By Ava Cashmore
For more than three decades, Narre Warren resident, Ren Tumath, has been quietly, but significantly, reshaping the way the City of Casey includes the queer and disabled communities.
Through tireless effort, incredible empathy, and an unwavering commitment to equity, Ren established Casey Cardinia Pride Inc.
Their advocacy work extends to disability rights, serving on the Casey Disability Advisory Group Committee, where they help shape policies for inclusion and equality.
Now, this remarkable contribution to equity and inclusion has been recognised with the 2025 Casey Equity and Inclusion Award.
“When they called my name, I looked at my partner… it was a complete shock,” Ren said.
“I thought I had no chance whatsoever.”
Ren’s work spans across two very personal spheres — LGBTIQA+ rights and disability advocacy.
Coming out as queer at the age of 51, Ren is open about the challenges and the importance of visibility.
“I lived a straight life for a very long time. There were no role models back then… I suppose it just took life experience to show me who I really was,” Ren said.
Ren founded Casey Cardinia Pride Inc. after experiencing a lack of support for the queer community in Casey.
“There was just nothing happening out here.
“So I started my first queer group before I was even out. I had nobody around me that was like me.”
Born from a modest Facebook group, Ren’s organisation has grown into an incorporated community hub, that offers safe, welcoming spaces for people of diverse genders and sexualities.
“The amount of people that would come to the group and go, ‘Wow, I thought I was the only one’… it’s those moments that matter most,” Ren said.
But Ren’s story is also one of a physical battle.
A freak workplace accident in the early 1990s left Ren with a fractured neck — a “hangman’s fracture” that doctors initially missed.
Ren was working as a gardener when a tree branch fell on them.
“They tell me if I hadn’t had the helmet on, it would’ve killed me outright,” Ren recalled.
The injury ended their career as a professional gardener and introduced them to chronic pain and the stigma that often comes with disabilities.
Rather than withdrawing, Ren dived in head first.
Today, Ren serves on the Casey Disability Advisory Group Committee, where they help shape policies for better accessibility and inclusion.
“There’s so much about disability I didn’t know until I joined.
“I know it from my perspective, but there are so many different experiences — and that’s what people need to understand.”
For Ren, education is key to inclusion.
“People don’t know how to talk to us — they don’t know how to ask pronouns or how to ask, ‘How did you end up in a wheelchair?’”
While Ren acknowledged that every person has different preferences in what they would like to share with the public sphere, they believe the crux of the issue can be addressed with mutual respect.
“It’s okay to ask. And if someone says, ‘No, I don’t want to tell you,’ respect that and move on,” Ren said.
This award is not just a testament to what Ren has already achieved for their community— it’s a celebration of the inclusive future they continue to fight for.
“Everyone is equal. That’s it.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, what colour your skin is, what language you speak, what religion you are.
“We all come into this world the same way… it’s what we do in the middle that counts.”
