In this week’s episode, Geoff is talking to Michael Bonnici who was the Overall Winner in the 2018 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards for NSW/ACT.
Michael Bonnici contributes over 200 volunteer hours every year. He is Director of Lifesaving, educational speaker and award-winning Patrol Captain at Wanda Surf Club. He also volunteers for Meals on Wheels, Australian Red Cross Blood Service and Salvation Army. Michael raised $3,000 for Samaritans Purse Australia and volunteered time to help build schools in disadvantaged Battambang, Cambodia. He was recently named as the Sydney South Young and Overall Volunteer of the Year.
I am a dynamic, organised and committed individual with the ability to pay attention to detail. I am quick to understand innovative ideas and able to work hard on my own initiative to meet deadlines. I also enjoy working in a positive team environment which ensures the best possible result for the organisation, team and client. I pride myself on my work ethic, always striving to continue to learn and improve my knowledge no matter what the task may be.
As a graduated City Planning (Honours) Student, I am extremely passionate about sustainable Urban growth, through a variety of social, economic and environmental factors that determines the future of our cities. With a passion for Strategic and Transport planning, I have high aspirations to work on future large scale development projects which ensure sustainable growth for our cities going into the future.
I am very outgoing person who enjoys volunteer Surf Lifesaving at the beach, Rugby League refereeing and working as a Senior Town Planner at Canterbury Bankstown Council.
In this episode:
- You’ll be amazed at just how much Michael does in his volunteering roles
- Michael’s advice to us?
- Always have a mentor
- Look outside the square try and look at it from a different angle
- Work out ways to be organised to reduce your stress
- Keep in touch with friends and family and talk to the
- Put yourself out of your comfort zone
Links
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Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
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Transcript
[00:00:05] Annette
Welcome to the Inspirational Inspirational Australian’s podcast, where we chat to people making a difference in their communities
[00:00:10] Annette
and in the lives of others.
[00:00:12] Annette
And here is your host for today. Geoff Griffin.
[00:00:21] Geoff
Welcome to the Inspirational Australian’s podcast with stories of inspiring achievements and community contribution.
[00:00:28] Geoff
Every week we will celebrate an award program
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category winner
[00:00:33] Geoff
or finalists.
[00:00:34] Geoff
We hope
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you’ll be inspired
[00:00:36] Geoff
and encouraged to know that Australia
[00:00:38] Geoff
is in good hands,
[00:00:40] Geoff
together with our corporate partners
[00:00:43] Geoff
and not for profit partners,
[00:00:45] Geoff
Awards Australia, showcase ordinary people
[00:00:47] Geoff
from right across Australia.
[00:00:49] Geoff
Doing extraordinary things. If you enjoy hearing the stories about Inspirational Australian’s Australians,
[00:00:56] Geoff
please subscribe. Write us and review us.
[00:00:59] Geoff
We really appreciate it. My guest today is given so
[00:01:04] Geoff
much of himself to volunteering and making a
[00:01:07] Geoff
difference across his short lifetime, particularly to surf lifesaving. It’s also forged a very successful career as a senior
[00:01:15] Geoff
town planner at Canterbury bankstown Council.
[00:01:19] Geoff
In recognition of his achievements, Michael Pinetree was chosen as the twenty eighteen freemason’s
[00:01:25] Geoff
New South Wales act,
[00:01:27] Geoff
community service and volunteering
[00:01:29] Geoff
award recipient
[00:01:30] Geoff
part of the Geoff Geoff Achiever Awards.
[00:01:34] Geoff
Michael was
[00:01:34] Geoff
so highly regarded by the judging panel that he was also chosen
[00:01:39] Geoff
as the Young Achiever of
[00:01:42] Geoff
the Year.
[00:01:43] Geoff
It’s great to have you on the podcast, Michael. Welcome.
[00:01:46] Michael
Thanks Geoff. It’s great to be here.
[00:01:49] Geoff
You clearly were an outstanding
[00:01:52] Geoff
choice by the judges. Not only to win the Freemasons award
[00:01:56] Geoff
for your efforts in your work in
[00:01:59] Geoff
community service and volunteering, but also as the young achiever of the year which is
[00:02:04] Geoff
pretty awesome. I know the
[00:02:05] Geoff
judges were just in
[00:02:07] Geoff
awe of the amount of
[00:02:08] Geoff
work they do.
[00:02:10] Geoff
The progression that you had made through the ranks in surf Life Saving
[00:02:15] Geoff
and clearly we’ve got a real passion for surf lifesaving.
