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Monday, November 1, 2021

Rebecca Forrest wins NT Australian of the Year 2022 Local Hero - ABC Local

A person who has escaped from a domestic violence situation and vowed to leave no man or woman behind has been announced as NT Australian of the Year 2022 Local Hero.

Palmerston Citizen of the Year Rebecca Forrest is a campaigner for social justice, anti-violence, youth affairs and the vulnerable.

She has also spent time in the Healthy Harold giraffe costume.

"I am quite short. So I don't know that being a giraffe is an aspiration for me," she told ABC Radio Darwin Saturday morning.

A giraffe mascot giving the thumbs up on a pedestrian street.
Rebecca Forrest conceded she was too short to be Healthy Harold the giraffe.(Supplied: Facebook)

The former Palmerston alderman was a victim of domestic and family violence while working for the NT Police media unit. 

She is also a men's advocate and organises events for International Men's Day.

"It takes around seven times for a woman to leave a violent situation, I [took] two or three times," she said.

"And it was due to police intervention. And so I'm just so grateful to my colleagues who really didn't even know that I was in this situation, but also the officers that responded on site and got me out of that.

"I don't know where I'd be now, if I'd still be here.

Her superpower is organising fundraisers, and it has been estimated her efforts have earned more than $1 million for charity.

Ms Forrest, 40, wears many hats, but founded No-One Left Behind, which organises events and conferences to raise money and awareness.

"One thing I can do is connect people," she said in her acceptance speech.

"By starting conversations, by coordinating events, by getting people to share their story, we build courage and we inspire others.

Daughter with guitar with mum at a suburban lake setting. Smiling.
Rebecca Forrest and daughter Tahlia at one of her favourite places in the world, Sanctuary Lakes in Gunn.(ABC Radio Darwin: Conor Byrne)

Deadly foresight

The field of four contenders was strong in the local hero category.

Wuthathi and Ngarrindjeri man Shaun Tatipata, 43, founded the first Aboriginal-owned optical and eye care provider, Deadly Vision Centre.

Before that he led the Fred Hollows Foundation's Indigenous Australia Program, and implemented outreach programs.

He is well-known on the ground for organising the rugby league Deadly Cup Carnival in Darwin.

"It's just an amazing day that allows us to celebrate NAIDOC Week and to really promote health and wellbeing," he told Territory Grandstand.

"We put the deadly Expo down there where all of our health promotion and education occurs."

His mission is to close the gap in eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by providing affordable, fashionable, culturally safe, and socially responsive eye care.

Two men, one taking an eye test and another supervising.
Founding director of Deadly Enterprises Shaun Tatipata.(Supplied: Deadly Enterprises)

Everyone loves a dog

Therapy dog provider and trainer Kristy Teunissen, 38, brings her therapy dogs Harlow, Scout, and Chip to schools and hospitals to comfort anxious, sick or troubled kids and older people.

"I really have a love of working with kids and seeing how the dogs can help the kids learn, improve their learning at school," she told ABC Radio Darwin Breakfast.

"We walk through the hospital wards and people can just walk past and smile in that particular moment.

Ms Teunissen, from Zuccoli, also helps with fundraising at Royal Darwin Hospital and works with Headspace to raise awareness during Mental Health Week.

Unfortunately, the dogs were unable to make it to the awards ceremony.

Woman crouching with two dogs in a bush setting.
Mind Your Paws dog trainer Kristy Teunissen with Scout and Harlow.(Supplied: Alison Holt)

A man on a mission

Portrait of proud man wearing medals and blue suit.
Army veteran and mental health advocate Paul Walker.(Supplied: Paul Walker)

Waanyi man Paul Walker, 46, was a homeless teen with substance abuse issues. He attended seven high schools but made it through year 12.

"Regardless of where I went, from one home to the next, I always had a goal of finishing school," he told ABC Radio Darwin Drive.

He got his life on track and was accepted into the Army.

He served in Bougainville and Timor Leste.

An army tank watched by people in cultural dress.
Soldiers from the 5th/7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment on Operation Tanager hold a transition parade from Interfet to UNTAET in Timor Leste 21 Feb 2000. Months later, Paul Walker on the same operation was ambushed in a moment that changed his life.(Defence: Corporal Patrina Malone)

The moment it all changed

But just before Christmas 2000, the then-24-year-old came under fire by the East Timor militia.

He saved a fellow soldier shot in the leg, and was later honourably discharged on medical grounds in 2003.

"I do carry the internal injuries of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, some of the things that come along with experiencing trauma, especially when it's of a military nature, such as decisions under duress," he said.

"It's just one of those things that will stay with me forever."

Mr Walker has since made a name for himself in the Katherine region as a talented community photographer, public speaker, mental health advocate, financial counselor, and community worker.

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Rebecca Forrest wins NT Australian of the Year 2022 Local Hero - ABC Local
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