On Australia Day, we recognise those who contribute to making our community and our country a great place to live.

It's also a day where we can ask, "how can we contribute to building and nurturing a country that we want to be part of? What can we as individuals do to make that happen?"

That's the question Forbes shire Australia Day ambassador Ange Clarke posed as Forbes gathered on January 25 for our Australia Day awards.

"As Australian citizens, we all have every reason to be happy. We have every right to thrive," Ange said.

"But happiness doesn't come without reflection, and thriving doesn't happen without effort.

"Australians are at our best when we come together and not just to celebrate, but when we connect and respond and have conversations that demand authenticity, that embrace our shared humanity and seek ways forward."

Ange shared her experiences of her son Will, diagnosed with autism when he was 12, and her family's quest for him to be seen and included.

"Emotionally, it has been overwhelming and alienating, as Will's way of perceiving and processing the world differed greatly from most people," Ange shared.

"He grappled with sensitivities to sound, light and touch, making routine environments like the classroom or grocery store feel chaotic and unbearable.

"I was constantly explaining to people and holding him in a space where I felt eyes were always glued on me, and I also watched his sister watching disbelief at the way he was treated as a boy who was different."

Through some of the hardest times, Ange and her family saw the difference one person's understanding and kindness could make in Will's life. One school principal, one nurse.

Over time, as the hope she carried for her child collided with the limitations, she felt the immense responsibility "to move mountains, to carve paths where none exist" so Will could experience the freedoms we take for granted.

"It's almost an unbearable ache, a kind of grief tangled with fierce love," she said.

So she began.

Over 20 years, inclusive sports programs, art initiatives and music concerts were created, with cricket days aplenty - changing life not only for Will but thousands of others.

"We slowly began to shift the narrative, to show our community his abilities, his determination, his joy, his incredible ability to communicate with no words, and above all of that, this boy deserved to be seen and included," Ange said.

"Education turned fear and kindness, and I saw people lean into him rather than lean away."

As Will got older, they looked for opportunities for employment and created a business where he could repurpose cricket bats to art.

Within six months there was an exhibition with 250 in attendance, Will featured on tv and they had a platform to share his story.

His work inspired a charity that reached across the world, inspiring communities by painting cricket bats.

Through the charity, the family has worked with 850 artists world wide, Archibald winners, prime ministers, leaders of industry, farmers, men's shed and more.

Their bats now reside in iconic locations around the world: Australia House in London, Hollywood, Government House, and homes.

Not only that, Will inspired "the last over" - an inclusive over on the end of games where everyone came onto the field - and was recognised by Steve Waugh in his book The Spirit of Cricket.

They hadn't set out to change the world, Ange shared, they'd just set out to change Will's world. But the world took notice.

"We must remember that true progress does not necessarily just rest in the hands of those in power," Ange said.

"It begins with us. It's the everyday choices we make. Leadership is found in communities, in families, and in every person who chooses hope over despair, and action over apathy.

"When we harness the resilience of the human spirit and the power of our collective kindness, we are reminded that real change starts from the ground up."