A Coolbellup man creating job opportunities for Indigenous people and the founder of a Jandakot business bringing healthcare to regional areas are among nominees for the WA Australian of the Year Awards.

Kennedy Lay has been nominated as the 2026 Australian of the Year for WA, and Frank Mitchell, of Coolbellup, is in the running for the 2026 Local Hero for WA award.

Mr Lay has been nominated for his work in combining aviation and healthcare to bring allied health services to rural and remote Australia.

He is a physiotherapist and in 2020 decided to pursue a commercial pilot’s licence.

Using his new-found skill, he flew to Narrogin, almost 200km from Perth, to deliver physiotherapy services.

Mr Lay then founded Fly2Health Group and added new locations and services including psychology,

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