No matter what happens, she just keeps going. Trisha Broadbridge – 2006 Young Australian of the Year

Twenty four year old Trisha Broadbridge, from Victoria, is the 2006 Young Australian of the Year.

Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, and Parliamentary Secretary for Children and Youth Affairs, Sussan Ley, today congratulated Trisha, who supports and inspires children through the Reach Foundation.

“Trisha is one of the Reach Foundation’s ‘original crew’ of young leaders, and since 2000 she has been facilitating and inspiring groups of teenagers in activity based educational programs to help them improve their self-esteem,” Senator Patterson said.

“She specialises in leading workshops and camps to give teenagers a place where they can let loose, connect with others and be heard.

“After losing her husband, Troy Broadbridge, in the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Trisha joined forces with the Reach Foundation to establish the Reach Broadbridge Fund, which she now manages on a part-time basis.

“She has, with the help of the Melbourne Football club, also established The Broadbridge Education Centre on Thailand’s Phi Phi Island.

“The centre assists young people affected by the tsunami, allowing them to continue to learn after such devastation,” Senator Patterson said.

Ms Ley said Trisha is very deserving of the award and is an inspirational figure for all young Australians.

“This committed Australian believes that no matter what happens, you have to keep going, and she has proven she lives by this edict,” Ms Ley said.

“I congratulate Trisha, who has continued to support young people to learn and find their voices, even through her own terrible loss,” Ms Ley said.