The Winston Churchill Trust, in partnership with .au Domain Administration Limited (auDA), is pleased to announce Catherine Brown and Anthony Wylde as the recipients of the 2026 auDA Churchill Fellowship.
Catherine will travel overseas to learn about best practice for scaling digital group therapy, with the aim of establishing a framework for culturally safe and gender-responsive therapy for women in rural and remote Australia. “Where someone lives should not determine their access to high-quality mental health support,” Catherine said. “Working as a clinical psychologist in Central Australia, I’ve seen firsthand the significant barriers to mental healthcare in rural and remote settings, and the opportunity to do things differently.”
Through her Fellowship, Catherine will learn from international experts who have developed innovative approaches to digital group therapy and bring those lessons home to Australia. Ultimately, Catherine envisions a future where women no longer choose between living in the communities they love and accessing the mental health care they deserve.
Anthony has always been fascinated by the intersection of data, technology and insight, and by the idea that those skills can be used for social good. Anthony’s career is in government and law enforcement, but he has had a lifelong interest in animals. “Growing up in Jakarta, I mostly encountered birds in cages,” Anthony said. After moving to Australia, a keen birdwatcher taught him to appreciate Australia's birdlife and COVID-19 became an unexpected turning point. “Spending hours walking in bushland made me realise I wanted nature to be a greater part of my life, without giving up the analytical work I loved.”
Through his Fellowship, Anthony hopes to learn from wildlife and AI-assisted conservation programs overseas and help Australia use these technologies to better protect our shorebirds from threats such as climate change and disease.
Catherine and Anthony will be learning directly from world-leading experts and organisations and bringing their new knowledge and ideas home to benefit Australia.
The auDA Churchill Fellowships are available nationally for projects that support research or development in the digital and internet landscape. auDA supports Australians online by administering a secure, reliable and trusted .au domain, which connects internet users to websites and email addresses that end in .au. Through its sponsorship of Churchill Fellowships, auDA aims to support projects, education and research activities by individuals, small business and industry stakeholders that will deliver benefits for the Australian community through the internet.
Bruce Tonkin, auDA CEO said "Through the auDA Churchill Fellowships we support individuals who seek to unlock greater utility from the internet and deliver benefit to underserved communities. Congratulations to Catherine and Anthony on their fellowships. We are pleased to support your projects and the positive impact they will bring for Australians."
Churchill Trust CEO Christine Dacey said Churchill Fellowships are founded on the belief that the best ideas can come from anyone.
"Churchill Fellows are ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things. They're driven by curiosity, determination and a genuine desire to make a difference."
Catherine Brown and Anthony Wylde are two of the 75 Australians awarded Churchill Fellowships in 2026, joining a network of changemakers that has been helping shape Australia's future for more than 60 years.
Applications open February 2027.
