As a first-generation Australian and daughter of a Polish migrant family, Sarah Jantos observed what it meant to lead a service-driven life from her grandmother.
Despite language barriers and other limitations, her grandma ministered to people in her community through service, quietly and consistently acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. When hundreds of people came to farewell Sarah’s grandmother at her funeral, it was evident she had made a significant impact.
As a 16-year-old, Sarah continued that legacy of service and coordinated a mission trip to the Solomon Islands with the help of her primary school teacher, Mrs Hazel Eaton. “Sarah was always a free-spirited, independent young girl who cared deeply for others around her,” Mrs Eaton fondly reminisces about her time teaching Sarah at school.
Sarah found herself assisting a doctor during an emergency surgical procedure. “I was just helping with the instruments, but I could see the desperate need in those communities for healthcare and medical attention, and I wanted to do it, I wanted to be that person,” Sarah recalls. At that moment, her calling became clear: she would study nursing. “My vision was to go to Avondale and then return to serve communities around the world.”
Sarah came to Avondale in 2000 to pursue a Bachelor of Nursing degree. Without knowing anyone, she moved away from home and into the Avondale dorms. “From what I knew of Avondale, it had a service-centred worldview, and I found that to be true when I started my studies”, says Sarah. She was inspired by her lecturers, who taught her the importance of her impact: “They all really conveyed that idea well, that we should be contributing to something bigger than ourselves. I really loved that, and I wanted to do that.”
What made Sarah’s time at Avondale transformative was the practical, human-centred training. “As a nursing student, we sat by the bedside of patients, listening and conversing, learning how to minister to people, not only their physical needs, but to people’s stories. I have since learnt that this is a unique skill of Avondale Nursing Graduates.”
Sarah recalls a pivotal moment just before graduating from the nursing chapel service, a woman from the Solomon Islands sought volunteers willing to accompany her back to the islands and establish a medical clinic in the remote islands of Rennell and Bellona. Sarah immediately felt that this invitation was meant for her. “I believe this was the reason God had led me into nursing,” she recalls. Just one week later, with two colleagues and a large donation of medical supplies from the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Sarah boarded a plane bound for the islands to begin work.
Returning from the islands, Sarah's desire to serve global communities grew further abroad. She worked on nursing projects in Vanuatu, Tanzania, and Kenya, as well as in remote indigenous communities in Australia. After completing her master’s degree in international development and public health, she joined Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. Drawn to their philosophy of impartiality and their commitment to bear no arms, Sarah reflects, “It didn’t matter what side of the conflict someone was on – our role was to treat everyone equally.”
Sarah’s first post abroad with MSF was in China as part of an emergency response team after a major earthquake. She was then deployed to Iraq during the war, tasked with introducing pain-management protocols for victims of frequent bomb blasts. “I couldn’t comprehend what these people were going through,” she says, “I just had to focus on acting quickly and doing my best – it was incredibly tough.”
Returning home from conflict zones was not easy for Sarah. After witnessing the worst of humanity, Sarah struggled to recalibrate life in Australia. She found grounding again while working as a nurse at Derby Hospital in Australia’s Kimberley region.
It was there that she met a coworker who was caring for endangered Wallabies and would bring them into the hospital, and she began sharing the care.
After 15 years of nursing and international aid work, Sarah shifted her service to protecting Australia’s wildlife. Just as she once cared for the vulnerable as a nurse, she now cared for the voiceless as a wildlife carer and advocate.
Sarah founded Green Heroes, a conservation organisation focused on empowering communities through environmental education. Her work led to partnerships with the local indigenous community, focusing on reconnecting youth to Sea Country and strengthening both cultural and environmental stewardship.
“It was during this time, I came to see that saving our planet and addressing global health issues are deeply interconnected,” Sarah continues, “when you connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, food security, disease and poverty, it becomes clear that protecting and preserving the natural world is not only an essential part of humanitarian work- it is also God’s first-given task to humanity, entrusted to humans in the Garden of Eden to care for his creation.”
These days, Sarah partners closely with the Tweed Shire Council, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (Aquatic Reserves), and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to lead ocean conservation initiatives in the waters off Fingal Head, NSW. On any given day, you’re most likely to spot her underwater at Cook Island Aquatic Reserve — a renowned haven for three of the world’s seven sea-turtle species — guiding a group of enthusiastic students through the reef.
In 2022, her passion and impact were celebrated when she received both the Community Educator of the Year and NSW Environmental Educator of the Year awards at the Australian Association for Environmental Education’s national ceremony.
The recognition provided her with a powerful platform for her vital conservation work, underscoring the importance of interconnections between communities and their environments, which can have lasting impacts for future generations.
Sarah's work in war zones, remote communities and wildlife conservation is a continued legacy of her grandmother. Her lasting impact on those around her inspires us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, changing the world for good.
