Bangor's 'Manny' Castillo spreads harmony through sport

People from many different backgrounds "learn from each other through sport," he said.

"In my experience, a simple chessboard or football field can be a place where new friendships can grow."

Mr Castillo OAM has been honoured with a 2024 Premier's Multicultural Community Medal.

The awards program pays tribute to many people who work to promote social cohesion and harmony across NSW.

Mr Castillo was awarded the Sports Medal, which recognises the achievements of an individual or sporting code in promoting cultural understanding and sporting endeavours within or between communities of different cultural and/or linguistic backgrounds.

Over the last 40 years, Mr Castillo has organised sports festivals in the Filipino community.

He has been involved in competitive multicultural sports in Australia and the Philippines as a sportsman, coach and events manager since 1973.

The award acknowledges him as "a role model for the Filipino community across charitable, education and scholarship projects".

Mr Castillo worked within the NSW Department of Education for 27 years. After retiring from public service, he continued as a part-time educator in the Catholic education sector.

From 1977-2015, he served as president of the Philippine Australian Sports and Culture, where he pioneered the integration of multicultural sports into cultural festivals while raising a young family. .

Mr Castillo has received numerous other awards and citations in Australia and the Philippines.

Further information: https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/the-premiers-multicultural-community-medals/