[00:02:18] Geoff
What led you down that path initially?
[00:02:21] Michael
Yeah, so I guess I had
[00:02:23] Michael
a few troubles
[00:02:24] Michael
sort of growing up and hanging around the wrong crowds and I actually had a teacher that
[00:02:29] Michael
pointed in the direction of volunteering. And I just sort of expose myself to as much of it as I could and developed a real passion
[00:02:38] Michael
for everything in volunteering and surf Life Saving the was the main one growing up doing nippers.
[00:02:45] Michael
And it Gave me a lot of leadership
[00:02:47] Michael
skills and
[00:02:49] Michael
positions. I guess that helped me with my personal
[00:02:53] Michael
personal stuff that was going on
[00:02:54] Michael
as well as some career aspirations that I had. So
[00:02:58] Michael
yeah, I really just enjoyed every, every moment with so many
[00:03:01] Michael
opportunities that were getting thrown at me and it was
[00:03:04] Michael
just a really good pathway as, as a young person coming through
[00:03:09] Geoff
it’s a common story, isn’t it? We get into the wrong
[00:03:12] Geoff
group
[00:03:13] Geoff
or bad habits for whatever reason. It is
[00:03:17] Geoff
an old palazzi or a teacher
[00:03:19] Geoff
that’s an inspiration itself for other teachers to suggest ways
[00:03:24] Geoff
young people can get connected with things.
[00:03:26] Geoff
And often
[00:03:27] Geoff
it comes because of boredom that we might mix with the wrong people and clearly
[00:03:33] Geoff
we made a really good choice. Your patrol captain, that one the surf club. Now,
[00:03:39] Geoff
how long you’ve been at wonder and what levels of service have you progressed through to be where you are now?
[00:03:45] Michael
Yeah, so I’ve been there since I was five as a nipper.
[00:03:49] Michael
I started patrolling when I was 14.
[00:03:52] Michael
So this is my 10th year patrolling for Wanda, I’ve given over a thousand hours
[00:03:59] Michael
as a bronze medallion patrol member
[00:04:00] Michael
and being a patrol captain.
[00:04:04] Michael
And I also
[00:04:05] Michael
operate the jet skis
[00:04:06] Michael
and I’m a duty officer for Cole that’s after hours and stuff like that. So
[00:04:11] Michael
I really love
[00:04:12] Michael
everything I do with wonder
[00:04:13] Michael
and surf Life Saving and
[00:04:15] Michael
and it’s progressed me into further leadership and executive roles
[00:04:20] Michael
in the club with
[00:04:21] Michael
which have given me some great opportunities as well.
[00:04:25] Geoff
Yeah I guess being on the jet ski would be a little bit of
[00:04:28] Geoff
fun as well.
[00:04:29] Michael
Yeah absolutely.
[00:04:31] Michael
I love it. It’s
[00:04:32] Michael
It’s so good especially even like it’s great fun. But even in big surf, it’s pretty amazing what we can do in terms of the rescues that we can perform and the
[00:04:42] Michael
positions we can get, get ourselves into around rocks and stuff like that on and pretty,
[00:04:47] Michael
pretty dangerous conditions.
[00:04:50] Geoff
Have you had any serious
[00:04:52] Geoff
rescues, really Life and death rescues yourself?
[00:04:57] Michael
Yeah I have actually I’ve had
[00:05:00] Michael
two unfortunate fatalities that were pretty hit me a bit to say that sort of especially as a young person.
[00:05:09] Michael
But I’ve also had some pretty,
[00:05:11] Michael
pretty cool rescues both on the a rescue boat with someone like
[00:05:15] Michael
someone I thought would have drowned for sure. And we, we managed to rescue Them
[00:05:20] Michael
as well as a rescue on the jet ski where there was a man in trouble, probably 20 metres from shore. And I rescued him and he was actually standing on his wife under the water. When I pulled his pulled him up, his wife came up after that. So that was another one that took me by surprise but
[00:05:38] Michael
nonetheless, was a good result.
[00:05:41] Michael
It’s moments like those that
[00:05:43] Michael
make me really proud. And yeah really, really thankful for the training and the opportunities that I’ve got in surf Life, Saving
[00:05:52] Geoff
all the training, pays off at those moments.
[00:05:56] Geoff
And as I say, makes it all worthwhile and you appreciate why you have to go through those hours and hours of
[00:06:03] Geoff
maybe sometimes tedious training sessions that you may not fully understand probably in the early days.
[00:06:12] Geoff
But that’s, I mean, that’s
[00:06:14] Geoff
really amazing. The scenarios that you have had to deal with as a young person.
