Cyndi Ward spoke exclusively with Elite Agent, giving us a glimpse into why she was chosen to receive the prestigious and heartfelt Everyday Hero title, which has only been awarded once before.
It’s not every day that you come across a hero, but then again, chances are you may not have even known it. The Gladstone property manager and business owner is one such person, but it is a compliment she takes with utmost humility.
When asked on her initial reaction to hearing her name, Cydni said “I was embarrassed, I felt as though I should have had my husband by my side. It was really a team effort, I am only half of the recipient. I couldn’t have done it without my support network.”
“I’m not a hero,” she said. “I’m just trying to make a difference.”
Recognised in front of her peers, Cyndi received the award from RE/MAX Australia’s Managing Director, Michael Davoren.
“There is no criteria, as the recipients of this type of award are people who have no boundaries,” said Michael.
“Their business life is generally way beyond the ordinary and their private life is generally just that. It is private but exceptionally special.”
The Everyday Hero Award is an award that has only been awarded once before and is not necessarily awarded each year.
Cydni manages RE/MAX Gold’s rental department and is a dedicated, hard-working and passionate real estate professional.
Her experience and knowledge in her field have awarded her various accolades throughout her career, but one thing that stands out is how humble she is in receipt of them all.
Having lived in the Queensland regional city from a young age, Cyndi has lived the pressures of the unprecedented market downturn the city experienced several years ago.
“It was five years of an absolute nightmare and it saw a lot of people – investors, landlords and property owners – put in a really challenging situation both financially and emotionally,” said Cyndi.
“It was a challenging time for us, too, but we focussed a lot on turning negative energy in a positive and talked a lot about the importance of having empathy, not sympathy.”
Outside of building a property management business with RE/MAX Gold, she is fully occupied by raising her young family of three boys, one of whom has special needs and requires constant care.
With the environment in her hometown seeing an ever-increasing need for carers and a decreasing supply of the same, in 2015, Cyndi and her husband made the decision to become foster parents, opening up their family home to a number of children, many of who come from difficult circumstances.
“It can be very challenging, and heartbreaking, but ultimately it is the best experience that we, as a family, have had,” said Cyndi.
“Not just for us but for our children also. It has been grounding and really puts things into perspective.”
Regardless of their backgrounds and sometimes challenging behaviour, these children are all treated as family under the Ward roof and Cyndi encourages everyone to consider the benefits of becoming a foster parent.
Cyndi told Elite Agent that she wanted to encourage others to get involved in giving back where they can. She also wanted to highlight the need in our communities.
In 2018, Cyndi was involved in the start-up of Ride-For-Life’s Gladstone branch and currently serves as Treasurer on the board.
Having been through her own personal tragedy, Cyndi has become an advocate for suicide prevention training, ensuring as many people as possible – including the team at RE/MAX Gold – receive the training.
“Suicide prevention is something very close to my heart and it’s important to me to be able to educate others on this,” said Cyndi.
“Gladstone has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, so educating people is incredibly important.”
“I’m not a hero,” she said. “I’m just trying to make a difference.”
