State and Territory Local Heroes

You can read the inspiring stories of your Local Hero Award recipients by clicking on the links below.

ACT Local Hero

Julie Grehan
Disabilities volunteer

Never in a million years did I think that I would be named ACT Local Hero for 2010, it's a very exciting and  humbling honour. I'm mostly excited because I hope I can raise awareness about the volunteer work I am involved with in Canberra.

I've always worked in disability services, even more so since an accident nine years ago ended my  working career. After volunteering for several different ACT organisations, I decided to start a new organisation, Darryl's Den, to help people with disabilities to get together socially.

Darryl's Den has now been operating for seven years and it is the most wonderful centre. It's an activity social therapy group for people with a disability, bringing together a real mix of people. The people involved are like a family, every new person is always welcome. I'd like to say thanks to all the volunteers who have helped me to make Darryl's Den a success, they are all local heroes who will offer their hands to anything.

Being named as a hero in my community has made me feel very proud to be an Australian. I think I was very lucky to be born here. To be honest, I think it's the best place in the world. I think Australians are pretty fair and welcoming, with a great sense of humour.

In the lead-up to Australia Day, I'd like to send out my congratulations and warm wishes to people who will become Australian citizens on 26 January. Every person from another country that comes here adds something to our diverse culture. I hope everyone can take part in local communities, abide by our laws, keep their own cultural traditions but at the same time embrace Australian culture.

NSW Local Hero

Ronni Kahn
Food rescuer

It's pretty amazing to be  putting my thoughts together as the NSW Local Hero for 2010. I'm feeling very  overwhelmed and excited, it's such a huge honour. To tell the truth, I feel like I am just a little, ordinary person and this acknowledgement from the whole state is a really big deal.

The best thing about being a  Local Hero is getting the chance to tell more people about OzHarvest. I started OzHarvest five years ago when I was working in the hospitality industry. It had  always worried me to see how much food was constantly being wasted when so many  people can't afford a decent meal. The beauty of OzHarvest is how simple it is. We collect excess, leftover food, and give it to charities who distribute it to disadvantaged Australians.

I'm proud to say that we have just delivered more than 4.6 million meals in the Sydney area. We have 10 full-time paid staff, lots of fantastic volunteers and wonderful food and financial donors. We distribute from Manly to Wollongong, and all the way out to Penrith and are now also  operating in the ACT. We're also about to open in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

OzHarvest is great for the  environment as well. Since we started, we have stopped more than 1.5 million kilograms of food from going into landfill.

I'd like to say a big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who's been involved with OzHarvest. From the beginning, I have been surrounded by extraordinary people who have always done everything they can to help. Everybody gives so much of their time and energy. I could never have done it alone. I'm dedicating my Local Hero award to everyone who's ever done anything to help OzHarvest.

This year marks 22 years since I came to Australia and 20 years since I became an Australian citizen. I was born in South Africa and spent many years living in Israel, but I know in my heart that Australia is the promised land, a home and shelter for many refugees and new citizens. I feel so proud to be a citizen of Australia. This country has given me so many opportunities. On  Australia Day we Australians should embrace our homeland.

I'd like to wish everyone a  very happy Australia Day and to invite all Australians to think about giving a bit more to their local communities in 2010.

I'd also like to send my  sincere congratulations to the many people becoming citizens on 26 January –  you are lucky and very welcome. Try to find ways to give back as you build a  new life in Australia. You can work and take and get lots out of a  wonderful place like Australia but if you're not giving anything back, then it's all for nothing.

NT Local Hero

Norma Higgins
Horticulturalist

It's a great and unexpected honour to be named the Northern Territory's Local Hero. I couldn't say that I feel like a hero, but it is an absolutely terrific feeling to be recognised for my efforts in the local community in Katherine.

I've been volunteering on and off all of my life, because I believe it's very important to contribute. The more you put in, the more you get back. My husband, children, sister and father are all the same, we love to get involved when we can.

I'm very proud that Katherine is embracing its local weekly market, which I have worked hard to get up and running. The response has been truly phenomenal. The market now has a life of its own, with a wonderful committee, lots of great stall holders and local musicians all taking part each week. I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who is helping to ensure it's turned out to be such a success.

I'd also like to wish everyone in Katherine a happy Australia Day, which is a great chance to celebrate the many great things about our community. I'd also like to extend a very warm welcome to the thousands of people who will become Australian citizens. Congratulations on joining our fantastic country. I hope you will embrace our Australian culture and way of life and make a wonderful new life here.

QLD Local Hero

Mayor Paul Pisasale
Mayor of Ipswich

It was very humbling to be named Queensland's Local Hero for 2010; I was absolutely blown away. As Mayor of Ipswich I am often lucky enough to give out awards, it's quite different for me to be at the other end.

I love the city of Ipswich and our wonderful community. We are big enough to make a difference but small enough to care. People say being a mayor is about the roads, rates and rubbish but it is the people that are truly important.

Sometimes, as Australians, we've got a great sense of humour and we love having a dig at people, but I think we should encourage the tall poppies, then maybe more people will put their hands up to get involved in their home towns and communities.

Australia Day is a great time to remember how lucky we are to live in this great country. My parents migrated to Australia from Sicily 62 years ago, and I can't thank them enough. The decision they made to uproot and come here to give us a new chance was wonderful. You can become anything you want here but it's important that you give something back.

For new Australians becoming citizens today, keep your heritage and bring it to this country. I hope everyone can unite and enjoy this wonderful occasion.

SA Local Hero

Mike Coddington
Volunteer fire fighter

To be quite honest, I didn't really believe it when I was named South Australia's Local Hero for 2010; it came right out of the  blue. The first thing I remember thinking was, 'Crikey!'. I am very proud to be honoured with this special award. I hope I can inspire some of the other 13 000 volunteers of the Country Fire Authority in South Australia who work hard to keep their communities safe.

I have been volunteering for the Murray Bridge Country Fire Service for 16 years and for the past eight  years I have been the Brigade captain. Our volunteer team is always on call and  ready to help. It's always satisfying to watch a new volunteer who knows  nothing about fire fighting transform through training and experience into an excellent fire fighter.

I am proud to volunteer my services to the community. Working with the brigade is extremely rewarding. I get so much out of this role, dealing with the community, working in all sorts of locations, situations, fires and  accidents. I also spend lots of time educating schoolchildren and community members about fire safety. I am 66 years old and can't go on forever, but I am confident in the talented and committed volunteers coming up behind me who are also committed to serving their fellow Australians.

I became an Australian citizen on Australia Day in 1988. It was a new start for my family and I, who  migrated from England in 1973. Citizenship was the final step in becoming true Australians. This is a terrific country, my family and I have been very happy during the years that we have lived here. The world's your oyster, you can achieve so much if you are willing to put in the hard yards. Anybody who's got a bit of go and wants to do the right thing, here in Australia it's a beautiful country. The sun's always shining, well most of the time!

For anyone who will become an Australian citizen on 26 January, good on you and congratulations. For anyone thinking about it, just get out there and do it, you will never look back. There's nothing like being the citizen of the country that you live in.

TAS Local Hero

Delwyn Polden
Generous teacher

I am still smiling after being named as Tasmania's Local Hero for 2010, it was such a fantastic surprise and an honour. I think this is a truly special award because it recognises all the hard work done each day to make our communities so special.  At the awards ceremony, I was really struck by all the other nominees, just ordinary people contributing fantastic things to their home towns.

I've always been interested in volunteering and have been involved in caring for children for more than 15 years. With the constant support of my wonderful husband Rick, we have cared for hundreds of kids in need. I've always felt fortunate to have the  opportunity to make a difference in each child's life and I hope I have influenced some of them for the better.

Teaching is my day job and  it's also a passion. It doesn't feel like a real profession really, I've often thought that I get paid for what I would probably do for free. It would be wrong to suggest that my life is completely a bed of roses but I really do love caring for kids both in the classroom and in my home.

I'm also so lucky to be able to call myself a Tasmanian and Burnie is a fantastic town and community. It's a close-knit community with a lovely atmosphere. I was born in New Zealand, and although I still get my fair share of good  natured Kiwi jokes, it means so much to me to be an Australian. I'm really  grateful that my community has accepted me and that it doesn't matter that I  was born in another country.

I don't know if it's the honour of being a Local Hero, but I'm feeling very Aussie in the lead-up to Australia Day this year. At the awards ceremony, I was very emotional when I sang the national anthem. I actually had tears running down my cheeks!

I'd like to encourage all Tasmanians to enjoy Australia Day this year and maybe to consider contributing a bit more to your own community in 2010. I'd also like to offer my warmest congratulations to the many people who will become Australians on 26 January. I hope you can make a wonderful new life here. Australia is a fantastic country – when you think of all the things that are going on all over the world, we are pretty lucky to call it home.

