KADENE NAMED YOUNG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Earlier this year WRFL Umpire Augustin Kadende was named the Hobson’s Bay Council 2020 Young Citizen of the Year.

Augustin fled the Democratic Republic of Congo with his mother and younger brother when he was just five years old.

The family spent four years living in a refugee camp in Malawi before they were granted a Humanitarian Visa to settle in Australia.

The aspiring human rights lawyer was the school captain at Emmanual College last year and has been a strong mental health advocate.

He excelled at both sports and academics at school, introducing several initiatives aimed at initiating open discussions about mental health among his classmates as well as challenging the negative stereotypes of masculinity.

Augustin has been umpiring in the WRFL for more than four years and was previously a junior with Newport Power juniors.

“I volunteer because I know what it’s like to literally have nothing and it reminds me of where I came from and helps me give back to the community which supported me,” he said.

“When it comes to mental health, ignorance often eviscerates empathy and men need to understand that our mental struggles do not take away from our virility, nor does our suffering taint our strength.”