We are excited to announce your three 2020 successful Westfield Local Heroes for Mount Druitt.

These inspiring local leaders were nominated and voted for by the community and will now be awarded a $10,000 grant for each of their affiliated organisations to help their important work to grow.

Westfield Local Heroes is a community recognition and grants program, connecting and enriching local communities. Launched in 2018, the program spans our 42 trade areas across Australia and New Zealand. In 2020, we are awarding $1.26 million to 126 local organisations.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here.

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Your three Westfield Mount Druitt Local Heroes are:

Bronwyn (Bronnie) Mackintosh

Girls on Fire
Inspirational. Humble. Influencer

Firefighter Bronwyn (Bronnie) Ngaire Mackintosh has developed an innovative camp to empower at-risk young women and drive gender-inclusion in the emergency services. Bronnie’s Girls on Fire camps introduce 30 local teenagers to the skills used by emergency services and give women volunteers in the services an opportunity to develop as team leaders. The camps have been running since 2018 and are led by volunteers from Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service, Airservices Australia and NSW National Parks and Wildlife. The volunteers teach firefighting skills, wildfire behaviour, road crash rescue, first aid and how to wear breathing apparatus.

__Find out more > __

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Tinonui (MC Free) Isaia

Rap 4 Change
Passionate. Dedicated. Selfless

There is no such thing as 9 to 5 in the life of Tino (MC Free) Isaia. She makes herself available to at-risk youth day and night, all while being a dedicated parent to her own children. MC Free is the Operations Manager of Rap 4 Change, a charity youth organisation that uses music, sports and creative arts programs as a medium to engage and redirect disadvantaged youth to make positive decisions in all aspects of life. MC Free is also the Vice President of R4C Mt Druitt Lions Baseball Club that actively engages around 200 participants, keeping our youth off the streets. Last year alone, 15 young people who were lost and facing an uncertain future resumed their schooling or started an apprenticeship after attending Rap 4 Changes Leadership Program that MC Free facilitated. “I have always had a passion for helping our youth find a platform to express themselves,” she says.

__Find out more > __

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Yousef Abou Ammar

Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA)
Passionate. Committed. Humorous

Yousef Abou Ammar helps refugees and asylum seekers on their assimilation journey, smoothing the bumps on the road to their new life in Australia. The dedicated caseworker with the Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA) puts himself in their shoes, to help provide the help they need the most. Yousef has created several programs to guide people through the challenges they face, including opportunities to practise speaking English, access free driving lessons and further their education. He assists with housing, explains Australian rules and laws and relieves the burden of filling in confusing and complicated forms.

__Find out more > __

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We congratulate all of our finalists and nominees and recognise the important contribution they make to the local community.

View all of the finalists, nominees and their organisations

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