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Supplied/Stuff
Photographer Stan McDowall says he’s been blown away by the response to his passion project.
Do you know someone who’s quietly doing something great or going above and beyond for the people around them?
Invercargill photographer Stan McDowall is looking for Southland’s unsung heroes – and because Southlanders tend not to make a fuss, he’s discovering there are many.
“They’re quiet, and they stay quiet about [what they’re doing],” he said.
McDowall put out a call for nominations this week and said: “It’s gone crazy.”
The idea of his passion project was born when McDowall and his partner were chatting about good things people were up to around them.
“There’s nothing in town that recognises unsung heroes,” he said, so he decided he’d use his skills to put something together.
The idea is to create a photo exhibition accompanied by blurbs about each hero, to be displayed somewhere prominently over the summer, with the hope of photographing another round of heroes next year.
“The main focus for now is to get the ball rolling,” McDowall said.
Nominations so far range from long-time volunteers and charity founders to emergency volunteers and sports coaches.
But McDowall is looking for all kinds of people: artists, craftsmen, people living off the grid or people with interesting connections to the region.
He’s already started contacting nominees and while some would prefer to stay behind the scenes, “most people have been shocked to hear they’re nominated”.
McDowall has been inundated with not just nominations, but also people simply interested in the project.
“I woke up one morning to 25 messages from people just wanting to see the exhibition. I did not expect it to be this popular. It’s just the Southland community spirit.”
McDowall can be contacted at stan.mcdowall@outlook.com to add your nomination.
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