- Samuel Johnson was awarded Victorian Australian of the year on Thursday
- The award comes just weeks after his beloved sister Connie died from cancer
- The passionate cancer fundraiser co-founded charity Love Your Sister
- Mr Johnson, also an actor, won a Gold Logie this year for his work on ‘Molly’
A tearful Samuel Johnson struggled to speak after the actor and cancer research fundraiser was announced as Victoria’s Australian of the Year.
The award comes just weeks after his beloved sister died from cancer.
‘Connie and I always liked turning negatives into positives,’ he said when he accepted the award on Thursday night.
‘Connie and I always liked turning negatives into positives,’ he said when he accepted the award on Thursday night
‘I’ve got some plans that I’m working on and I’m trying to uphold my sister’s legacy,’ Johnson said.
He apologised for being ‘useless’ but said he would continue to put aside acting to focus on supporting cancer research.
The passionate cancer fundraiser co-founded charity Love Your Sister with his older sister Connie, who died in September after a long battle with the disease.
Johnson pedalled more than 15,000km on a unicycle around Australia, raising $1.4 million for the Garvan Research Foundation and has helped raise more than $7 million for his charity.
A tearful Samuel Johnson struggled to speak after the actor and cancer research fundraiser was announced as Victoria’s Australian of the Year
Johnson pedalled more than 15,000km on a unicycle around Australia, raising $1.4 million for the Garvan Research Foundation and has helped raise more than $7 million for his charity
Thursday’s announcement as Victoria’s Australian of the Year for 2018 will help raise the profile of his charity and makes him a nominee for the national title in January.
In the Victorian awards, Johnson was up against fellow actor, author and marriage equality advocate Magda Szubanski.
She has won awards for her 2015 memoir Reckoning and has been applauded for standing up as a member of the gay and lesbian community and working with young people.
Bayside resident and founder of Ovarian Cancer Australia Karen Livingston and Mornington Peninsula animal advocate and investigator Lyn White were also nominated.
Samuel Johnson in the media room after winning the Gold Logie during the 2017 Logie Awards, which he dedicated to his sister Connie
The award comes just weeks after Samuel Johnson’s beloved sister Connie (pictured) died from cancer