A lifetime of creating places where everyone is welcome | Reverend Bill Crews

Community Harmony Medal sponsored by Commonwealth Bank of Australia

At Reverend Bill Crews’ church in Ashfield, the doors are open and the space is a hive of activity.

Vans are packed with hot meals and medical supplies for delivery across the city.

Volunteers move between the kitchen and the courtyard wearing blue T-shirts emblazoned with ‘Bill’s Crew’.

A tai chi group practises quietly in one corner while others sit, talk or rest.

People arrive for many different reasons. What they find is a place where they are welcomed and treated with dignity.

Moving through it all is Bill himself, greeting people, checking in with volunteers and offering support where it is needed.

It is work he has been doing for more than 50 years.

In 1989, he founded The Bill Crews Foundation to support people experiencing homelessness and hardship.

Today, the organisation runs outreach programs across Australia and internationally, from Sudan to Gaza.

His work also brings faith communities together.

In 2024, Bill was appointed a UNICEF Global Faith Envoy, advocating for children worldwide.

He has recently returned from Calais, France where he met refugees attempting to cross the English Channel.

He is also a member of the NSW Faith Affairs Council, promoting interfaith understanding.

For him, multiculturalism reflects a simple belief in shared humanity.

“Underneath we are all the same,” Bill said.

“Living in a multicultural society requires us to be vulnerable and open to allow others to change us. That is an essential quality for life.”

He believes connection begins with everyday action.

“For those who feel despair at the current state of the world, I would say this – start with yourself and your closest relationships,” he said.

“Talk to neighbours, talk to people who are different to you.

“If we all start to reach out, together we can help overcome feelings of loneliness and fear.

“Nobody is feeling lonely when they’re telling you about their loneliness.”

“Receiving this award is so meaningful for me,” Reverend Crews said.

“I have worked so much of the time feeling like I am on the edge of things, working to unite people. It’s good to be recognised like this.”

For his tireless work, the Reverend Bill Crews AM was awarded the 2026 Community Harmony Medal.