[00:06:21] Geoff
That is extraordinary for us, as mere mortals to think what you have to go through and what you do.
[00:06:27] Geoff
Saving lives it doesn’t get any more important than that. I opened to you and I remember
[00:06:35] Geoff
meeting you really humble guy.
[00:06:38] Geoff
Are you confident that you’re really humble about what you do and the difference you make in a community? And when we met at the 28 eighteen I was really impressed
[00:06:47] Geoff
with the young man you are. So
[00:06:49] Michael
thanks, Geoff.
[00:06:50] Geoff
Yeah absolute pleasure. And that’s what the Awards are all about acknowledging people that may not
[00:06:56] Geoff
in the broader community otherwise be acknowledged. So
[00:06:59] Geoff
you do an amazing job.
[00:07:02] Geoff
How many are involved that want to surf club?
[00:07:06] Michael
We have 14, just over fourteen hundred members,
[00:07:10] Michael
but around two to three hundred of Them are
[00:07:13] Michael
really active and doing most of our patrols. But all of those members
[00:07:18] Michael
are parents and grandparents, and
[00:07:21] Michael
it’s just a really good community to be a part of even for those that don’t patrol this, some might be down there making lunches or
[00:07:28] Michael
fixing things. And
[00:07:30] Michael
it’s just like a little family. Fantastic.
[00:07:33] Geoff
A pretty busy beach
[00:07:35] Geoff
I guess.
[00:07:36] Michael
Yes the cronulla beaches in Sydney, incredibly busy in the summer,
[00:07:41] Michael
is actually for surf clubs that share the same stretch of beach.
[00:07:45] Michael
So there’s a few rivalries there but we all work together
[00:07:48] Michael
nonetheless for the same common goal. So
[00:07:51] Michael
yeah, it’s the Sutherland Shire is definitely
[00:07:53] Michael
a beach, crazy and passionate community
[00:07:58] Geoff
just between you and iritis. This won’t go said
[00:08:03] Geoff
I am
[00:08:03] Geoff
presuming one does the best.
[00:08:06] Michael
Yes. Well we actually we one club of the year for Sydney
[00:08:10] Michael
this season. Just go and say,
[00:08:12] Michael
you know the trophies there on the shelf to prove it
[00:08:15] Michael
and we always think we’re the best.
[00:08:18] Geoff
Oh congratulations on winning this year’s driver who won last year as a matter of interest,
[00:08:25] Michael
was actually Gary in the royal national park. I think.
[00:08:28] Geoff
Ok,
[00:08:28] Geoff
yeah, well I’m sure you have it for a few Geoff to come
[00:08:33] Geoff
but I gather some dust there for a few days. Yes.
[00:08:37] Michael
Let’s hope
[00:08:38] Geoff
we all do an amazing job. Protecting
[00:08:41] Geoff
the community and making sure that they’re safe to every possibility
[00:08:49] Geoff
available to
[00:08:51] Geoff
how many clubs are dotted around New South Wales.
[00:08:55] Michael
There’s actually one hundred and twenty nine. So yeah, quite quite a lot
[00:09:01] Michael
over Geoff thousand. Seventy thousand members. As part of
[00:09:06] Michael
the New South Wales. Well that’s
[00:09:10] Geoff
that’s, that’s amazing. So Geoff thousand members.
[00:09:14] Geoff
What percentage
[00:09:15] Geoff
of that would bevolunteer?
[00:09:19] Michael
That’s all volunteers. So
[00:09:21] Michael
100 to one hundred percent. Yeah, that doesn’t include any staff there are staff, but yeah, the 70 odd thousand is one hundred percent volunteer based. Wow.
[00:09:32] Geoff
That’s massive. That is really huge. Yeah.
[00:09:38] Geoff
You’re also director of lifesaving. Can you tell us what that involves?
[00:09:43] Michael
Yes I was director of lifesaving and then went on to be the club captain as well. And for four Geoff really enjoyed my time on the board and
[00:09:53] Michael
it involved,
[00:09:54] Michael
I guess running the patrol operations at one
[00:09:57] Michael
or together with the Life Saving and education
[00:10:00] Michael
team. So we, we assembled all the patrols and we make sure that our patrols are up to standard that way. We’re offering New training and annual skills maintenance and proficiencies. And we also,
[00:10:15] Michael
if we get call outs after hours or outside of our normal
[00:10:18] Michael
flagged area we respond to those as well. So it’s a, it’s an all of operation I guess, response and
[00:10:27] Michael
management sort of tamba. Yeah, it’s a really good role and Gave me a lot of opportunities even just working on the board of directors for the club and saying
[00:10:35] Michael
other things like financials or the surf sports side or the juniors
[00:10:40] Michael
and just how they operate. Gave me a great understanding
[00:10:43] Michael
just in terms of operating on a committee and how to speak, I guess a bit more professionally and how to engage with
[00:10:51] Michael
more professional people as a, as a young person.
