The Lebanese Muslim Association’s FuturePath Career Expo returned to the Whitlam Leisure Centre in Liverpool for the third time in five years on Wednesday 19 August, and by mid-morning, the spacious venue was buzzing with over 800 students, jobseekers and professionals from across South Western Sydney.

Auntie Marj Campbell opened proceedings with a passionate delivery of Welcome to Country, and from there, the energy kept on building.

Hard-working local MP Charishma Kaliyanda addressed the young crowd and one simple line from her speech particularly hit home: “talent doesn’t have a postcode.” 

Liverpool Councillor Richard Ammoun also spoke enthusiastically to the audience, with one statement which was very much on point being: “you are your parents’ most expensive investment.”

Then came the moment many had been waiting for – former two-time world boxing champion, author and cancer survivor Billy Dib stepped up to speak. 

Auntie Marj Campbell.

But Mr Dib didn’t come to talk about boxing – he came to talk about vision and belief. 

Drawing on his own journey from his young life growing up in south western Sydney (as the fifth of seven siblings) to the world boxing stage, he told the students plainly: “everything in your life starts with a vision.” 

Whatever path they chose to walk, he said, medicine, law, accounting, sport or otherwise, the standard remains the same: “whatever it is that you want to do in your life, just be the best at it.”

But a vision alone wasn’t enough, he warned.

 “The next thing that came up in my vision was consistency” – showing up daily, staying willing to learn, and refusing to quit.”

Local MP Charishma Kaliyanda.

He was careful not to oversell the message, either. 

“I’m not promising you that [money], but I am promising you that if you believe in yourself and work consistently at something, you will find success.” 

It was a rare moment of a champion admitting his own path had its twists and turns –  he had once dreamed of being a footballer or tennis player before boxing found him at 12 – but coming from a man who’s beaten opponents in the ring and beaten cancer outside it, the words carried a lot of weight.

The energy didn’t let up. 

Year 9 students from Punchbowl Boys High School stormed the stage with a haka that shook the room, preceded by  thunderous drum beats from their classmates Ahmad Chami and Mohamed Taleb. 

Two times world boxing champion Billy Dib signing copies of his books during the Career Expo.

Western Sydney Multicultural Resource Centre (MRC) kept the momentum going with an on-stage Myth Buster game and prize giveaways.

Away from the podium, the real work of the day was happening at the stalls – students chatting face to face with professionals, learning what university, TAFE and apprenticeships actually look like day to day, and getting hands-on with activities set up by the LMA’s event partners MTC Future Ready and Western Sydney MRC. 

The Bunnings team turned up in force to feed the 800-strong crowd at the barbecue, a gesture which was greatly appreciated by the organisers – and the hungry throng, of course!

None of this happens without people showing up and doing the unglamorous work behind the scenes. 

A job well done! From left, the LMA’s Joy Siamoa, Lynda Kartout, Moushumi Martin and Nicole Morell.

LMA staff, partners, sponsors, stallholders, teachers and a small army of other volunteers gave their time to make the morning happen, with MC Raed Halabi holding it all together with his trademark professionalism and warmth.

And of course, several hundred students showing such interest and enthusiasm was the icing on the cake.

Because FuturePath is more than just a job expo for a lot of these kids.

Indeed for many, it’s the first time someone’s told them, out loud, that their future is actually theirs to build.

The LMA was elated by the success of the Expo and Youth Project Officer Lynda Kartout, a major driving force behind the event each year, summed things up succinctly.

The Bunnings team did a fantastic job behind the barbecue. All photos courtesy LMA Creative Team.

“The Expo is designed to give students more than just information – it’s about opening doors and giving the them the opportunity to broaden their understanding of future possibilities – and make informed decisions about their education and career journey,” she said.

“The event continues to grow year by year and we are already confident that 2027 will see that trend continue.”

Once again this year, AMUST was the proud media partner of the Expo, with Editor-in-Chief Zia Ahmad OAM full of praise for all involved.