More than a decade after losing his brother Michael to suicide, Peter Quinn is helping sporting clubs take a more active role in supporting their members’ mental health. His work has earned him the 2026 Westfield Chatswood Local Hero award, with a $20,000 grant going to Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney.
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For Peter, who has spent more than 20 years involved in community sport, the relationships built at training and on match days offer a way to reach people who might otherwise struggle in silence. His brother’s death made him particularly conscious of the value of asking questions, recognising distress and making time for difficult conversations.
“I came to understand that I had an ability to see and help people going through their own personal and mental health struggles,” he told Westfield.
Together with Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney and Mentoring Men, Peter founded Mates in Mind, an initiative intended to give sporting clubs practical ways to address mental health challenges among players and volunteers.
The conversations that mattered off the field
Clubs can be important social networks, particularly for people who have played or volunteered together over several seasons. Yet knowing someone well does not necessarily mean knowing what to say when their behaviour changes or they appear to be having a difficult time.
Mates in Mind is designed to help clubs recognise those situations, challenge stigma and build a culture in which seeking help is easier. The aim is not to make coaches or teammates into counsellors, but to encourage supportive conversations and appropriate referrals when professional assistance is needed.
“I have learnt how important it is to be…willing to ask questions and truly help,” Peter said in Westfield’s profile.
The initiative’s ambitions extend beyond one sport. Westfield’s earlier finalist information says the $20,000 grant would help launch a pilot program to improve how sporting clubs understand and respond to mental health challenges. The proposed pilot gives the award a practical purpose beyond recognising Peter’s existing work.
A wider commitment to his community
Peter’s volunteering has not been confined to sporting clubs. He has visited retirement homes with his dog Maple, offering company to older residents, and joined Lifeline’s community response team following the Bondi Beach attacks.
He connects these activities to the support he and his family have received from people around them. “In this community, I have truly felt that it is a village where people look out for each other, including others looking out for my own family,” he told Westfield. “The volunteer work is just my way of being part of the village.”
Chatswood recognition for Peter’s work
Peter was selected as Westfield Chatswood’s 2026 Local Hero, securing $20,000 for Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney. Two other finalists each received $5,000 for their nominated organisations.
Six-time Paralympian Gerard Hewson started the Lane Cove Cockatoos wheelchair basketball club in early 2026 to provide more opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in local sport. His nominated organisation was Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT.
Max Harpham, who was born profoundly deaf, mentors younger deaf people through Hear For You. He was supported by The Shepherd Centre as a child and now helps other young people access mentoring and social opportunities; his grant goes to The Shepherd Centre – For Deaf Children.
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The $20,000 award gives Peter and Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury Sydney an opportunity to develop the proposed sporting-club pilot. Its success will depend on how readily clubs can incorporate mental health awareness into the relationships and routines they already have.
Published 22-Oct-2026