VIC Local Hero

Kevin and Rhonda Butler
Bushfire recovery volunteers

It is a huge honour to be named as Victoria's Local Hero for 2010. When you think of the thousands of people who have donated their time, effort, energy and skills to their towns and communities, you feel very proud to be chosen and to be an Australian. My wife Rhonda and I are brought to tears when we think about it, the award is such an honour.

Like so many Victorians, we will never forget Black Saturday. We live in Kilmore East and our farm was caught in the middle of a fire. But we were lucky. Although we lost property, we didn't lose our house.

We didn't realise until the days afterwards how far the fires had spread and the devastation they left in their wake. As news of the many fatalities came in, we began to understand we were in the middle of a tragedy that would have an effect on Australia's psyche for many years to come.

We started working on the recovery effort by default really. We asked for volunteer help to rebuild our own fences and we were amazed at how many people came to help us. After  receiving such generosity from others, we felt we owed a debt to people around us who had lost everything.

That's how we started Blazeaid, an organisation aiming to rebuild all the lost fences on Victorian properties. Rhonda and I felt that we had the know-how and the strong sense of  purpose and goodwill towards our neighbours and fellow Australians.

We worked hard to build an army of volunteers. An early challenge was finding accommodation and food for the many willing helpers. Although we were primarily focused on rebuilding fences, we ended up as conduits for finding everything from mattresses to plants and food to livestock. Because I was in intimate contact with the survivors, we could always find people who deserved it. Since February, Blazaid has rallied more than 3200 volunteers, who have built more than 400 kilometres of fencing on 70 properties in the Kilmore-Kinglake region.

I come to tears when I think of all the people who helped us to help others. Blazeaid was a collective effort by people who are altruistic and giving. It's a great Australian story, because we were able to harness the generosity of so many volunteers and put them in the right spot.

The events of the past months have changed my mind about what it means to be an Australian. I once thought that being an Australian was just raising a family and doing a good job at work, but that is only part of it. Being a good Australian is helping others when they are down. It's that collective generosity that makes Australia a great country. It's our willingness to help that gets to the very soul of humanity, we have evolved by working together and helping each other.

WA Local Hero

Rhonda Parker
Dynamic volunteer

It makes me  feel very humble and special to be the 2010 local hero for Western Australia. It has been wonderful to be recognised for my small efforts to improve life in my home town of Boyup Brook. I am only one of many people who help to make this town such a special place. Boyup Brook may have only 700 residents but it is full of local heroes. Like any rural community, we all get in and contribute when we can.

I've been volunteering in one way or another for most of my life. I think I get my interest in volunteer work from my father, who was always very involved in the community. I can remember when I was still at primary school, a report card came home saying that I was too involved in outside interests and not in the classroom! I remember I was the Red Cross girl, bank helper and made tea every day for the teachers' morning tea. This ethos has continued throughout my life.

I came to Western Australia from New South Wales 28 years ago when I married my husband and I've been involved in the community here in Boyup Brook ever since. I have realized that it's amazing how much volunteer work you can cram into nearly 30 years. I've been involved in the Country Women's Association, St John's  Ambulance Service, local schools, church, sporting groups and music organisations. I've always just put my hand up whenever I got the chance.

We have a saying at our house that my husband developed. It's an acronym based on the word local, 'local is loving our community and lifestyle'. It doesn't matter whether you live in a little town like Boyup Brook or a great big city like Sydney, I think this is what giving back is all about. We make a living by what we get and a life from what we give.

One of my proudest achievements is helping to establish the Boyup Brook Country Music festival. Since it began 25 years ago, the festival has grown from humble beginnings to a major event that attracts 17 000 visitors. To help the festival to develop, I have had to learn so many things over the years, like how to type and use a computer, deal with agents, organise accommodation… you name it!

I think  that in the lead-up to Australia Day we should all take some time to appreciate  our own communities and to think about how we can contribute. We are all lucky to live in such a wonderful country. It's an absolutely amazing thing to be an Australian citizen and I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. We can drive from Perth to Sydney, which is like travelling from London to Moscow and no one asks who we are or where  we are going because we live in such a free land.

I'd like to offer my sincere congratulations and welcome to all the people becoming  Australian citizens today, especially in Western Australia. I love hearing about people who've immigrated to Australia, who have put their hands up and said they would like to become citizens of Australia. They've chosen to come and live here. Now they've chosen to be Australians and that seals the deal.

Have a wonderful Australia Day everyone!