[00:10:54] Geoff
Yeah, I think that’s really important. Have you ever done anything across a broader scale of
[00:10:59] Geoff
surf Life Saving other than just
[00:11:01] Geoff
with wonder?
[00:11:03] Michael
Well now my current role now the Life Saving manager for surf Life Saving Sydney, I manage, helped manage the 15 clubs in Sydney and the twenty odd thousand members that we have in Sydney. So even sitting on that lifesaving
[00:11:18] Michael
executive,we
[00:11:19] Michael
manage the support operations response, which includes
[00:11:22] Michael
everything from jet skis helicopters, drones,
[00:11:24] Michael
and the like.
[00:11:26] Michael
And our duty officer and rescue coordinator team.
[00:11:29] Michael
And and yeah so,
[00:11:31] Michael
so I really enjoy the Life Saving manager role and it’s, I guess it’s that upper echelon now of managing
[00:11:39] Michael
a lot more people and I
[00:11:41] Michael
guess needing to speak lot more professionally to higher skilled members in the organisation.
[00:11:47] Geoff
That’s fantastic. What’s the average age of someone in a more senior position at club level and
[00:11:54] Geoff
certainly on the executive.
[00:11:56] Geoff
Would you epitomize
[00:11:57] Geoff
your average
[00:11:58] Geoff
age, or would they normally be a bit older?
[00:12:01] Michael
Yeah, normally what I would
[00:12:04] Michael
normally most people on the border between their 30s and
[00:12:07] Michael
60s I would say some being older,
[00:12:11] Michael
some being Life members that have have served in surf Life Saving for 40
[00:12:17] Michael
plus Geoff sort of thing. So
[00:12:19] Michael
there’s definitely
[00:12:21] Michael
at the start of
[00:12:22] Michael
getting onto a board the,
[00:12:25] Michael
this sort of feeling that all you’re on a youngster, you know, you’re just sort of there to fit the position. But
[00:12:30] Michael
I didn’t want to,
[00:12:31] Michael
I didn’t want to take that. I really wanted to be respected and I wanted people to hear my opinion. And
[00:12:36] Michael
I think I presented
[00:12:38] Michael
a lot of evidence based arguments especially with our membership
[00:12:41] Michael
mostly being under the age of 25.
[00:12:44] Michael
I was able torepresent
[00:12:46] Michael
their concerns really well and, and I gained a lot of support for that and I’ve sort of carry that momentum into my current role as well. Now. So say something I was really passionate about youth development and giving the youth of our organization a voice especially. You know that
[00:13:03] Michael
eighteen to twenty five bracket is
[00:13:05] Michael
usually when a lot of people stop volunteering
[00:13:08] Michael
because other things that happen in Life or the University boyfriends, girlfriends work things like that. So
[00:13:15] Michael
that was an issue that I really wanted to focus on.Yeah.
[00:13:20] Geoff
Well apparently you’ve also been a volunteer across other organizations haven’t you? What are some of those and
[00:13:28] Geoff
what were you and what were you doing in those organizations?
[00:13:32] Michael
Yeah so I guess through High School I did the Salvation Army dornoch appeal every year.
[00:13:39] Michael
I donate blood every two weeks for
[00:13:42] Michael
Australian Life blood.
[00:13:44] Michael
And I was lucky enough to go to Cambodia with samaritan’s purse
[00:13:49] Michael
Australia and help
[00:13:51] Michael
build schools in the battambang province,
[00:13:54] Michael
which was really a highlight of my Life. So fast getting to see what
[00:14:00] Michael
they go through and also the change that, that charity is making over the
[00:14:05] Geoff
we say that when we are feeling
[00:14:08] Geoff
a little bit dejected about our lot in Life
[00:14:12] Geoff
that we should maybe think of people
[00:14:14] Geoff
in Cambodia, Vietnam, some of those other poor countries,
[00:14:18] Geoff
I feel a little bit happy with our position. Absolutely,
[00:14:22] Michael
and
[00:14:22] Michael
I guess the
[00:14:23] Michael
epitome of that was handing out
[00:14:26] Michael
the, there was like a Christmas shoe box appeal in the shoe box,
[00:14:31] Michael
had like basic stationery and things like that a toothbrush toothpaste. And when we Gave those to those kids, they were literally running around screaming and I was so happy and it really puts everything into perspective especially with what we’re going through right now with covid
[00:14:48] Michael
to think about what they were going through and even some of the stories about
[00:14:52] Michael
how much of their water supplies not filtered and it’s not safe to drink and things associated with their genocide and the still ongoing issues with that and corruption in their country. And the inability to get work definitely
[00:15:08] Michael
puts it’s always in the back of my mind
[00:15:10] Michael
about people that are lesser, often how lucky we are in Australia.
