Vincentian Kylan Beech, who hails from Barmera in the Riverland region of South Australia, 220 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, was named South Australia’s Young Citizen of the Year in 2024 for his Cancer Council fundraising and volunteering commitments.

Kylan is also an Australia Day Ambassador with the role of encouraging locals to come together to reflect and celebrate. He spent this Australia Day at a Sandalwood ceremony to recognise the district’s most outstanding residents.

‘It is an awesome community, the recipients were very deserving of their awards,’ Kylan said.

‘It is such an honour to be an ambassador for the Australia Day Council and to encourage people to do good work for their community.

‘It’s not all about making individual people go out and fundraise... as an ambassador my role is to hopefully inspire people to support and champion good things in their community (to inspire) people to be the best they can be’”

After losing his mother to cancer at a young age, Kylan has dedicated much of his life to fundraising and helping others.

Raising more than $100,000 for the Cancer Council through a bike ride from the Gold Coast to Adelaide with his three brothers, he is also a disability support worker and has been a Member of St Vincent de Paul Society for many years. He has worked as Youth Minister and is a mentor for local youth in Adelaide.

‘The Australia Day Awards are amazing, and I feel very privileged to be part of them,’ he said.

‘I really love to be able to encourage others, and seeing the smiles on the faces of recipients and their community is great. I can’t wait to go to more councils and meet different communities in the years to come.”