Advocate who supported Peter Greste named ACT's Australian of the Year

A human rights lawyer and advocate has been named the ACT's Australian of the Year for 2027, recognised for his work supporting vulnerable Australians, from First Nations people to prisoners with wrongful convictions.Martin Hodgson, 46, represented hundreds of clients pro bono through the Foreign Prisoner Support Service and the Disappeared Project, which spotlights First Nations cold cases, and which he co-founded.Mr Hodgson paid tribute to his mum, who he said "has made me who I am"."When I was very little, we lived in a tent, and then we upgraded to a tractor shed in the bush, and shortwave radio introduced me to the world," he said."And I heard about Nelson Mandela and the troubles in Ireland and, at six, they were the things I wanted to solve.""Mum was the one who encouraged us to be whatever we wanted to be, but just to be good people, and to help others, which she did her whole career."Martin Hodgson with journalist Peter Greste's parents, Lois and Juris. (Supplied)Mr Hodgson said when he was a university student he helped an imprisoned Australian "in trouble overseas" get home — and since then "the phone never stopped".He has supported the Bali Nine and Australian foreign correspondent Peter Greste, who was imprisoned for 400 days in an Egyptian prison."I've had a real pleasure of working with Australians in trouble overseas, a lot of First Nations communities, and young Aboriginal mums who are doing it tough through no fault of their own and really being let down, and just being in their corner," Mr Hodgson said.He also helped free First Nations man Kevin Henry, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 25 years.Inventor wins Senior Australian of the YearFood scientist Andrzej Kilian was awarded the ACT's Senior Australian of the Year for his dedication to tackling global food security.Dr Kilian developed an efficient tool to analyse the DNA of organisms, helping farmers, scientists and ecologists improve crop yields.Dr Andrzej Kilian was named the 2027 ACT Senior Australian of the Year.He commercialised the invention in 2001 through the Diversity Arrays Technology social enterprise, located in Canberra.Accepting the award, Dr Kilian, who immigrated from Poland three decades ago, said he drew upon his love for cooking nutritious food for his wife when starting the company."This is extending that to the global community, so the catchphrase is, 'Can we feed 10 billion people, project for 2050, without destroying biodiversity?'" he said.Young Australian of the Year goes to man fighting lonelinessIn 2021, Zakary Pino began a routine of walking around Lake Burley Griffin each Sunday, as a way to combat his own loneliness and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.Zakary Pino tapped into a widely felt loss of connection during the pandemic era. (Supplied)He did not realise at the time that he was starting a movement that grew into the charity WITH-ME, bringing connection to thousands."The premise of it was to get people to walk and talk and also, for me, it was … to kind of learn off older people," Mr Pino said."Because I do believe that there's a lot to learn if you're older, speaking to younger people, and younger people speaking to older people."The 30-year-old also works to breaks down taboos around mental health by speaking with school students across the ACT.Mr Pino was named Young Australian of the Year for ACT.Founder of mothers' social enterprise is ACT's Local HeroMicaela Centenera's impact extends overseas through the provision of supplies to impoverished communities. (Supplied)Micaela Centenera has taken out the Local Hero award for her work advocating for community and connection among mothers.Ms Centenera was recognised for her mission to create a "free community" for women through her co-founded social enterprise, The Little Capsule Co, which included an online marketplace for new and pre-loved children's wear.Upon accepting the award, Ms Centenera recounted how her own experience inspired the organisation, which acted as "drop-in centre for women during those tough early days, where you just want to cry and you don't want to put your shoes on"."I moved to the ACT almost seven years ago now, and I lost my mum tribe, and it kind of felt very isolating when you've got a small one. You need community — it's so important to have people around you," she said.She also posts monthly medical, clothing, bedding and toiletry supplies to families facing extreme poverty.The four recipients will attend the national Australian of the Year awards in Canberra next year.