[00:15:14] Geoff
Yes, very true. I have someone that I respect that greatly in New Zealand.
[00:15:23] Geoff
He, amongst many, many things,
[00:15:25] Geoff
is a what he would call football. I would call soccer. Sorry to the purists
[00:15:32] Geoff
of the roundball code listening.
[00:15:36] Geoff
He is a rugby league referee
[00:15:40] Geoff
and
[00:15:40] Geoff
I feel he’s a sucker for punishment.
[00:15:43] Geoff
But you
[00:15:45] Geoff
are also a referee
[00:15:46] Geoff
and a sucker for punishment.
[00:15:48] Geoff
Tell us more about
[00:15:49] Geoff
what you referee.
[00:15:52] Michael
I’ve always loved rugby league and I played growing up. And I’m a passionate Canterbury Bulldogs
[00:15:59] Michael
supporter even though we’re becoming dead last but
[00:16:03] Michael
I guess when I transitioned from from not playing,
[00:16:07] Michael
I still wanted to be involved in the game and that’s why I took up
[00:16:10] Michael
refereeing and
[00:16:11] Michael
I think I’ve been doing it for about ten
[00:16:13] Michael
Geoff now and
[00:16:15] Michael
I spent
[00:16:15] Michael
three Geoff in the New South Wales junior, refereeing squad, refereeing Karen Matthews Tasha Gayle and
[00:16:24] Michael
ash bowl and got to be coached by
[00:16:27] Michael
some of the likes of Gavin badger Ben Cummins, Alan shortall some a lot of first grade referees in the NRL,so
[00:16:35] Michael
I really loved refereeing and
[00:16:38] Michael
I don’t, I’m not a sucker for punishment. I genuinely
[00:16:41] Michael
go out there just to have fun and I know there’s a lot of
[00:16:44] Michael
a lot of
[00:16:45] Michael
abuse and things like that but it’s sort of white noise to me when I’m on the field. So. Yeah, I just genuinely love being on the field around the game and being involved.
[00:16:54] Geoff
What’s the secret to shutting out?
[00:16:57] Geoff
Negativity from the sidelines.
[00:17:01] Michael
As I said it’s, it’s a lot like white noise when I’m out there in the game,
[00:17:06] Michael
I guess stoppages in play.
[00:17:08] Michael
You hear it a bit more specifically, but I just ignore it.
[00:17:12] Michael
I know at the end of the day there’s nothing to gain out of engaging
[00:17:15] Michael
with any of it. Unless
[00:17:18] Michael
there’s something
[00:17:18] Michael
specifically said by a player on the field the crowd doesn’t mean anything to me when I’m on the field. So
[00:17:24] Michael
it’s a skill that you learn. And it’s definitely a skill that I’ve adapted into things I do in surf, Life Saving and my work the way that I speak to people, I guess it makes you think a bit more about what you’re going to say before you speak. You think you speak more directly and change the different language that you use depending on the conversation. Yeah,
[00:17:46] Geoff
well, that is a good learning for sure. And it’s important to understand
[00:17:51] Geoff
in any leadership role and referee is a leadership role in a sense
[00:17:56] Geoff
that you can never be right all the time. And certainly, refereeing is a prime example that if there are a 50 50 crowd you’re going to be wrong. 50 percent of the time every call you make.
[00:18:08] Geoff
So you think I constantly. I love AFL and I’m constantly amused when they go into the football. Every single decision
[00:18:21] Geoff
is wrong to someone.
[00:18:23] Geoff
It’s fascinating.
[00:18:26] Michael
Yeah,
[00:18:27] Geoff
we’re all a little biased, but
[00:18:28] Michael
you know, some people maybe just a little extreme
[00:18:35] Geoff
subsequently the sucker for punishment thing. I don’t think anybody takes it on is amazing because you need our referees and people are always trying to make the
[00:18:45] Geoff
right call with the fact they can’t possibly seeeverything
[00:18:50] Geoff
from every angle in the right way. But You get a caning now just changing tack.
