To see different races and creeds working together for the common good in the rotting mud – battlers, millionaires, Christians, Muslims and other religions piecing this small community back together with hard work and laughter – it makes me want to get rid of that rotten word ‘unAustralian’ because that’s Australian.
It was my dream one day I come to Australia, The dream is gone, now it is real. Now I ask what I can do for Australia.
If you not part of the solution then you are very much part of the problem.
Societies fall apart when good people do nothing.
I've made my wealth out of this country. I feel very strongly in giving something back to this country. And I think this country can always do with a higher degree of philanthropic support than we do now.
Some have reflected that this heroism, this natural desire to pitch in to help others in need and the tenacity to come together to rebuild communities that has been seen in such abundance over the past few weeks was not so much Australian as inherent human traits. Whichever way these characteristics are viewed, they are attributes which are strong foundations for any society and ones that will enrich a community the more it is permeated by them. Pitching in to help, doing what you can for those who are suffering and worse off than you are, even those you don’t know, are values that would extend compassion, altruism and generosity towards all sectors suffering disadvantage.
As we weep for what we have lost, and as we grieve for family and friends and we confront the challenge that is before us, I want us to remember who we are. We are Queenslanders. We’re the people that they breed tough, north of the border. We’re the ones that they knock down, and we get up again.
To feel cared about without judgement is the most rewarding feeling. After the Tsunami, all I wanted was someone to give me hope that I could go on, and I wanted to give hope to others, which in turn would help me. The only way you can help other people is being true to yourself.
I feel that it is imperative that I give something back to the world around me in any way I can. If that means teaching people the power of their mind, the power to change the outcome, to look upon life positively rather than negatively etcetera, I think that that’s part of what I’m driven by.
It will take Australia two generations to develop the culture of personal responsibility and the level of philanthropic activity entrenched in the United States. In the US, an amount equivalent to 3.8% of GDP goes to charity. In Australia it is less than 1%.