The diversity of Ballarat and its residents will be front and centre as a campaign challenges old stereotypes and delves into what makes the community special.
Below, we will feature the people that make Ballarat great.
You can find links and celebrate these people below.
We will keep adding to this page with every feature we do.
Watch this video and scroll down for all the profiles.
Matt Cumani
Horse racing is in Matt Cumani’s blood. The son of one of British racing’s leading trainers, Luca Cumani, has brought his family’s rich racing history to Ballarat.
Bryce Ives
The 35-year-old who grew up in Wendouree is embracing his passion for regional Australia and belief in the power of communities, back at his home base in Ballarat.
Julia Zass
Julia Zass’ bubbly and lighthearted personality comes out in the radio studio at Power FM Ballarat.
Dominic Saunders
Dominic Saunders works out of a small office in his home town Ballarat, delivering innovative pathology services to medical practices and hospitals worldwide.
Ryuji Nakamura
Turn over a packet of Hakubaku’s organic Japanese noodles in a supermarket almost anywhere in Australia and you’ll read that they are proudly made in Ballarat.
Christopher Zeegers
Moving back to Ballarat has meant Christopher Zeegers can share childhood experiences with his daughter.
Kylie Lavery
Kylie Lavery always had the intention of returning to Ballarat. She just didn’t know when.
Andrew and Kassie Blaszak
Wool garment company Interknit has a long history in the Ballarat region, first beginning sock manufacturing in Clunes in 1939. Andrew and Kassie Blaszak moved to Ballarat 14 years ago to keep the business alive.
Zainab Sabri
Zainab Sabri can recall arriving in Ballarat with her husband and three children in 2012 and seeing Lake Wendouree for the first time.
Nathan Porter
Nathan Porter’s thesis at university researched contemporary buildings in heritage cities.
Christine Lethlean
Christine Lethlean admits she felt like a traitor moving to Victoria.
Wendy and Clive Kirby
There’s a pig and a goose at Wendy and Clive Kirby’s farm in Clarendon, and on the signboard of their general foodstore in Buninyong.
Temam Hussen
Bringing authentic Ethiopian cuisine to Ballarat means Temam Hussen is surrounded by the smells and tastes of his childhood.
Stacey Oliver
Stacey Oliver sees great power in inspiring young people. It’s a belief she shares with YMCA Ballarat in her role as director of community and youth engagement.
Bridget Aitchison
Bridget Aitchison believes in lifelong learning, whether it be completing a doctorate at university or becoming a dive master.
Charles Zhang
It takes a profound degree of determination to embark on a 14 day journey from Robe to Ballarat on foot.
Bec Paton
Bec Paton had a vision that her two young girls would one day be able to play together side by side on a Ballarat playground.
John and Jess Lim
One of the best parts about owning a business for dentists Jess and John Lim is being able to work by their own rules.
Kerry Armstrong
Ballarat was a place Kerry Armstrong had grown up visiting regularly as a child, growing up in the small country town of Linton.
Nick Beale
For Nick Beale, Ballarat is a reminder of his home town in Zimbabwe. It’s almost as though he has come full circle.
Sara Mangere
Growing up the youngest of seven children, Sara Mangere relished the freedom and adventure that came with living on a 20-acre property in Mount Buninyong.
Michael de Kort
Starting a farm from scratch was a far cry from twenty years working in management in Michael de Kort’s corporate world.
Helen Bartlett
Professor Helen Bartlett had never been to Ballarat before being offered a position as Vice Chancellor of Federation University.
Robert Layton
He may have earned a Bachelor of Computing degree, an Honours degree and a PhD at Federation University, but Robert Layton did not think he would soon be on his way to running his own business.
David Clark
David Clark has lived in Glenbrae his entire life. The Pyrenees Shire Council mayor’s first childhood home was located just 10 metres from where he operates his mixed farming property.
Wilson Ekayapan
It was love that brought Wilson Ekayapan from his home in Kenya to Ballarat, but he says he couldn’t have chosen a better city himself.
Zac Hill
A career in hospitality wasn’t in Hop Temple manager Zac Hill’s sights until he came to Ballarat.
Jeff Unmack
Being a part of community has always been important to Creswick Pharmacy owner Jeff Unmack.
Georgia Amoore
When rising talent Georgia Amoore played her first competitive basketball match, she was wearing thongs. The five year old had been called upon to fill in for her cousin.
Simon Coghlan
Simon Coghlan didn’t envision himself returning to Ballarat so early in life.
Kat Pengelly
Artist and fashion designer Kat Pengelly is putting it out there, Ballarat could be the next arts centre of the world.
Katherine Cape
It was the appeal of a regional lifestyle that drew community health worker Katherine Cape to Ballarat.
David Sanders
David Sanders and his wife Bronwyn have installed solar systems worth over three megawatts of electricity since they moved to Ballarat in 2005, enough to power around 3000 homes.
Justine Linley
City of Ballarat chief executive Justine Linley believes one of the most exciting aspects of living in Ballarat is its sense of opportunity.
Mark Guirguis
It was 2005 when surgeon Mark Guirguis first established head and neck cancer services in Ballarat.
Monica Dickson
When Queenslander Monica Dickson first arrived in Ballarat as a fresh graduate working in a veterinary practice, the plan was always to return north and be close to family.