[00:18:59] Geoff
Tell us about your role at Canterbury bankstownCouncil.
[00:19:03] Michael
Yeah, so
[00:19:04] Michael
I’m currently a senior town planner, just got a promotion actually a couple of weeks ago.
[00:19:09] Michael
And I started off as a cadet town planner, progressed to a town planner, now monsignor and I assess development applications. Say anything from
[00:19:19] Michael
residential commercial, industrial childcare centres, everything of the like say yeah I really enjoy my job, but it gives me an insight into a lot of the developments out in the industry. Sort of gives me a bit of an urban design and architectural feel on,
[00:19:37] Michael
on development as well. So yeah, I’ve been working at Council for
[00:19:43] Michael
almost four Geoff now.
[00:19:45] Geoff
I’m pleased you explained your role because I was thinking maybe
[00:19:48] Geoff
you planned stuff for older folk.
[00:19:52] Michael
Yeah. Generally,
[00:19:53] Michael
the first response people say when you’re a town planner especially in Sydney, is who, you know, they’re always the ones pointing the finger at me and saying oh you’ve planned Sydney so poorly and it’s
[00:20:02] Michael
so it’s not quite what I do for a job but it’s kind of along the same lines. So we do have a strategic plan is that think more, more strategically and broadly. But
[00:20:12] Michael
as
[00:20:12] Michael
in development assessment it’s to be more specific.
[00:20:16] Geoff
So you have junior planners, middle aged people planners and seniors.
[00:20:21] Geoff
I’m just kidding.
[00:20:23] Michael
Yeah. Yeah. You think that way when you first read it,
[00:20:27] Geoff
it’s just just that trying to
[00:20:30] Geoff
tell us something that most people wouldn’t know about. You
[00:20:36] Michael
Probably I lived in the USA in Denver Colorado for six
[00:20:40] Michael
months, and I
[00:20:41] Michael
went to Columbine High School. Now. So it’s a bit of a fun fact. I guess a lot of people know Columbine High School, I guess its history. But
[00:20:52] Michael
yeah, I was lucky enough to go there in 2013 as part ofa
[00:20:56] Michael
six month exchange program. And then had my, the American partner who was her partner with she she came and stayed with my family in Australia for six months.
[00:21:06] Geoff
That would have been a cool experience.
[00:21:09] Michael
Yeah, it was we, it was with the count the Council sponsored the program. So we,
[00:21:16] Michael
we had to
[00:21:16] Michael
do the Toastmasters public speaking course before we went because we were representing the Council.
[00:21:23] Michael
And we did a lot of networking events over there as part of the sister cities, partnership in a little town in the town, in Colorado.
[00:21:32] Michael
And yeah, it was a great experience. I got to go
[00:21:35] Michael
skiing in the snowy mountains and the Rocky mountains. Sorry. And as I said, got to
[00:21:41] Michael
experience American High School,
[00:21:43] Michael
like all the movies and playing the school soccer team, and
[00:21:47] Michael
we’ve got to do a few trips around America to Las Vegas and in L.A. as well. So
[00:21:52] Michael
definitely an experience that changed my Life.
[00:21:56] Geoff
Other schools and colleges what you see
[00:21:58] Geoff
on the movies?
[00:22:00] Michael
Pretty much. Yeah. It surprised me.
[00:22:02] Michael
I think the first question I had on day one was
[00:22:05] Michael
did you have to learn English before coming to America?
[00:22:10] Michael
Or do you ride your kangaroo to school and things like that?
[00:22:15] Geoff
And how fascinating
[00:22:18] Geoff
as we know, success generally doesn’t come by chance, and I know
[00:22:23] Geoff
you’re really
[00:22:24] Geoff
Super committed to your work and also of course surf Life Saving.
[00:22:29] Geoff
What’s the key to your success to, to the,
[00:22:33] Geoff
to everything that you do?
[00:22:35] Michael
I think the,
[00:22:36] Michael
the key and I’ve had times where I’m down or I’m
[00:22:40] Michael
just so stressed or burnt out is to be organized. So we have a diary or use your calendar and your phone and actually map out everything that you need to do
[00:22:50] Michael
and do what you love.
[00:22:52] Michael
So for me,
[00:22:53] Michael
surf Life Saving and all my volunteering is something that I love.
