WHEN Kylie Brown moved to Port Macquarie in 2001, she didn’t know just how connected she already was to the local area.
Her dad’s side of the family – the Dick family – were some of the first free settlers in Port.
Finding out she was related to hundreds of locals quickly made her feel right at home.
“That made me feel connected to the region,” she said.
“I loved the community feeling of the area and found myself realising that we all have to pitch in to make a difference.”
Kylie’s volunteering journey began 18 years ago, helping out with the St Joseph’s Preschool P&F association, then with reading groups and the canteen at St Agnes’ Primary School.
She later went on to join the management committee of St Joseph’s Family Services, and became Chair of the Education Council.
Kylie was also part of the original committee of the Port Macquarie Pacers Running Club, which gave locals a fun, affordable way to keep fit and meet others.
The club is still growing today, boasting hundreds of keen members.
A member of the Lake Cathie Rural Fire Brigade, Kylie began volunteering in a fundraising capacity in 2011.
“Our little committee raised in excess of $30,000 locally,” she said.
During the 2019 bushfires that impacted Lake Cathie, Kylie assisted the local Brigade in a support role.
She then went on to complete Bush Fire Fighter training and Community Engagement courses.
“I am currently the Community Engagement Officer at Lake Cathie Brigade and Chair of the Community Engagement Working Group to support engagement across the whole Mid Coast RFS District.
“We offer sessions on how to prepare for bushfires, carry out school visits and plan community events.
“In the next twelve months we are working on increasing education to retirement living villages so that they can prepare themself for bushfires, increasing school visits in our area and encouraging other RFS members to get involved in community education projects.”
Kylie told NOTA her favourite aspect of the role is working with children.
“[I love] teaching the kids how to be a ‘Triple Zero hero’.
“My heart sings when I visit them at the Lake Cathie preschools or Lake Cathie Primary School.”
Kylie also spent four years as a member of the Lake Cathie Progress Association, increasing awareness of the locations of potentially life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Despite all her personal achievements, it is her family that makes Kylie most proud.
“My husband, son and daughter, together with my parents, are all volunteers,” she said.
“I don’t think anything I do will ever make me prouder than that.
“Teaching generations below us to give to the community should be everyone’s goal.”
By Chan ANSELL
