Damien Oliver: Reigning West Australian of the Year on honour of receiving State’s top gong

He may have won the Melbourne Cup three times and be one of the country’s greatest ever sportsmen but being named West Australian of the Year is an honour Damien Oliver will always cherish.

Oliver took home the State’s highest honour last year in recognition of a legendary career as a jockey, an award he admits was a “huge surprise and an honour as well”.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” he told The West Australian this week.

“There were some amazingly credentialed people there on the night who have done so many wonderful things for the community so it was a big surprise and a huge honour.”

Oliver’s 35-year career included 129 Group 1 wins, 10 Victorian city premierships, three Melbourne Cups and four Caulfield Cups.

Oliver’s exploits went far past the race track with the rider establishing the Oliver Foundation to support injured jockeys.

The 52-year-old created the charity in honour of both his father Ray and brother Jason who both lost their lives in racing incidents.

Oliver said the award was a recognition of his career as a whole.

“It was a wonderful acknowledgement, I kind of felt I’d probably had better years as far as career-wise success went,” he said.

“But as I chatted with a lot of the people on the night I think it was a kind of a reward of a long career and lifetime in the sport of racing.

Oliver said despite moving to Melbourne for his career, his heart remained in WA.

“Western Australian is a big, huge, proud State and one thing that living in Victoria I acknowledge that how isolated it (WA) is,” he said.

“It’s like its own little piece of Australia but it stands alone and anyone that is successful and do really well in WA is more than capable of holding their own anywhere in Australia and in the world.”

Oliver was one of eight winners last year with Balladong and Whadjuk Elder Kim Collard, gender equality advocate Nicolette Beard and former WA Cricket chief executive officer Christina Matthews.

Oliver encouraged anyone thinking of nominating a West Australian deserving of recognition this year to do so.

“I recommend it. It’s wonderful recognition and particularly the biggest thing that I realised with all the nominees there on the night was how important it is that they put back into the community as well,” he said.

“That’s something I really recognised on the night, how much all the other nominees had really put back into the West Australian community as well.”

The 2025 Western Australian of the Year awards have seven categories, including the Wesfarmers Aboriginal Award, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Business Award, the Channel 7 Sport Award and the BHP Youth Award.

Nominations can be made online by March at www.celebratewa.com.au/waoty-nomination-2025