[00:22:56] Michael
I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it genuinely to
[00:22:59] Michael
make New people learn New things and put myself out of my comfort zone. And I always say to people in surf Life Saving that it, it’s given me more than I’ve given it because of the person that it’s made me and
[00:23:14] Michael
the things that it’s taught me.
[00:23:17] Michael
And I guess the other key to to success is to make
[00:23:20] Michael
positive networks. So
[00:23:22] Michael
surround yourself by people of similar interests. People that they’re going to be
[00:23:26] Michael
positive that they’re not going to put you down
[00:23:30] Michael
and ultimately, ultimately going to guide you in the right direction.
[00:23:34] Geoff
Yeah,
[00:23:35] Geoff
to grow we have to come face to face with failure and how we deal with that. The lessons that we learn
[00:23:43] Geoff
are really
[00:23:43] Geoff
important as to how we grow. What’s the mechanisms or things you’ve learnt along your journey
[00:23:50] Geoff
of help you to cope and to grow? Yeah, my,
[00:23:55] Michael
my, the mechanisms I used to just always look at the bigger picture.
[00:23:59] Michael
So if you,
[00:23:59] Michael
if you find yourself getting a bit bogged down, just take a step back and look at the bigger goal the bigger picture of what you’re trying to achieve and break it down into increments and you find that you can achieve it a little bit easier and celebrate small goals, small milestones, because That’ll help get you to that bigger picture.
[00:24:18] Michael
Always look for constructivecriticism.
[00:24:21] Michael
Is a big one for myself. You’re never going to be
[00:24:24] Michael
perfect to always look about,
[00:24:27] Michael
especially people with more experience or even of lesser experience
[00:24:31] Michael
about challenges that they faced or,
[00:24:33] Michael
or take advice that they’re giving you. And always be receptive to that and adapt your personality to that as well. If it doesn’t fit in,
[00:24:45] Michael
try and always display resilience where you can.
[00:24:49] Michael
And the last one I wrote
[00:24:50] Michael
down there was
[00:24:51] Michael
to always have a mentor.
[00:24:53] Michael
It’s a big one for myself. I have a mentor that I’m pretty close with and I’ll probably call him
[00:25:00] Michael
twice a week and he’s really experienced but he always just
[00:25:04] Michael
knows how to calm me down if I’m a bit stressed and point me in the right direction
[00:25:11] Geoff
or fantastic advice and people can watch
[00:25:15] Geoff
or listen rather to the podcast again or give the show notes
[00:25:19] Geoff
to guide those are
[00:25:21] Geoff
really
[00:25:23] Geoff
good learnings and good observations, Michael. 90 is so successful
[00:25:27] Geoff
and I think you’re right
[00:25:29] Geoff
to realize
[00:25:30] Geoff
the error of my ways. I’m not organized. I
[00:25:33] Geoff
carry my diary everywhere. So I’m not
[00:25:36] Geoff
serious and something that’s fallen on
[00:25:38] Geoff
be organized but also critique yourself and be open
[00:25:42] Geoff
to people giving you constructive feedback
[00:25:45] Geoff
as well and do what you love. If we have that opportunity then that’s pretty special.
[00:25:52] Geoff
And we should be very thankful for that.
[00:25:55] Geoff
And give our utmost that’s something that I was always taught by my father.
[00:26:01] Geoff
You can do something,
[00:26:02] Geoff
give everything to it as well. So what are your future plans and goals?
[00:26:09] Michael
Obviously,
[00:26:11] Michael
my main priorities being successful in my career and giving my all to my job. But outside of work, I’m currently, as I said, the Life Saving manager for surf Life Saving the Sydney branch, which is a New New role. And it’s really exciting and there’s a lot happening especially going into this New summer season
[00:26:31] Michael
with, with cable
[00:26:34] Michael
I’m, I’m still really passionate about
[00:26:36] Michael
being a duty officer and responding to a lot of those High profile jobs and responses. I was
[00:26:42] Michael
lucky enough to
[00:26:43] Michael
go to the flooding event that happened in Western Sydney
[00:26:48] Michael
in March this year and we had responded alongside SES and a lot of other emergency services. And it was it really opened up my eyes. I really came to sort of broadened my,
[00:27:01] Michael
my learnings and opportunities in that
[00:27:03] Michael
in that higher
[00:27:06] Michael
upper echelon of emergency services. And hopefully spending covid hopefully get some overseas travelling as a future plan.
[00:27:17] Michael
But we’ll see how that pans out. I
[00:27:20] Geoff
got a feeling when things open up a little it’s going to be rather hectic
[00:27:25] Geoff
on those flights and the last time.
