The City of Joondalup Citizens of the Year were announced on Sunday 26 January 2025. Learn about the award winners below:
2025 Community Citizen of the Year, Christina Papafilis
Christina Papafilis is a compassionate and engaging professional with a genuine passion for supporting and improving the lives of people with disability.
Having worked in the disability sector for several years, the 30-year-old started her career as an education assistant and progressed to leadership and mentor roles. Always striving to deliver the best possible outcomes for people, Christina continues to develop her knowledge to ensure she’s up to date with best practice skills and strategies to secure help for her vulnerable clients.
Christina establishes authentic, meaningful relationships with people, and applies creative solutions and problem-solving skills to manage challenges. While many would accept defeat if the system says no, Christina is one of those rare individuals who doesn't give up.
This has included raising issues at a political level, and working to launch legal appeals for clients with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Christina is a specialist support coordinator who truly goes above and beyond expectations to ensure her clients in her community get the support they need, and in doing so has raised matters to the highest level of government for action.
Christina's clients, their family, and the wider team at Pillar Support are all deeply appreciative of Christina's fighting spirit. She is also a very hard working single mother who balances her career and parenthood.
2025 Young Community Citizen of Year, Aimee Wright
Aimee Wright is a 19-year-old with a passion for helping other young people in need.
For several years, she has worked with the Spiers Centre to sort through various donations and create fresh produce bags, hygiene bags, and help run a community closet of donated clothes, which has also given her the opportunity to engage in many conversations with individuals about their experiences and needs.
Aimee has also helped with the centre’s social club and craft group, engaging with individuals facing isolation or that have disabilities and providing activities and conversations to support them, and assisted the centre to apply for youth finance grants.
These initiatives have provided the community with support and resources to assist in everyday life. Having conversations makes individuals feel heard and supported, creating a more positive aspect of life for them. Aimee has received many comments about how the food, clothes and hygiene bags have helped significantly. And the people in the craft and social groups have valued having a support person there to have conversations and provide them with new activities to reduce isolation.
Aimee is also a Neami RightByYou youth ambassador. RightByYou is a youth peer-to-peer suicide prevention website designed by and for young people. It supports young people who want to help their friends experiencing a mental health crisis.
Aimee has run several stalls around Perth to promote the website and resources available for young people, teachers and parents, and to be a physical presence for young people to have an open conversation around mental health.
She has also run self-care workshops to provide young people with information and resources to assist in moments of stress or worry, and been part of many feedback conversations and shared ideas on how to make the program more beneficial.
Aimee is also a youth representative on the City of Joondalup’s Strategic Community Reference Group, starting in 2022 and nominated for a second term to take her to the end of 2025.
Here she advocates for a diverse range of young people to make sure their ideas and voices for initiatives and projects are heard. She does this by having conversations and conducting surveys, which also empowers young people to have their say and make a difference in their own communities.
Aimee received the Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award in 2020 and in 2024 was nominated for the 7 News Young Achiever Awards 2024 - Community service and volunteer award.
2025 Senior Community Citizen of the Year, Roger Howell
Roger Howell is a dedicated advocate for veterans, with a remarkable history of service and commitment to their welfare.
As a former Commander at Marine Rescue Whitfords, Roger has demonstrated strong leadership and a passion for community service.
Currently a member of the Joondalup City RSL, Roger tirelessly volunteers his time at the Veteran Support Centre, serving as a senior advocate in military compensation, which enables him to effectively submit claims for injury compensation on behalf of veterans.
Understanding that some veterans may struggle to travel, Roger goes above and beyond by visiting them in their own homes, ensuring they receive the support they need.
His hard work and dedication have allowed him to assist veterans in navigating the complexities of the compensation system, ensuring they receive the benefits they deserve.
In addition to his advocacy work, Roger actively mentors new trainee advocates, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide high-quality support to veterans.
He also organises events that foster a sense of community among veterans, helping to strengthen connections and support networks.
His commitment to both individual veterans and the broader veteran community exemplifies his unwavering dedication to service and care.
Roger's expert guidance and selfless commitment continue to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who have served their country.
2025 Active Citizenship for Community Group or Event of the Year, Dolphin Program at Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club
The Dolphin Program, initiated by small dedicated group of volunteers at the Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club, has been a beacon of inclusivity and community spirit since its inception on 5 November 2015.
Starting with just four young people with special needs, the program has grown to support over 20 participants, creating a safe, supportive and engaging environment for all involved.
The primary goal of the Dolphin Program is to foster an inclusive community where children and adults with additional needs can participate, learn and enjoy surf lifesaving activities.
The program aims to immerse participants in surf club culture, teach surf awareness and basic first aid skills, encourage and maintain physical fitness and help participants form new friendships and establish positive networks.
The program has successfully integrated participants into the broader surf lifesaving community, with some becoming patrolling members and one participant representing his peers at the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships in 2024.
The Dolphin Program exemplifies the spirit of community and inclusion and has transformed the lives of its participants, their families and members of the Sorrento Surf Lifesaving Club.
