Honouring Deanne Nation our 2025 Sally Smith Award Recipient
PWSA Victoria is proud to announce Deanne Nation as the recipient of this year’s Sally Smith Award — an award that recognises extraordinary contributions to the Prader–Willi Syndrome (PWS) community, often made quietly, persistently, and with deep compassion.
Deanne’s contribution is both profound and, at times, unseen, not because it is small, but because much of her work occurs behind layers of red tape, privacy restrictions, and the complex realities of the out-of-home care system.
For more than three decades, Deanne has opened her home, her heart, and her life to foster and kinship children, including children with complex medical and behavioural needs. Her story, as shared through Anglicare Victoria, is one of unwavering commitment, empathy, and belief in the inherent worth of every child, that every child deserves to feel safe, understood, and cherished.
What makes Deanne’s contribution to the PWS community so extraordinary is where she has chosen to stand.
Families caring for children with PWS in out-of-home care often sit at arm’s length from the broader community, not by choice, but by circumstance. Privacy laws, departmental processes, and fragmented systems can mean carers are left without access to critical information, lived experience, and the support networks that so many families rely on.
This is where Deanne has stepped in.
Deanne has worked closely with government departments to help bridge the gap between systems and real families. She has been a calm, grounded, and practical voice at the table, advocating for processes that make sense, information that reaches carers when they need it, and supports that truly reflect the day-to-day realities of raising a child with PWS.
Through her advocacy, Deanne is:
- helping create pathways that did not previously exist
- ensuring carers are not left isolated
- improving understanding and specialised care for children with PWS living in care
She does this work with humility and perseverance, often quietly, often without recognition, and often in spaces where progress is slow and barriers are high.
Today, we honour Deanne not only for what she has already achieved, but for what she continues to pave the way for:
a future where out-of-home care families have equal access to information, equal access to community, and equal access to the lived-experience support that sits at the heart of the PWSA Victoria family.
Deanne, your dedication reflects the true spirit of the Sally Smith Award — compassion, courage, and a commitment to lifting others up, even when the path is complex.
Your work has reached children, carers, and professionals across the system, and your advocacy is reshaping what meaningful, informed support can look like for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
On behalf of PWSA Victoria, and with deep gratitude, we thank you for your care, your leadership, and your heart.
Congratulations, Deanne.
