Last month, the Committee for Geelong, through their Future Geelong Leadership Awards, honoured one of our region’s most dedicated community champions with the Frank Costa Leadership Award, Mr Lino Bisinella.

This award, named in honour of a man who embodies humility, generosity, and genuine community leadership, recognises individuals who lead with purpose, integrity, and heart.

Lino exemplifies every part of those criteria.

The Frank Costa Leadership Award is not about profile, position, or public praise. Its criteria reflect Frank’s own leadership style: grounded, people-focused, and driven by a desire to make Geelong fairer, stronger, and more connected. It celebrates leaders who uplift others, who act because it’s the right thing to do, and who consistently invest their time, resources, and wisdom back into the community they love.

I had the privilege of experiencing Lino’s leadership first-hand, during a conversation that I will never forget.

At the time, the Barwon Health Foundation embraced an important opportunity: to strengthen health outcomes for communities in Geelong’s northern suburbs. We saw the potential to support Barwon Health in making a lasting difference by improving access to essential care. Research highlighted areas where we could create the greatest impact, such as reducing chronic disease and increasing preventative health measures. One of the most powerful ways to achieve this was through better oral health access.

With this vision in mind, the Foundation committed $2 million to support the aspirations of Barwon Health to build a new, state-of-the-art dental facility in the north, complementing the funding provided by the Victorian State Government. This purpose-built centre is designed to remove barriers and provide high-quality care for those who need it most, helping create healthier futures for the entire community.

But to fulfil this commitment, we needed support, and we needed community leadership.

So, I reached out to Lino for a coffee, simply seeking advice. I walked into that meeting looking for his perspective, but I walked out with something far more powerful.

Lino listened intently as we spoke about the challenge. Without hesitation, he offered to donate a block of land, a site that could be developed into a home, then sold, with the proceeds directed to help fund the new dental facility. There was no agenda, no desire for acknowledgement, and no deliberation. Just a genuine, instinctive response: “How can I help?”

This is who Lino is.

And this is just one story among countless others. Charities, community groups, health organisations, and local families all have their own stories, moments where Lino stepped forward, offered support, and made their burden lighter. He gives quietly. He leads by example. And he never seeks the spotlight.

Much like Frank Costa, whose name and legacy are woven into the fabric of our city,  Lino leads with humility, compassion, and conviction. His contributions are not only financial; they are moral, cultural, and deeply community focused. He makes Geelong stronger not through words, but through action.

Geelong and the region are better because of him. and I am proud to call him both a supporter of our mission and a friend.

Lino Bisinella is an exceptional and deserving recipient of the Frank Costa Leadership Award, a man whose quiet leadership continues to transform Geelong for the better, and a legacy that will have impact forever.

Thanks to the generosity of Lino and all those who contributed to our Appeal to support the health of the North, a purpose-built dental facility was officially opened by Barwon Health last year and is now caring for thousands of local patients since it opened its doors.