Chef, author and teacher Ms Promilla Gupta OAM has been announced as the 2025 Australia Day Ambassador for Wollondilly.

Known for her love for cooking to bring people together, Promilla migrated to Australia with her husband in 1983, living in Whyalla for nearly 20 years before moving to Adelaide in 2002.

Promilla has shared her love of food in a number of ways, from running a restaurant, writing books, teaching cooking and providing nutritious meals for newly arrived migrants and international students.

Her commitment to the multicultural community in Australia has led her to become involved in community work including fundraising in South Australia and volunteering with the Salvation Army to cook for homeless people.

Promilla has written two vegetarian cookbooks and is currently working on a third. She has conducted classes and cooking shows, published recipes, given radio talks and taught at the University of the Third Age. 

She has also created and acted in a movie called Five Spices in Adelaide, a multicultural short film about five women from different ethnic backgrounds who learn to live together in harmony.

Promilla has received a number of awards - including a Pride of Australia Award in the Fair Go category (2006); Campbelltown Council’s Citizen of the Year (2007), and was a finalist in the Irene Krastev Award on International Women’s Day (2007).

Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said, “Council and the community would like to welcome Ms Promilla Gupta as our Wollondilly Ambassador for 2025.”

“We are honoured to have Ms Gupta here as our Australia Day Ambassador and look forward to showing her our beautiful Shire.”

Wollondilly’s Australia Day celebrations will be held in the Picton Botanic Gardens on Sunday 26 January from 8:00am -12:00pm. 

Keep an eye out on Council’s website and Facebook page for regular updates.