Anthony Pyle

I’ll be honest, my strength lies in connecting people

When I moved to Australia, I made the City of Armadale my home. For the last decade, I’ve found the City to be my stomping ground. From enjoying time having coffee in the mall or having dinner and catching a Friday night movie, I enjoy my time being a part of this community.

Reflecting on my place within the community, I’ve tried many different hats to see which one fits. I have volunteered, I’ve run in elections, and I’ve put on community events. Each offers different aspects of community connectedness.

I’ll be honest, my strength lies in connecting people. I’ve had great success in running events throughout the year that inspire people to come together from many different organisations, walks of life, and backgrounds to get to know the people within their community.

I’m most proud of the work I have done working with people with disability and their families and friends. From my many years as a support worker in the community, connecting people to be more active and engaged with their local clubs and groups. I had then moved onto other roles, which allowed me to apply for grants to host inclusive events throughout the City to connect all people. From International Day of People with Disability, we ran events in Jull Street Mall with music, market stalls, and plenty of fun to be had by all. These events allowed me to get not only to connect people within our community to their wider community, but I made stronger connections and friendships with new people myself. This event culminated in many like- minded people within the Armadale community, with local cafes, businesses, and people coming together to share an event that recognised how welcoming our community is.

I was also fortunate enough to run a similar event for Mental Health Week, which allowed us to come together again in the mall to bring games, music, services, and even a sausage sizzle to connect the community once again. Working closely with the City of Armadale’s staff, it was amazing to activate these community spaces and watch as our community could be brought together with such ease.

It made me realise that I could share my passion for community connectedness and bring people together to do this time and time again.

In reflection, I think it was so important for these types of events to go forward, especially in the last year or so where we have had lockdowns and see people become more isolated within their homes. I have made more concerted efforts to attend as many of the City of Armadale’s events as possible, to learn about new things and meet new people.

Through that, I have also made continued connections to people within our community and had opportunities to work with Neighbourhood Watch on some exciting programs. I’ve been involved with the Armadale Disability Reference Group for the last few years and am always excited for the next opportunity to open up.