The highs and lows of grief; ACT Young Australian of the Year reflects

Since age 14, Mr Dondas had been a part of Canteen, a charity dedicated to supporting kids who had a loved one struggling with cancer.

After Mr Dondas' mother, Saluna, was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer and later passed away, he found Canteen his main support network.

"When mum passed away in 2009 from cervical cancer after years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and finally entering palliative care, Canteen had always been there for me," he said.

"When she was 38, she passed away and so as a young person, I had two younger brothers as well, so we were placed into foster care."

Growing up in Perth, the thing that was "stable" for Mr Dondas was Canteen, where he was able to connect with other young people and make friends for life.

"I was able to receive counselling to help me cope with the grief I was going through but also I was able to give back to the organisation, whether it's working in different subcommittees, working on the local committees and representing the local membership as well," he said.

"Eventually in 2015 I joined the board of directors, which is ultimately the main decision making body."

This service to community is what earned Mr Dondas the ACT Young Australian of the Year award in 2022.

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While Mr Dondas still has more than four months left to hold this year's title, he's eager to find out who he will be handing the baton to for next year.

"I think the ACT punches well above its weight, I think what I'm excited for ... is you don't know how wide the breadth and diversity of experiences of amazing people doing wonderful things in the territory until they get nominated," he said.

"What I'm obviously part of this year as well is being about encouraging everyone I speak to, to nominate others."

Mr Dondas said it was "an honour to be nominated in the first place" and hopes many Canberrans put through applications to represent the talent of the territory for next year.

"I think perhaps some of the misconceptions is [people think] others are better people than me or they're doing wonderful, amazing things," he said.

"I think part of [my position] has been encouraging people and saying look these are everyday people, everyday students doing great work in their communities, unsung heroes in all walks of life.

"It's not just sport, it's science, it's health, it's community service, it's volunteering, it's music, it's all of these different aspects of what makes Australia great and so I think that's what I've been encouraging this year."

Nominations for the 2023 Australian of the Year awards must be submitted by midnight July 31.

The person nominated must be living and an Australian citizen. There are four categories including Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year and Local Hero.

For more information on nominating a Canberran, visit www.australianoftheyear.org.au/nominate.

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