Irfan and Sobia Hashmi - 2025 Local Heroes for SA award
Husband and wife duo Irfan and Sobia have played pivotal roles in transforming regional healthcare through the establishment of six rural pharmacies. Previously required to travel long distances to receive pharmaceutical services, these facilities have improved access to basic medications and care for people living in isolated South Australian communities.
Employing staff who collectively speak 21 languages, the Hashmi’s have engaged countless intern pharmacists, delivering multilingual education and outreach programs to support their entry into the essential regional Australian workforce. In the past 12 months alone, their free weekly webinar series has enabled 4,000 overseas pharmacists to pass their exams. These healthcare professionals are highly trained and fill essential gaps in the workforce that would otherwise go unfilled.
Amber Brock-Fabel - 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year
Amber, a former City of Burnside Young Citizen of the Year, founded the South Australian Youth Forum in 2021 at the age of 17, with the goal of creating an authentic, youth-led platform for young people to discuss the critical issues that impact their lives, including topics such as climate change, period poverty, gender equality and youth loneliness. Providing a safe and empowering space for young people, the Forum produces a yearly Annual Report which has been presented to ministers and parliamentarians and cited in statewide youth action plans and legislations.
The Youth Forum was in attendance at the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York and were expert witnesses at the National Inquiry into Civics Education.
Speaking on what drives her passion towards the Forum, Amber said her goal is to amplify the voices of young people in all fields of decision-making, including politics, communities, academia, schools and homes.
‘It wasn’t until I became absolutely immersed in this group, surrounded by passionate, different and kind young people, that I finally felt complete. This sparked my love for community; being part of a space where I feel like I belong. I’ve witnessed the detriment of loneliness within myself and my peers; and unfortunately in today’s world, young people are the loneliest demographic in Australia.’
‘I want to continue creating a safe space where young people from all corners of Australia, from all walks of life, can come together to meet, to chat, and to create change.’
Following their recognition at the South Australian awards, all three winners represented SA at the national awards on 25 January 2025. The City of Burnside is incredibly proud of their contributions to the community as they continue to help shape our present and future.
Irfan and Sobia Hashmi (far left) and Amber Brock-Fabel (far right)photo credit: NADC / Salty Dingo
