The Parkes Shire will be hosting two Australia Day ambassadors again this year.

One is architect, educator and global sustainability leader Professor HY William Chan and the other Associate Professor of Law, gender equality advocate, author and speaker Dr Skye Charry.

Get to know our ambassadors ahead of the big day on Monday below.

Prof HY William Chan

Adjunct Associate Professor HY William Chan is an award-winning architect and global sustainability leader shaping the cities and communities of tomorrow.

A first-generation Australian, William’s mission is clear ‘to design a fairer, more creative and climate-resilient future that empowers people and protects the planet’.

Over the past 15 years William has contributed to some of Australia’s most transformative projects, from public spaces and social housing to transit infrastructure and community developments.

His innovative approach to urban design has earned recognition from the Australian Institute of Architects, Good Design Australia and the Sustainability Awards.

Internationally, his work has been showcased at the Venice and Rotterdam Biennales, Milan and Oslo Triennales, and the Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.

William made history as the youngest-ever Lord Mayoral Councillor elected in the City of Sydney’s 180-year history aged in his 30s, where he chaired portfolios spanning environment, planning, heritage, transport and active mobility.

His civic leadership introduced pioneering policies, including Australia’s first planning controls for net-zero operational buildings and Sydney’s award-winning Urban Forest Strategy.

Forbes hails him as a “game-changing leader” set to disrupt the built environment sector for the next 50 years.

William co-founded Climate Action Week Sydney, served as Head of Delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and is an expert reviewer for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He represents more than 13,000 municipalities globally through executive roles with the Global Covenant of Mayors and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability.

His commitment to inclusion extends beyond policy as a UNICEF Young Ambassador, he championed youth voices in shaping child-friendly cities and co-authored the Things That Matter report presented to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Named in Forbes 30 Under 30, GreenBiz’s top 30 global sustainability leaders and the top 20 of the Qantas ‘100 Inspiring Australians’, William was inducted into the Australian of the Year Honour Roll in 2020.

Today, as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Practice at UTS, he mentors emerging professionals while driving research on creative and sustainable urban futures.

For William, being an Australia Day Ambassador is about celebrating the diversity, resilience and ingenuity of our communities.

"Celebrating our newest Aussies is always a highlight for me - a feeling strengthened especially during my time as a City of Sydney Councillor," William said.

"I still vividly remember being six years old at my own Australian citizenship ceremony with my parents. My twin brother and I were waving Australian flags with all the excitement in the world, while my parents stood behind us with faces full of joy, relief and emotion.

"That moment shaped my sense of belonging and it’s why welcoming new citizens will always feel so personal to me.

"My Australia is flavoured with childhood memories, like discovering sausage rolls for the first time at the school tuckshop. As a first-gen migrant kid, it felt like a small rite of passage.

"And now, when I represent Australia on the global stage including at the United Nations, I always bring Aussie snacks to share with other leaders. I call it ‘Tim Tam diplomacy’ and it works every time."

Dr Skye Charry

Dr Skye Charry is a nationally recognised authority on workplace sexual harassment, gender equity and rural culture, whose work has transformed conversations and policies across Australia.

Raised in Central Western NSW, Skye brings a deep understanding of rural life to her mission of creating safer, fairer workplaces.

Her groundbreaking book 'Whispers from the Bush: The Workplace Sexual Harassment of Australian Rural Women' was the first of its kind in Australia and inspired the acclaimed documentary Grace Under Fire.

As an Associate Professor of Law at the University of New England, Skye combines academic leadership with practical advocacy.

She co-founded S.A.C. Consulting Australia, delivering cultural reviews and gender equity programs to government, industry and education sectors nationwide.

Her expertise has informed major initiatives, including the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report, and she has led federally funded projects addressing gender equity in industries such as forestry, meat and seafood.

Skye’s influence extends beyond research. She has served as Vice President of YWCA Canberra, chaired the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Women, and currently sits on the Australian Gender Equality Council Board, and the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association advisory committee.

Her leadership earned her the University of Canberra Chancellor’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award and recognition as a finalist for the NSW Premier’s Regional Woman of the Year in 2024.

Skye has been selected by YWCA Australia as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and regularly addresses national conferences on gender equity and organisational culture. She is also currently an independent Director of the National Rural Women’s Coalition.

As an Ambassador, Skye hopes to inspire conversations about fairness, inclusion and the courage to create change, because for her, being Australian is heartfelt dedication to inclusive communities, fair workplaces, and a celebration of the strength of our diverse communities and the everyday Australians making extraordinary contributions.

"My most vivid memories come from my childhood in the Central West," Skye said.

"Australia Day meant the deafening hum of cicadas, the scratchy slide of plastic hastily pegged down over bindies, and my sister and I running a sprinkler under the trampoline to cool the scorching air. We would put on a Kylie Minogue cassette and perform to an audience of our dog, a few flies and a magpie, if we were lucky.

"We would be called inside for a white bread roll stuffed with a snag and some potato salad from Woolies. It was chaotic, Australian childhood magic, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything."