Your 2026 Westfield Mt Carindale Local Hero is:

Chris Wood

Red Nose Queensland

Giving. Humble. Courageous.

Chris Wood has been awarded a $20,000 grant for their organisation, Red Nose Queensland.

When families face the unimaginable loss of a child, Chris Wood helps them find a way through. He leads a community events program at Red Nose Queensland, supporting bereaved families through remembrance services, in-person and online support groups and wellbeing activities.

And as one of the few men working in this space, he offers something rare: dedicated support for grieving dads. At the heart of his activity is a sports team for bereaved fathers that he started following the loss of his son Liam in 2022. During that time, Chris had very little professional support and found it difficult to navigate the challenges he was facing.

He shares, “My son spent his entire existence fighting, so I’m going to do the same for the rest of mine - fighting for a better tomorrow for newly bereaved parents.”

The sport team started with 10 fathers who had all lost a child - playing touch football and bonding during and after games. Now heading into its seventh season, the group plays futsal instead and consistently welcomes new members. Its benefits extend beyond the men themselves to their families and wider networks.

Chris channels his own experience into practical support for others. “I love helping and advocating for people, newly bereaved parents in particular,” he says.

“Sharing stories with those other dads has been just as healing for me as for them.”

We'd like to thank and acknowledge our finalists who will receive a $5,000 grant for the organisation they represent

Melanie Annand

Women Veterans Network Australia

Compassionate. Trusted. Tireless.

Many women veterans face isolation after leaving service. As President of Women Veterans Network Australia, Melanie Annand has spent more than 16 years providing opportunities for thousands of women to come together and build connections, through regular wellbeing events, peer support and advocacy across Southeast Queensland.

Natalie Terry-Bedwell

Honoured Gym

Visionary. Brave. Purposeful.

Natalie Terry-Bedwell is the founder of Honoured Gym, where hundreds of young people are building fitness and confidence. Through her social enterprise - profits are reinvested into fitness programs and mentoring - she has created a growing hub for youth in her community facing disadvantage or living with a disability to discover new skills and friendships.

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If you need support, please phone Lifeline: 13 11 14

Recognising all our 2026 nominees

View all of the Westfield Carindale nominees and their organisations.

2027 Nominations Now Open

Do you know someone making a difference in your community? Tell us in 200 words why they should be a Westfield Local Hero and they could receive a $20,000 grant for their organisation.

Find out more here

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Westfield Local Heroes: A Financial Review award-winning program

Since its inception in 2018, the Westfield Local Heroes program has granted over $11 million to over 1,000 community organisations. In recognition of the program and its social impact, Scentre Group (owner and operator of Westfield destinations in Australia and New Zealand) was recently named as this year’s winner of the Financial Review Sustainability Leaders in the Retail, hospitality, tourism and entertainment category. Read more about the award and the program’s impact here.