Father's Day 2026

The Dads Who Show Up

We asked you to tell us about the dad in your life. What came back was not what we expected. It was better.

Dozens of you wrote in. Wives nominating husbands. Sons nominating fathers. Daughters nominating the man who raised them. Not one nomination was about grand gestures or perfect parenting. Every single one was about the same quiet thing: a dad who keeps turning up.

Some of these dads are carers. Some are stepdads who chose a family they did not start. Some have been getting up before dawn for twenty years without ever being thanked properly for it. Reading them was a genuine privilege, and picking one was close to impossible.

Here are some of the dads and father figures you nominated...

Tom 

Nominated by Alicia 

"I'm nominating my husband, Tom, because "Dad" is a title he has earned in every possible way. Tom came into my life knowing I already had children, knowing our family came with history, challenges and some pretty heavy baggage. He never once treated any of that as something he had to tolerate. He simply stepped in and loved."

"He has shown me that being a father has very little to do with DNA and everything to do with who stays. He has loved Beckham as his own, not when it was convenient, but every single day. And with Porscha, fatherhood has asked things of him that most people will never understand. She is blind, autistic, has epilepsy and complex medical needs. Our life can involve hospitals, sleepless nights, medications, medical emergencies, behaviours and days where we are both completely exhausted. He meets her exactly where she is. He protects her, makes her laugh, comforts her and loves her fiercely.

"There is something incredibly powerful about watching someone love your children with the same protectiveness, pride and unconditional love that you do."

My children may not all carry Tom's blood, but they carry his influence, his lessons, his humour, his protection and years of memories with him. That's his legacy. To the world, he might just look like an ordinary dad. But to our family, Tom is the man who stayed, stepped up, and kept choosing us. And that is why, this Father's Day, I can't think of anyone more deserving of being reminded just how extraordinary that makes him."

Some of the father figures you nominated

Every one of these deserved to win. Here they are.

David 

Nominated by his son, Joshua

"He's the best father around- helps me with everything. He doesn't care that I’m fully incontinent and takes me everywhere - and lets me do whatever I want!"

Mike 

Nominated by his wife, Catherine

"My husband Mike is my legend. He works incredibly hard, helped me raise two boys as his own, and is a wonderful dad and stepdad. When my dad was dying, Mike was constantly by his bedside. Now, on his weeks off, he lovingly takes Mum to appointments and cares for her."

Mohammad 

Nominated by his wife, Kanzah

"For 18 years, he dreamed of being a dad. For 18 years, he stood beside me through hope, heartbreak, appointments, injections, tears and 11 failed IVF attempts."

"He held my hand when I fell apart. He comforted me when I blamed myself. He celebrated every tiny bit of hope with me, even when he was hurting too. He never made me feel like I had failed him. He never made our struggle about what he was missing. He simply loved me."

"And then, after 18 years of waiting, our greatest dream finally came true! This Father's Day is different. Because this year, I don't just get to celebrate the man who stood beside me through 18 years of trying to become a mother. I get to celebrate him as a father. And one day, I will tell our child: “Your Daddy waited 18 years for you. And every single one of those years, he loved you before he even knew your name."

Lance 

Nominated by Karli 

"Lance is an amazing stepdad to my two kids, and he looks after me as I have incurable lymphoma & does what he can in any situation to make it better for our family."

Steven 

Nominated by his son, Scott

"My dad Steven has been there all my life since I was 3 months old. He gave up everything to raise me as a single parent - he gave up his cars, his jobs, his boat... everything. He’s stood by me through thick and thin - now he’s battling terminal 4 non-curable pancreatic cancer AND still pushes through it. He doesn’t give up no matter what we do."

"We do everything together. When he's at footy, he always puts his hand up for any job needing to be done. Despite he’s medical condition he doesn’t let anything stop him. He’s my warrior, my hero, my mentor."

Tien 

Nominated by Max 

"He cooks meals for the homeless, giving warmth, kindness and hope. His selfless heart makes him an amazing father and truly deserving of Father’s Day celebration."

Shane 

Nominated by his wife, Kim

"My husband, Shane, has sadly missed out on a lot of family celebrations. Including Father's Day, while being on deployment with the navy to provide for myself & our daughter. Even though he was far away in distance, he was close in love and phone calls whenever he could. When he would arrive home, we’d always make sure to appreciate the milestones & spend it together, creating memories."

Robert 

Nominated by Amy 

"My hubby... Dad to our boys & our furbaby (because he's part or the family too). You really are the one who’s always there for all of us.
You work your butt off, always put us first fix pretty much anything & somehow still manage to make us laugh along the way.
Your our go to guy, our rock & the one we know we can always count on.
The boys are lucky to have you & I'm pretty lucky too. Love you!"

Phillip 

Nominated by his wife, Adrienne

"My husband stepped up to be; the stepfather of my little family: took on teenagers and all the chaos that comes with it: cooked food, contributed and absorbed every bit: we’ve had laughs, tears and everything in between: but 20 years later and 7 grandkids he’s still on the scene"

Ian 

Nominated by his daughter, Emilda

"I nominate my dad - the man behind so many of my happiest memories. He has always been my safe place, biggest supporter and strongest example of what love looks like. He gives endlessly without expecting anything in return. If I could give him one thing, it would be the recognition he deserves for being our family’s everyday hero."

Thank you

To everyone who took the time to write about their father figure, thank you. Some of you shared things that were not easy to put into words, and we do not take that lightly.

Something worth saying out loud: several of these nominations mention care, illness and continence without a hint of embarrassment. That is exactly how it should be. Incontinence affects more than 5 million Australians, and it is a normal part of daily life in a lot of homes, including the ones above. It should never stop anyone from being celebrated, going out, or getting on with the day.

That is the whole reason we do what we do.

Happy Father's Day to all the father figures in our community!