Hills District Independent August 2020 #62 August 2020 | Page 4

LOCAL LIFE 2020-2021 Youth Ambassadors Mayor of the Hills Shire Dr Michelle Byrne formally welcomed the Shire’s newly announced Youth Ambassadors Anthony Radic and Hayley Irving recently. Eighteen year old Hayley is currently studying at Macquarie University and hopes to forge a career in politics one day. She would like to use her appointment as Youth Ambassador to give people her age and younger a stronger voice in the community. Anthony is a Year Leader at Rouse Hill High School and is dedicated to advocating for youth wellbeing, specifically around the stresses of academic life. Anthony would also like to strengthen connections between youth in the Hills and the wider community. “The Youth Ambassador role bridges the gap between Council and the interests of youth in the Hills Shire,” Mayor Byrne said. “I look forward to working with Anthony and Hayley and hearing their ideas on how to further include youth in Council related matters,” Mayor Byrne added. The 2020-2021 finalists were also in attendance, as well as the outgoing 2019-2020 Youth Ambassadors Tian Yi Wong See, Reshmi Niriella and Savannah Mandakini Dissanayake. Mayor Byrne congratulated finalists Felicity Chan, Sachini Samantha, Muskan Jain and Jennifer Healey on their applications and encouraged them to apply for the role next year. “This year’s applicants were of an extremely high standard, and it’s so great to see so many of our youth interested in their community,” Mayor Byrne said. Mayor Byrne thanked Tian, Reshmi and Savannah for their dedication to the role during their time as Youth Ambassadors. During their term, the 2019-2020 Youth Ambassadors focused on environmental issues and youth mental health struggles. Tian’s book One in 5 to None in 5, a collection of anecdotes from young people about their experiences with mental health was also launched at Castle Hill Library earlier in the day. The handover was held in compliance with social distancing measures and COVID-19 safety guidelines. Check for crowds before you go It is an uneasy time for many and just the thought of doing the essential weekly shopping can bring on anxiety. Woolworths have been working with the Health Department to make sure their safety protocols and procedures are the best they can be. The single most important aspect of which is social distancing and with that in mind, they have introduced a new tool which lets you see how busy a store is almost in real-time, and when the busiest times normally are. It’s called Q-Tracker and you can check it out at www.woolworths.com.au. “The safety and wellbeing of our customers, teams and communities remains our top priority. Thank you for your ongoing support as we all work together to keep our communities safe and limit the spread of COVID-19 in New South Wales,” said Brad Banducci CEO, Woolworths Group. 4 ISSUE 62 // AUGUST 2020 www.hdinews.com.au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT