For Kathie Potts, it is her beautiful daughter Annabelle, who died of an aggressive brain tumour aged five and propelled her into a new way of living, advocating to put an end to rare childhood cancers.

And for Rachel Fishlock, that little girl is her 11-year-old self who became a full-time carer for her mother who had severe mental health complications.

Ms Fishlock, 28, a Yuin woman originally from Nowra, now living in Googong, received the Rising Women of Spirit Award to celebrate a woman who has overcome personal adversity to give back to the community.

She is now a project and policy officer at Gaywaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit), the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing.

Confident and vibrant, Ms Fishlock has thrived despite her early hardships, literally left as a child to fend for herself and her mother, even though authorities were aware of her situation.

"I think [it happened] because it was a small community and people knew each other quite well, and the alternative was I would be taken away," she said.

"So people just ignored the situation rather than did anything about it."

In year 11 and year 12 she had an 11 per cent attendance rate because she had to care for her mother but was determined to finish high school, completing all her assignments and eventually going on to university.

Ms Fishlock looked after her mother until she was 22, ultimately having to separate from her for her own wellbeing, the system "broken".

Ms Fishlock said there were many more young carers not getting the support they needed. Receiving her award was a way to draw attention to them, but it had still not been easy to open up about her own story.

"It's the first time outside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sector I've really spoken about it so it is a bit confronting," she said.

Kathie Potts was similarly emotional after she won the Women of Spirit Award for a woman who has overcome personal adversity to make a positive change in society.

"I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed," she said.

"I absolutely did not expect this with so many incredible women who are up there. "

The Evatt mum has raised awareness and funding into diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), the aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain tumor that claimed her daughter in 2019.

Her never-ending love for Annabelle simply spurs her on in her advocacy, determined to help other families dealing with DIPG.

"I don't do this for recognition or awards because it feels natural that I do it. I need to do it,'' she said.

Kathie and her husband Adam are parents also to William, Juliette and Vivianna. At just the age of six, William recently walked to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko with his parents to raise funds and awareness for Rare Cancers Australia.

And Annabelle is never far from their thoughts.

"I do feel Annabelle was with me today as I was getting ready," Mrs Potts said.

"I absolutely wouldn't be here without her and her inspiring me every day. It's her inspiration that keeps me going and it's my other little ones who get me out of bed each day."

The awards were held in the Gandel Hall of the National Gallery of Australia, with Lifeline Canberra chief executive officer Carrie Ann Leeson urging the audience to "feel free to laugh, to cry and to applaud loudly as we celebrate these inspirational women".