Dylan Shoesmith

Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie)—Dylan Shoesmith from Cardiff South is an outstanding and inspirational young member of the Lake Macquarie community. The 20-year-old has been advocating for young people since he was 14 when he joined Cardiff High School's Student Representative Council in a bid to ensure the voices of his fellow students were heard. Since then he's gone on to accomplish great things and was recently one of 12 people appointed to the 2020 - 21 New South Wales Youth Advisory Council. He was also a finalist in this year's Lake Macquarie Young Citizen Award. Dylan is constantly striving to ensure that the interests and concerns of young people living in Lake Macquarie are taken into consideration in decision-making processes. He says his passion for youth advocacy was born from a desire to make a real difference and not just be an armchair critic. He is the current Chairperson of the Lake Macquarie Youth Advisory Council and has collaborated with Lake Macquarie City Council on its 2020 – 2023 Youth Strategy. He has also been actively involved with organising events such as Lake Macquarie's Endless Summer. I commend Dylan on his community spirit and wonderful achievements.