Holly Conroy, the trailblazing trans truck driver from Wagga Wagga, stole the show at last night's Honour Awards in Sydney, where she took home the Community Hero award for her advocacy and community leadership in rural Australia.
Conroy, who featured in SBS documentary Untold Australia: Country Town Pride, was a driving force behind the first-ever Pride parade in Wagga Wagga last year - sharing her story of self-realisation with both her local community and the whole country.
Accepting the award, an emotional Conroy revealed her long battle with depression - a driving force, she said, in her ongoing fight to increase visibility for trans people living in rural Australia.
Later in the evening, SBS presented the award for Community Organisation of the year to the Sydney chapter of PFLAG Australia (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays), a non-profit voluntary organisation dedicated to supporting family and friends of Sydney's LGBTIQ+ people.
Other notable winners included long-time advocate and ally Peter Fitzsimons, who took out the media award; Queerstories, which took out the Arts & Entertainment Award; and Liam Davies, who won the Young Achiever Award for his work in advocating for mental health and wellbeing in rural and regional LGBTIQ+ communities.
In addition, community leader, comedian and broadcaster Julie McCrossin and historian Robert French were each recognised for their decades of queer activism and advocacy, each receiving the annual ACON Presidents Award.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill congratulated the winners and all the finalists on their achievements and community service.
“Last night’s awards were a truly inspirational and thoroughly entertaining evening, serving as an amazing celebration of the vibrant, strength and resiliency of our communities," he said in a statement.
"I’d like to thank all the people who submitted nominations, our independent judging panel, as well as all our guests for coming along and supporting ACON."
The annual event, which was this year hosted by NITV's Matty Webb, is a celebration of the inspiring stories, achievements and unsung heroes of NSW's LGBTIQ+ community, raising funds for ACON's important slate of programs and services to improve the health and wellbeing of Australian LGBTIQ+ people.
