2011 Senior Australian of the Year Announced.

Professor Ron McCallum has been announced as Senior Australian of the Year for 2011.

Professor McCallum was recognised for his dedication to the cause of equal rights for working people around the globe. He was the inaugural President of the Australian Labour Law Association and is Chair of Radio for the Print Handicapped of New South Wales Co-operative.

Professor McCallum was the first totally blind person appointed a full professorship at an Australian university.

"My main aim will be to change people's attitudes, to make Australia more inclusive, to ask my fellow Australians to think more carefully about we persons with disabilities and other minority groups," said Professor McCallum.

A senior Australian was also recognised as Australia's Local Hero for 2011. Donald Ritchie OAM lives opposite the infamous Gap in Watson's Bay, which has become a notorious spot for suicides.

For five decades Mr Ritchie has encouraged people away from the cliffside and invited them into his home for a chat, saving over 160 lives.

See the Australian of the Year website for further information.

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