ANZCO's Local Heroes: Bronwyn Bayliss

Today, meet Bronwyn Bayliss

Beef Supervisor at ANZCO Foods Canterbury

Bronwyn spends a lot of her time outside of work mentoring young people and supporting her local neighbourhood and community. She's also a current committee member of Hampstead Softball, and helps out with grounds maintenance and anything else that needs doing. 

Growing up, Bronwyn was lucky to have some great mentors that supported her in sport and in life, and this has always encouraged her to be involved with, and give back to, her community. She has always enjoyed people and their stories, and loves seeing people reach their potential.

The difference it can make and how it can be life-changing to be involved with something bigger than herself is what Bronwyn enjoys most about helping her local community. She's motivated by knowing it’s never about her, it’s what she can do to help others. Her biggest takeaway from her time as a volunteer is that we can all learn something from other people if we take time to be available and present.

Volunteering has made her more observant and mindful of others' needs. It also encourages her to be an empathetic role model, curious about other people's way of life, and to be patient. This helps her at work - for example, each year she has an end-of-season barbeque for her team to encourage inclusion. Food is always a great way to bring people together!

Her advice to anyone wanting to get involved in their local community is - do it! It doesn’t have to be big, but there are so many organisations that need volunteers and so many opportunities to be of service. From helping neighbours to local school committees and sporting groups, we all have something to offer. Find your passion and approach different groups, or have a chat to someone who already volunteers and they can point you in the right direction.