Latrell Mitchell, the NRL superstar, is facing a significant football fixture today. His team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, are set to clash with his former club, the Sydney Roosters, in a highly anticipated match steeped in a fierce rivalry. However, when the media caught up with Mitchell ahead of Thursday’s game, he made it clear that football wasn’t on his mind. He even jested that he would have cut the interview short if any football-related questions had been sprung on him.
It’s been a considerable period since Mitchell last addressed the media. His reluctance to engage with journalists has been a topic of much discussion, with numerous opinion pieces penned about his apparent refusal to speak. This stance is perhaps understandable, given the intense, and at times unfair, scrutiny he often faces from the press.
Mitchell, however, has chosen to break his self-imposed silence for a crucial reason: to shine a spotlight on the Winmarra Foundation. He co-founded this organisation in late 2024 and is passionate about its mission. Speaking at the ABC’s Sydney studios shortly after a training session, Mitchell explained that the Winmarra Foundation is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of Indigenous leaders. It achieves this through a multi-faceted approach encompassing cultural connection, mentorship, and community engagement.
The Emerging Leaders Program: Cultivating Future Leaders
At the heart of the foundation’s work is its Emerging Leaders Program. This is a comprehensive 10-month initiative meticulously designed to guide both at-risk and high-achieving young individuals towards significant personal growth and skill development.
The name “Winmarra” holds deep personal significance for Mitchell. “Winmarra just is the surrounding area of Taree where I was born,” he shared. “We have a big mountain range that follows us, surrounds us in the Manning Valley. Winmarra’s the storyline of my people back in the day. It just represents me, my family and where I’m from.”
While the program bears this evocative name, Mitchell strategically chose Brewarrina, a town in North West New South Wales, as the location for the foundation’s pilot program. “That community, Brewarrina, means a lot to me,” Mitchell explained. “It’s a place I found a long time ago, before Winmarra Foundation was even a thought. For me, giving back’s everything and the Emerging Leaders Program is giving these kids an opportunity to believe in themselves as well.”
He has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of the program on the young participants. “Seeing these kids go from not being able to say their name or too shame or too shy to … express who they are, know who their mob, what their dreams and their attributes are, what they’re good at … it makes my heart warm.” Mitchell’s commitment to giving back is evident, often carried out away from the public eye. “I couldn’t care less about cameras, to be honest,” he stated.
A Program That Delivers Tangible Results
The effectiveness of the Winmarra Foundation’s approach is exemplified by the experiences of its participants. Take, for instance, 17-year-old Darnell Heatherill. He has achieved a remarkable list of milestones, including obtaining his driver’s licence on his first attempt and taking on the role of coaching younger football players. Darnell was a participant in the 10-month Winmarra program.
Furthermore, Darnell has realised his long-held ambition of joining the Rural Fire Service (RFS), becoming Brewarrina’s youngest RFS cadet. “It’s a wonderful feeling,” Darnell told ABC News. “Ever since a kid I wanted to be [in the] RFS and fire brigade.”
Darnell attributes a significant boost in his self-confidence to his involvement in the program. “It kind of shaped me in ways,” he remarked. “Shaped me to obviously be a leader more and obviously build my resilience and everything, so it definitely has shaped me in many ways.”
A long-time admirer of Mitchell, Darnell highlighted the importance of looking beyond the NRL star’s on-field achievements. “Everyone knows [Latrell] for being a star at footy, but they actually need to look at everything that he’s doing for the community,” Darnell said. “Some people don’t see that. But he does give back, and he’s always looking out for us, and it’s the best thing ever.”
The Economic Imperative: The Cost of Inaction
The Winmarra Foundation currently operates on self-funding, with its founders actively seeking philanthropic and government support. Sunny Brar, the foundation’s other co-founder, emphasises that the program’s benefits extend beyond individual empowerment; it also makes sound economic sense. By reducing the likelihood of young people becoming involved with the justice system or relying on welfare and health services, the program offers substantial long-term savings.
“You’ve got some great kids like Darnell, Kirk, Ashton, Jai-Kel — the boys that have completed the program — who will now go into the workforce, who will now go into the communities and make an impact,” Brar told ABC News. He starkly contrasts the cost of supporting young people in the justice system with the proactive investment in their development. “The cost of inaction is really 20 million dollars,” he stated, referring to the potential savings from preventing negative outcomes.
| Category | Estimated Cost per Person | Potential Savings (30 Youth) | Key Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Justice | $100,000–$1,000,000 | $3M+ | Justice Reform Initiative, NSW Parliament |
| Education Disengagement | $250,000–$300,000 | $7.5–$9M | Mitchell Institute |
| Mental Health | $10,000–$50,000 | $300k–$1.5M | Treasury, AIHW |
| Welfare & Unemployment | $200,000–$300,000 | $4–$6M | Mitchell Institute, AIHW |
Mitchell’s dedication to these young individuals is profound. He invests his time, even while managing his own young family, to ensure the children in Brewarrina feel valued and supported. “We got elders that are starting to pass,” he reflected. “These are going to be our next generation of leaders and elders. So, my thing is that if I can have an impact on them and have this after my footy, this for my kids to enjoy, for the vision to just go through every community and every community understand that it’s their processes, their dream, their story, that’s all I want the impact to be.”
