Mosman Citizen of the Year Tamara Keniry is a small business owner, volunteer and community advocate
When asked what she loves most about Mosman, Tamara Keniry’s immediate answer is ‘community.’
“I’ve been involved in many aspects of it because I have children who have been to school (in the area),” she explained. “The people are really friendly, it’s obviously a beautiful area to live. There is bushland and beaches and a lot of dogs, which I like.”
Tamara was named the 2026 Mosman Citizen of the Year due to her volunteer work and community advocacy, particularly surrounding small business in her role as president of the Mosman Chamber of Commerce, a position she has been in for the last five years. While it was ‘nice to be acknowledged for all the hours,’ she also found it ‘a bit embarrassing, because there are a lot of people who contribute.’
“There are a lot of volunteers in Mosman, people that are happy to give their time and energy to do things for the benefit of everybody. It is a collective effort. There are a many people who volunteer and I’m aware of that.”
Tamara did a lot of work for the school where her children attended, as treasurer of the outside of school hours care program. She also ran the ‘school watch’ for eight years to keep the school grounds open for the community.
The Chamber of Commerce Think Mosman First initiative, supported by Mosman Council, is one of the projects Tamara was most proud of. Launched in 2020, the program is all about featuring local businesses in the area and encouraging residents to shop at them.
This year, Tamara plans to continue her volunteer work.
“There’s a few things that we’ve got on the cards for the chamber in terms of looking at different projects that we might do, but nothing’s confirmed yet.
“We’re going to continue with our campaign, just asking the community to always think ‘can they get what they need right here, rather than going somewhere else,’ whenever they have a need to spend any money. And that’s just really to support all the local businesses.
”Tamara (centre) with Mayor Ann Marie Kimber (left) and Warringah MP Zali Steggall (right) receiving her Mosman Citizen of the Year award
On a personal front, Tamara will continue with her own reusable glass water bottle and coffee cup business, PureFree.
Plus there are her family commitments. “I’ve got two kids doing their HSC this year, so I’ll be personally helping them get through that,” she adds.
Last year the chamber made a short film called The Heart of Mosman about what makes Mosman special. “We offered the opportunity to be involved to all local businesses, whether they were members of the chamber or not, and talked about what (Mosman) meant to them. We also talked to the community, so that was a really cool project which fits under the overarching campaign of Think Mosman First.”
The film was played at a screening event as part of the October 2025 Festival of Mosman, and is still available on the chamber’s YouTube channel. Tamara herself prominently features in the film not just as president, but as the owner of her own small business.
“(Local businesses) are the heartbeat of the suburb,” Tamara concluded. “We have to support them as much as possible.”
