The Seed Network

Today marks 27 years since Hi-5 first graced our screens, and there is one name that deserves every flower, every kind word, and every ounce of gratitude the world can offer, Kathleen de Leon Jones. Born in Manila, Philippines, on 1 September 1977, Kathleen moved to Sydney as a baby and grew up in Australia, a Filipina girl who would go on to become one of the most beloved faces in Australian children’s television. For so many multicultural kids watching at home, children who rarely saw themselves reflected on screen, Kathleen was everything. She was living proof that you belonged. That someone who looked like you could dance, sing, shine, and be fully, joyfully celebrated. In a television landscape that had so little diversity, she was a beacon. She didn’t just appear on screen, she filled a room, filled a heart, and filled a gap that so many families didn’t even have words for yet. She trained at The McDonald College on scholarship, performed in Miss Saigon and Rent, and was cast in Hi-5 in 1998, becoming an original member of the ARIA Award-winning group that captured the hearts of an entire generation. Her beloved segment Puzzles and Patterns taught children problem-solving and mathematics through movement, joy, and warmth. She didn’t just entertain, she educated, she uplifted, and she made every child sitting cross-legged in front of the television feel like they truly mattered. She stepped away from Hi-5 in 2007 to embrace motherhood wholeheartedly , and described that chapter as one she absolutely loved, swimming lessons, mothers’ groups and simply being present . She and her husband Daniel Jones returned home to the Gold Coast in 2023, carrying that same grace and warmth she has always had. Kathleen, you were — and always will be — pure magic. A pioneer. A trailblazer. An angel. Thank you for making a whole generation of multicultural Australian kids feel seen, valued, and beautifully celebrated. 💛🌺​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Follow @the.seednetwork for more stories like this. 📸 by @kathleendeleonjones @hi5team

From a small mission in South Australia to the $50 note in our wallets, the story of David Unaipon is one every Australian should know. It is a story that highlights how deeply Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples are woven into the nation’s history, culture and intellectual foundations, and how much work remains to fully reckon with the impacts of colonialism. Born in 1872 in South Australia, David Unaipon was a Ngarrindjeri man whose curiosity and intellect stretched far beyond his time. From a young age, he showed a passion for learning, science, and invention. With the support of mentors, he immersed himself in classical literature, physics and the study of language, gravity and movement, ideas that would fuel his remarkable innovations. A preacher, inventor and thinker, Unaipon dedicated his life to understanding how the world worked and how it could be improved. He lodged more than 19 patents for inventions, including sheep-shearing devices, motors, and ambitious concepts such as perpetual motion and anti-gravitational machines. While financial barriers meant many designs were never fully realised, his sheep-shearing handpiece helped lay the groundwork for modern shearing technology and Australia’s wool industry. He also sketched early designs for a helicopter-like flying machine decades before aviation advanced. Beyond invention, Unaipon became the first Aboriginal author to publish in English, preserving Ngarrindjeri stories, knowledge and philosophy at a time when Indigenous voices were routinely silenced. Today, his presence on the $50 note is more than symbolic. It is a reminder that Aboriginal brilliance has always existed, shaping Australia from the very beginning. Follow @the.seednetwork for more stories like this.

“When was she going to know that we already survived this” 🥺 Follow @the.seednetwork for more stories like this. 🎥 @c31melbourne @ctv.plus #survive #refugees #safe #farfromhome #africanaustralian #wartorn #trauma #betterfuture #manofthehouse #dreams #determination #resilience #hardworker #soild #pushforward

Meet the community heroes inspiring a generation, the leaders, mentors and changemakers building stronger, more inclusive futures through sport, education and empowerment. These aren’t headlines from far away. They’re from our streets, our suburbs, our communities. They show up every day, often without recognition, and they’re quietly changing lives one conversation, one program, one young person at a time. Real impact starts close to home. And home has never looked this powerful. Tag your local heroes down below 👇🏾 Follow @the.seednetwork for more inspiring stories and community heroes from across Australia 🌱

Pasifika Australians are changing the game across every field, from the ring and the rugby league, to the big screen, the art gallery, and beyond. These incredible individuals carry their culture with pride while blazing trails for the next generation. Who did we miss? Drop the names we should celebrate next. 👇🏾 🔗 Be sure to check out Part 1 for more incredible Pasifika Australians making their mark. Follow us for more inspiring content uplifting Pasifika and Pacific communities in Australia

