National Pies for Local Legends is our community grants program. Every year, we award a grant of $1,000 each month plus a major grant of $10,000 at the end of the program. The grants program is open for any registered Australian community group, sporting club or not-for-profit organisation to apply.
We need your help to select this year’s $10K major grant recipient! Please scroll down to read the bio of our top 3 finalists. Once you have decided who you think most deserves the $10K, please vote using the form at the bottom of the page.
Lifeline Tasmania is seeking support through the Local Legends program to deliver a series of community wellbeing events across grassroots sporting clubs in southern Tasmania. The project will expand our successful Talks on Tap concept into local sporting environments, bringing people together over food, conversation, and practical insights about resilience and mental health. The events will combine a relaxed social atmosphere with an engaging short talk designed to challenge common myths about resilience and encourage open conversation about mental health. Participants will take away an understanding of how to better adjust in the face of adversity.
Each event will include food provided through National Pies, creating a welcoming and accessible setting where club members, volunteers, players, and supporters can gather, share a plate and participate in meaningful conversation and activity.
Why it’s needed:
Grassroots sporting clubs play a vital role in community wellbeing. They are places where people connect weekly, support their teammates, and build strong social networks. Yet these settings are rarely used for structured mental health conversations. Delivering wellbeing talks within sporting clubs allows important discussions to happen in environments where people already feel a sense of belonging, making the message more accessible and relevant.
Grassroots sport provides a powerful platform for conversations about resilience and wellbeing because people are already connected through shared identity, teamwork, and community pride.
The Concept:
The Talks on Tap model is simple and effective. People gather in a familiar venue, share something to eat and drink, and listen to a short, engaging talk followed by informal discussion.
The talk delivered at our pilot event in Launceston on 16 February explored the myths of resilience, challenging the idea that resilience means coping alone or “toughing it out”, and instead highlighting the role of community, connection, help seeking, and support.
This format proved highly engaging and accessible, making it ideal for grassroots sporting environments where community connection is already strong.
Project Delivery:
Four community events will be delivered in partnership with grassroots sporting organisations:
Each event will include:
Community Impact:
Grass roots sporting clubs are powerful community hubs where people connect across generations, backgrounds, and life experiences. By bringing these conversations directly into grassroots sporting environments, this project will:
Why This Fits the Local Legends Grant:
Funding Request:
Funding would support the delivery of four community events, including:
Smithton Basketball, based in Circular Head on Tasmania’s far North West coast, faces significant barriers due to our regional location. With no public transport and limited local resources, our athletes, coaches, and volunteers often miss out on crucial development opportunities that are more accessible in larger areas.
We would invest the $10,000 in two key areas to build capacity, improve performance, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our program:
To overcome the “tyranny of distance,” we plan to bring high-level basketball coaches and officials to Circular Head over the next two years. These visits would include intensive training sessions and clinics for:
* Athletes of all levels
* Local coaches (including beginner and youth coaches)
* Umpires/referees
* Score bench volunteers
By developing our coaches and volunteers locally, we create a sustainable model that ensures knowledge stays within our community and benefits future generations of players. This is especially important in a remote area where ongoing access to expertise is limited.
To support our training and improve game-day operations, we will purchase:
* New basketballs and coaching equipment
* iPads for digital scorekeeping
* Coaching boards
* A laptop to record and manage player statistics
These upgrades will modernise our tools, helping players and coaches alike to train smarter, track progress, and raise the overall standard of the game in our region.
This funding would be transformational for our club, helping us overcome geographic isolation, invest in our people, and build a strong foundation for the future of basketball in Smithton and the wider Circular Head area.
What would this grant mean to you personally and what would it mean to your community?
To me personally, as a long-term resident of Circular Head and supporter of this club, the funding means opportunity, and connection. Living in a remote area like Circular Head, we often feel isolated from the pathways and resources that athletes and coaches in larger areas take for granted.
I would be beyond excited if I could play a small part in helping the young people in my community to achieve some of their goals and be proud of where they come from!
This support would break down some of barriers and mean families won’t have to travel as much – often at great cost – to access quality coaching or training. Instead, the opportunity will come to us.
It means our young athletes will be inspired by better training and feel they don’t have to leave home to chase their sporting dreams. Our volunteers and coaches will feel valued and better equipped, and that lifts everyone.
In small towns like ours, sporting clubs are more than just sport — they are the heartbeat of the community. They bring people together across generations, create a sense of identity and belonging, and offer a positive outlet for physical and mental health. Investing in our club means investing in the wellbeing and resilience of our whole community.
More than anything, this funding means belonging — that even in a small, regional town, we are seen, supported, and given the chance to thrive through sport.
Devonport Hockey Club is rebuilding strongly after the challenges of COVID, and our focus is on creating more opportunities for our growing junior base, returning players, and families reconnecting with sport. A $10K boost would directly strengthen our programs and help us keep hockey accessible for everyone in our community.
Here’s how the funding would make a real impact:
Improve equipment for juniors and beginners
Our club has seen strong growth—especially in younger age groups—so we need more entry‑level sticks, balls, goalkeeper gear and coaching tools to ensure every child can participate safely.
Support training for our volunteer coaches and umpires
We rely heavily on parents and community members who generously give their time. Workshops and development sessions would help build skills and confidence, improving the experience for all players.
Help cover rising ground hire fees for training and games
Facility costs are increasing each season. This funding would ease that pressure, allowing us to keep player subs as low as possible so cost isn’t a barrier for local families—especially important as we continue rebuilding participation post‑COVID.
Reduce financial barriers for young people and families doing it tough
We want every child to have the chance to play, regardless of circumstances. Funding would allow us to support families, subsidise equipment, and make sure hockey stays affordable.
This grant would help us continue our rebuild, support our growing junior numbers, strengthen our volunteer base, and keep hockey accessible and thriving in Devonport.
What would this grant mean to you personally and what would it mean to your community?
I’ve been involved with Devonport Hockey Club since I was around ten years old, and now—40 years later—I’m honoured to be the club’s President and the coach of our U13s. This club has been a constant through every stage of my life. It’s where I learned teamwork, resilience and leadership, and now I get to help the next generation discover those same things.
The past few years have been challenging as we rebuild after COVID, but seeing our juniors grow, bringing back our U16s and Div 2 Women, and watching four of our young players make the Tigers Academy has reminded me why this work matters. Receiving this grant would be incredibly meaningful—it would ease financial pressure, support our volunteers, and help us keep building something that has shaped me personally for four decades.
For our community, this $10K would make a real and immediate difference. It would help cover rising ground hire costs so we can keep subs low, making hockey accessible for more families. It would support our growing junior numbers, strengthen our community outreach, and ensure every child—regardless of background—has a place to belong, learn new skills and feel supported.
Devonport Hockey Club is more than a sports team; it’s a community hub that brings people together, gives kids confidence, creates friendships, and supports families. This grant would help us continue that work and make sure hockey remains strong in Devonport for years to come
