He has been working with Kenny for 14 years, although the safety-conscious koala has been around for almost 41 years since making his debut on Capital Television on September 1, 1975.

Mr Waters, 64, was overwhelmed by the nomination.

"It came out of the blue and I think I'm still in a semi state of shock," he said.

"It really is something you'd never expect in your lifetime, to be nominated for something you enjoy. It's an absolute honour."

In the coming weeks, four finalists for the ACT will be announced in each category of the awards – Australian of the Year, Senior of the Year (65 years and over), Young Australian (16-30 years) and Local Hero.

If you know someone who deserves recognition, nominations can still be made until midnight on August 7.

Mr Waters is an unsworn or civilian member of ACT Policing. He worked in abattoirs in the central west of NSW for 27 years before moving to Canberra in 1999 to work in a fibre optics factory in Symonston.

He has drawn on real-life experience and common sense in his job with Kenny.

The affable grandfather has two daughters and two grand-daughters and has coached junior sport for more than 25 years.

The job with Kenny was like coaching kids for life. He visits scores of primary schools, preschools and childcare centres each year to teach kids how to keep safe.

He talks about road safety, stranger danger, online safety (for years three to four) and decision-making and consequences (years five and six).

"The safety messages stay with them as they travel through life. It gives them a solid foundation," he said.

Mr Waters recalls one funny incident when he was talking about road safety to preschoolers as their parents were arriving to pick them up for the day.

"I was saying, 'kids don't forget to wear your seatbelts' and this little boy turned around to his dad standing at the back of the room and said, 'Told you dad, you had to wear your seat belt'. Well, if the earth had of opened up, he wouldn't have to be pushed, he would have jumped," he said.

While it was a humorous incident, it did show that Kenny's messages stuck with kids and it was oftenthey who reinforced them to their parents.

At the end of the day, Mr Waters simply enjoyed going to work and helping kids feel safe.

"I just get paid to play, when you think about it," he said.

And Kenny is not too miffed about not getting his own nomination.

"He is really a big part of the nomination – without Kenny I wouldn't have got the nomination," Mr Waters said.

Nominations for Australian of the Year can be made until midnight August 7 at www.australianoftheyear.org.au or by calling the National Australia Day Council on 6120 0600.