Hawkesbury’s Australia Day celebrations will feature one of the nation’s most respected media figures, with journalist and broadcaster Kumud Merani named the city’s Australia Day Ambassador for 2026.
Ms Merani’s career spans continents and decades, marked by a series of firsts that helped shape Australia’s multicultural media landscape. She began her professional life in India as the country’s first television news presenter and anchor, before migrating to Australia in 1984. Here, she would again make history, becoming the first Asian woman to present World News on SBS.
Her journey to Australia coincided with a period of rapid social change, and Ms Merani has often spoken of being drawn to the country’s sense of mateship and its openness to stories from all parts of the world. For her, Australia offered not only opportunity, but the freedom to dream, grow and contribute as an Australian of Indian origin.
Now serving as an Australia Day Ambassador, Ms Merani continues to champion diversity, inclusion and community connection, values she believes sit at the heart of the national identity. She has described being Australian as recognising shared stories and ensuring every voice has a place in the public conversation.
Ms Merani will join Hawkesbury Mayor Les Sheather at the Australia Day ceremony at Hawkesbury City Council Chambers, where they will present the 2026 Australia Day Awards, recognising local residents who have made outstanding contributions to the community.
