Vote for your 2026 Westfield Local Hero
Voting is now open in the Westfield Local Heroes Community Vote and Coastguard Hibiscus volunteer Rachel Hessey is one of three finalists at Westfield Albany. It's a fantastic opportunity to get our Coastguard name and story in front of a whole new audience and there's a $20,000 grant on the table for the unit if Rachel takes out the top spot.
Rachel has been a driving force at Coastguard Hibiscus which has been duly recognised with this nomination. Since then, she’s been busy juggling meetings with the Westfield team, a video shoot, brochure runs and an in-centre launch. Her dedication is typical of the volunteers who make up Coastguard's units around the country with hours of quiet, unpaid effort behind the scenes so that our crews can keep doing what they do best on the water.
The community vote opened on 25 August and runs until 20 September. Every vote for Rachel is a vote for Coastguard Hibiscus, and the more support she gets, the closer the unit gets to that top-tier $20,000 grant.
How you can help
Vote and share. Cast your vote for Rachel via the Westfield Albany Local Heroes page and share the link with family and friends. Every vote counts. Look out for Coastguard's posts about the campaign and reshare them on your own channels or any community pages you're part of, using the hashtag #westfieldlocalheroes. Voting closes 20 September, so there's still plenty of time to make an impact.
Lend a hand this Saturday. Rachel has put out a callout for volunteers at two events this Saturday.
- Westfield Albany: 9am to 5pm. This is the first real chance to actively promote Coastguard Hibiscus inside Westfield Albany as part of the Local Heroes campaign. The unit is currently tracking towards a $5,000 result, but there's an opportunity to climb all the way to $20,000 if the vote count comes out on top. Rachel will be there for the full day and would love company. Even an hour or two of chatting with shoppers about what Coastguard does and why it matters helps enormously.
Why it matters beyond the vote
Rachel's groundwork with the Westfield team has already opened doors to some exciting future fundraising ideas for the unit, including the possibility of selling or promoting Coastguard lottery tickets within the centre. These opportunities are about far more than one vote. They're a chance to build a long-term relationship with a major community partner and put Coastguard's work in front of thousands of people who might never otherwise hear our story.
A huge thanks to Rachel and the whole Hibiscus team for putting in the hard yards on this one. Whether you cast a vote, share the link, or lend a hand in person, you'll be helping turn a great nomination into a genuine local win.
Come along, wear your Coastguard gear, have a chat with the public and help us show people exactly who we are, what we do and why Coastguard is so special.
