We are Blacktown

Leanne Redpath

Leanne Redpath is a Dharug artist, educator and book illustrator. She is also connected to the Burubiranggal, Warmuli and many other family groups across Sydney and NSW. Leanne started painting with her mother as a young child. She is the author of Cooee Mittigar and Sharing, children’s books created to share Dharug knowledge and culture. Leanne is a long-serving director of the Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation. She is a mother and grandmother, and she loves spending time with her family and on Country. We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production.Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-Blockey Executive Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRIDAY 

Mayor Chagai

Mayor Chagai is the founder and head coach of Savannah Pride, a basketball club that mentors and connects young people through sport. Savannah Pride is a grassroots youth organisation that draws on the South Sudanese community’s passion for basketball to foster community harmony.  At six years old, war forced Mayor to leave his South Sudanese village. He made his way via Ethiopia to a Kenyan refugee camp, where he discovered he had a gift for basketball. A true community leader, Mayor’s work with Savannah Pride creates a supportive place where young people in the Blacktown LGA can channel their energy and grow.  We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production.Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-Blockey Executive Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRIDAY

Kim Loo

Kim Loo is a doctor who has worked in the Blacktown LGA for 35 years. She is committed to highlighting the evidence around social, environmental and commercial determinants of health. She is a tireless advocate for climate justice.   Kim is a fourth-generation Australian with a Malaysian Chinese cultural background. She is the mother of two adult children.  Kim is passionate about permaculture and cooking and she uses these activities and values to grow her community.   She contributes to many public health and wellbeing organisations including NSW Doctors for the Environment, Asian Australians for Climate Solutions, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Hills Doctors Association and the Western Sydney Primary Health Network.   We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production.Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-Blockey Executive Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRIDAY

Hemanta Acharya

Hemanta Acharya has worked as a clinical nurse specialist and mentor to graduate nurses. She is also a talented football player who played for Australia in FIFA's Football for Hope Festival, held during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Hemanta was born in a refugee camp in Nepal after her family was forced to leave Bhutan. She spent 15 years in Nepal and was one of the first to arrive in Australia as part of a program to settle Bhutanese refugees, one of the most successful refugee initiatives in Australia’s history.  We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production.Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-Blockey Executive Producer: Olivia RosenmanSound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRIDAY

Kelly Anderson

Kelly Anderson is a Dhungatti and Gumbaynggirr woman who lives on Dharug land. Participating in the Too Deadly for Diabetes lifestyle program, Kelly overcame type 2 pre-diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, bursitis, chronic pain and mental ill-health. She’s shared her success with her family who have also joined the program and are experiencing health benefits.   We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production. Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-BlockeyExecutive Producer: Olivia Rosenman Sound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRIDAY