As South Australia launches its first-ever SA Women’s Week on 1 March 2025, the Office for Women and the Australian Day Council SA have recognised the outstanding contribution of five extraordinary women awarded with the Inspiring South Australian Women’s Awards.

April Lawrie, Ella Stratton, Joanna Wells, Hayley Frazer and Andriana Petrakis were honoured alongside the Citizen of the Year and the Leadership in Languages and Cultures award recipients during a ceremony last night at Government House.

Congratulations to these extraordinary women who are shaping the South Australian future through their leadership, advocacy, and resilience:

Award Categories

Inspiring Women’s Award

• Winner: April Lawrie, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, is a proud Aboriginal woman who has led systemic reform in Aboriginal health, education, and child protection.  April’s work, including her role as co-founder of the Tjindu Foundation, has been instrumental in creating opportunities for young Aboriginal people, strengthening cultural resilience, and driving government service reform.
• Commendation: Ella Stratton, founder of HAS Foundation, has made an outstanding contribution in helping children with life-limiting illnesses and their families with ‘Live for the Moment, Love for a Lifetime’. After her son, Hunter Alfred Stratton, passed away, Ella founded the HAS Foundation in 2018 to provide paediatric palliative care support to families walking a similar path and help them create lifelong memories.
• Commendation: Joanna Wells, commended for her tireless environmental advocacy, led the Conservation Council of SA’s ‘Big Trees’ campaign and has been instrumental in influencing government policy to protect South Australia’s urban forests. Through research, workshops, and grassroots activism, Joanna has empowered communities to stand up for their environment, championing the critical role that tree canopies provide in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Emerging Leader Award

• Winner: Hayley Frazer, a 20-year-old writer and artist living with dyslexia and dysgraphia, has been recognised in the Emerging Leader category for her strong advocacy for inclusive learning environments and her literacy work that explores friendship, resilience, and individuality. At just 15 years old, she published her first book ‘Something a Little Different’, which has become a cornerstone for promoting social literacy and has been included in the South Australian Premier’s Reading Challenge 2024.
• Commendation: The Autistic tennis player, Andriana Petrakis, has been recognised for being a role model for young people with intellectual disability. When Adriana was 9 she started playing tennis to build her motor skills, hand-eye coordination and social skills. Just over a decade later, Andriana represented Australia at the Virtus Global Games in 2023, the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with intellectual disability and was awarded Tennis SA’s Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability 2023.

More information on the Inspiring South Australian Women’s Awards

Photo Credit: From left to right, Ella Stratton, Joanna Wells, April Lawrie and Hayley Frazer.