In a very proud moment for Dismantle, we are thrilled to announce that Pat Ryan has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours for his exceptional service to the community through social welfare organisations. Through his leadership at award-winning WA charity, Dismantle, and his advocacy for in the sector, Pat has made a profound impact on thousands of vulnerable young lives across the state.

Pat has been a trailblazer in his state and his sector since beginning his career as a social worker. Being on the front line of youth disadvantage working in crisis accommodation, Pat witnessed the profound and long-term damage being inflicted on kids from tough backgrounds, and the futility of the systems in place to be of any meaningful help before it was too late. Leaving an indelible mark, Pat joined Dismantle in 2012 to develop better ways to reach at-risk young people before they fell through the cracks and has led the charity as CEO since 2014.

In just over a decade, Dismantle’s flagship skills-based mentoring program, BikeRescue, has supported thousands of WA’s most vulnerable young people change the direction of their lives, from detention centres to the Department of Child Protection, countless schools in low socio-economic communities and travelling into the far corners of regional and remote communities across the state. Wherever this bike-refurbishment program goes, school attendance, class morale and the restored self-belief in young people seemingly follows. However, with high drop-out rates, low numeracy and literacy, no financial support for further education and very limited prospects in general, Pat knew the next critical hurdle for young people in breaking the cycle of disadvantage would be in entering the workforce.

In 2018, ReNew Property Maintenance was born. A commercial landscaping social enterprise purpose-built to solve a systemic problem; creating paid employment opportunities for kids with no experience and a raft of personal and economic problems that would have otherwise made it almost impossible to get their foot in the door to the workforce.

In 5 short years, ReNew has turned a $100K start-up grant from Impact100WA into a $2M (annual turnover) enterprise, recently surpassing $1 million in wages paid to at-risk young people and creating over 100 jobs for this vulnerable cohort. More than a financial milestone, these figures represent life-changing opportunities and financial independence for young people.

"Receiving the Order of Australia Medal is a humbling acknowledgment of our collective efforts to support vulnerable youth. This honour belongs to every volunteer, staff member, and supporter who has tirelessly contributed to our cause. I’m proud of the impact we’ve made to date, but there is still a long way to go before we can say that every young person if getting a fair go." - Pat Ryan.

The latter part of Pat’s career has been one of advocacy. A founding committee member of the Western Australian Social Enterprise Committee in 2019, WASEC is the first peak body of its kind in WA, established to the help foster the State’s underdeveloped Social Enterprise sector. Unlike Victoria, where social procurement policy has led to a $5 billion sector employing 60,000 people, WA has yet to include social enterprise in its Social Procurement Framework. This is something Pat and WASEC are working to change.

In 2021, Pat was also a founding member of the Catalytic Impact Loan Fund (CILF), bringing together the social enterprise community with eager impact investors, philanthropists and high net worth individuals. To date, CILF has successfully raised over $350,000 in accessible finance for social enterprises including ReNew.

As we celebrate this remarkable and well-deserved achievement, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering meaningful and lasting change for at-risk young people, who deserve a future that is not predetermined by the circumstances into which they were born.

The Board extends heartfelt congratulations to Pat on this remarkable achievement, underscoring his tireless dedication, courage, hard work, and leadership for young people and social enterprise in WA. His outstanding contribution not only enriches our community but also provides an invaluable opportunity to elevate Dismantle's mission, advocating for disadvantaged young people and important policy priorities in WA. - Kylie Kerin, Dismantle Chairperson.

If you’d like to congratulate Pat, please consider making a small contribution to our Uniform Appeal, providing ReNew’s youth employees with steel-capped boots, high-vis uniforms and PPE.