Born in Auckland to Ghanaian parents, Eddie Nketia was always going to be fast. Speed runs in the family, literally. His father, Gus Nketia, was once New Zealand’s national 100m record holder. A record Eddie would one day break.  The family relocated to Canberra when Eddie was just nine years old, chasing better sporting and educational opportunities. He threw himself into rugby union and athletics at St Edmund’s College, quickly standing out as something special. As a teenager he represented the ACT at Australian national junior championships before moving back to New Zealand to finish school in Wellington.  In 2019, aged just 18, he won the Australian national 100m title, then switched allegiance to New Zealand. He went to the World Athletics Championships in Doha, missing the semi-final by a heartbreaking 0.01 seconds. The potential was undeniable.  What followed was one of sport’s great injustices. Despite qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics by ranking, he was not nominated by New Zealand’s selectors. The Commonwealth Games snub came next. Fed up and overlooked, Eddie stepped away, briefly pursuing an American football career at the University of Hawaii, before earning a track scholarship at the University of Southern California.  In December 2025, he officially transferred his allegiance back to Australia. Within months, he broke the Australian all-conditions 100m record at the Mt. SAC Relays with a 9.84. Then just hours ago, he went even faster, clocking a mind-blowing 9.74 at the Big Ten Championships to claim the title, doubling up with a 200m gold in 20.03.  Overlooked. Doubted. Redirected. Now rewriting history in green and gold. Eddie Nketia is just getting started. ⚡ 📸 by @osqul @eddie.nketia @kenshootz @beyond_theroad_ @usc_track_field

The Kuol and Touré brothers aren’t just playing football, they’re rewriting what’s possible for the next generation. From humble beginnings to the world’s biggest stages, their journeys are proof that talent, belief and a tight-knit family behind you can take you anywhere. For young players across Australia watching from the sidelines, the message is clear – dream loud, work harder and never stop backing yourself. This is your home for African Australian stories. Follow us and never miss a moment. @the.seednetwork

Born in Saigon in 1968, Dai was just a little girl when her world was turned upside down. On the day North Vietnam captured Saigon in April 1975, she was swept onto a boat with her mother and sisters, not knowing if they would ever see their father again. They never did. For four years, Dai and her family lived in refugee camps in the Philippines and Hong Kong, uncertain, displaced and holding onto hope. In December 1979, that hope carried them to Australian soil. After completing her HSC at Cerdon College in Merrylands, Dai stumbled into journalism almost by chance. She started at the Liverpool City Champion writing the diary section, local morning teas, sporting events, community announcements. Humble beginnings that grounded her in something powerful: the art of telling real stories about real people. She later helped establish the Fairfield City Champion before building a distinguished career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, reporting for landmark programs including Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent, and Lateline. Her guiding principle through it all, be accurate, be fair, be balanced. But Dai’s heart was always with her community. She entered local politics, was elected to Fairfield City Council in 2012, and served as Deputy Mayor. She survived breast cancer in 2014–2015 and came back fiercer than ever. She founded the Diverse Australian Women’s Network, uplifting women from all walks of life. Then, on 21 May 2022, something historic happened, Dai Le became the first refugee and Vietnamese Australian ever elected to the Australian House of Representatives, winning the seat of Fowler. She was re-elected again in 2025. A mother. A fighter. A trailblazer. Australia is better because Dai Le is here. 🇦🇺❤️ 📸 by @dai_le

Meet a handful of South Sudanese athletes rewriting history across the globe, champions of their craft, proud symbols of resilience, and a powerful reminder of what South Sudan gives to the world. To each of you, we see you, we celebrate you, and we are behind you every step of the way. Who did we miss? Drop the names below — the next list is coming. 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿 Follow @the.seednetwork for more stories like this.

There’s a reason the world stopped when a teenage Garang Kuol stepped onto that World Cup stage in Qatar. At just 18 years old, he became the youngest player to feature in a World Cup knockout stage since the legendary Pelé in 1958, and came within inches of one of the greatest Socceroos moments in history. Emi Martinez stopped him that night. History didn’t. Since then, Garang has been on a journey that’s tested his resolve. From Newcastle United to loan spells at Hearts in Scotland and FC Volendam in the Netherlands, each chapter a new classroom, each country a new challenge. He’s been learning quietly while the world waited on him loudly. Now at Sparta Prague, the 21-year-old has made 18 appearances this season, by far the most of his senior career, and helped the club qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League. That’s a young Australian competing at the top of European football, earning his stripes the hard way. The 2026 World Cup is approaching. The squad announcement looms. And Garang Kuol’s best football? It hasn’t even arrived yet. 🌱​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 📸 by @acsparta_cz 🎥 by @acsparta_cz

These moments didn’t make themselves. They were built by people who refused to accept the world as it was, who walked off, spoke up, and stood firm so the generations after them could stand taller. Every moment on this list is a reminder of what First Nations Australians have given this country. Which moment hits different for you? Follow @the.seednetwork for more stories like this.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Six-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton is officially suiting up for the Australian national team! “Australia has embraced me from day one, and I’m grateful for the chance to wear the green and gold.” After gaining his Australian citizenship in 2025, the Perth Wildcats legend will make his long-awaited Boomers debut in July at RAC Arena, the same court where he became a legend, facing Guam and the Philippines in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. “I’m excited, motivated, and ready to give everything I have for the country.” One of the greatest to ever play in this league. Now representing the nation. 🌱