[00:27:29] Geoff
And it is in our hearts to go out to everybody that have been through significant lockdowns over the months, particularly in New South Wales.
[00:27:39] Geoff
And in Victoria,
[00:27:42] Geoff
And I, you probably have had lots of ups and downs as well. You would have had to have had because you’ve had some pretty responsible roles. Things don’t always go right. Go right for us
[00:27:53] Geoff
at this time motivated and strong bounce back
[00:27:56] Geoff
from those low moments.
[00:27:58] Michael
Yeah, I try and try and keep it balanced
[00:28:02] Michael
as much as possible. So you know, things just like
[00:28:05] Michael
even scheduling for myself just to do some exercise or go for a walk or go for a swim. Or for me just socializing with my friends outside of work and into surf. Life Saving can can often be a good breather. I guess, but as I said surrounding surrounding myself with people like that are positive and just just happy to have a good time staying organized. As I said, having a diary really helps me.
[00:28:33] Michael
Always communicate with those close to you speak with a mentor
[00:28:37] Michael
and always try and look outside the square. So try and look at it from a different angle but there’s been times where absolutely. I’ve wanted to just give it all away a couple of Geoff ago. I was writing my a
[00:28:49] Michael
thesis for my Honours degree,
[00:28:51] Michael
trying to do all my surf Life Saving volunteering hours as well as
[00:28:56] Michael
maintain full time work. And I was
[00:28:59] Michael
sort of waking
[00:29:00] Michael
up at five a.m. and going to sleep at
[00:29:02] Michael
midnight trying to get all that in. And I almost
[00:29:05] Michael
hit breaking point to be honest. But
[00:29:10] Michael
I think there was times where I just had to just say, I’m going to take a day off and just not do anything or
[00:29:15] Michael
just call up someone that I haven’t spoken to in a while and just have a casual chat to get my mind off things
[00:29:22] Michael
as well.
[00:29:23] Geoff
Yeah. Very good idea that explains a lot because the judging we were trying to debate how
[00:29:30] Geoff
you fit everything into what you do
[00:29:34] Geoff
now. We know you just don’t sleep.
[00:29:36] Geoff
Yeah. And it’s an important lesson there too, isn’t it? Not to pack too much in because it can become a burden
[00:29:45] Geoff
and it could have easily become something
[00:29:48] Geoff
that you didn’t
[00:29:49] Geoff
enjoy any longer.
[00:29:51] Geoff
But obviously you to be able to manage that. Well things started to open up
[00:29:57] Geoff
for you.
[00:29:59] Geoff
Going back to the Awards in two thousand and eighteen
[00:30:03] Geoff
must have been a thrill initially just to have been nominated for one of
[00:30:08] Geoff
the young achievers Awards.
[00:30:11] Michael
Yeah, it was, and it’s something it always leaves a weird feeling for myself
[00:30:16] Michael
winning Awards in volunteering because we’re all in my opinion of equal equal value. We all do it for the same reasons. We’re all there not to be recognized. So
[00:30:26] Michael
it was a great
[00:30:28] Michael
to me, it was a great feeling for
[00:30:30] Michael
my club. We’re going through a bit of a transition stage and
[00:30:34] Michael
to sort of Be put on the map for this Awards
[00:30:38] Michael
celebration was, was really humbling.
[00:30:42] Michael
And just to be there as well. And not and and before the night, just to read all the stories was really inspiring and it was just it was just such a happy place to be, to be honest there’s just so much
[00:30:55] Michael
positivity in the room at the time. Yeah.
[00:30:59] Geoff
I think the thing with the Awards that people don’t
[00:31:03] Geoff
necessarily realize is that more than the individual, as you say it’s about acknowledging and validating the work of so many around you.
[00:31:14] Geoff
One person gets the knowledge,
[00:31:16] Geoff
but it’s the whole group that goes on the journey of validation and excitement for the nomination. And it helps to put people on the map for charities for organisations like surf Life, Saving, wonder
[00:31:30] Geoff
to, to be acknowledged
[00:31:32] Geoff
for the work that you do personally,but
[00:31:35] Geoff
for the broader group as well. And that is very important to
[00:31:39] Geoff
nominate potential nominees to understand
[00:31:42] Geoff
you
[00:31:43] Geoff
might be nominating one person but is the whole group.
[00:31:46] Geoff
Sometimes people say to us,
[00:31:48] Geoff
I don’t want to single one person out, but you are recognizing a lot. You are recognizing the broader group
[00:31:55] Geoff
by acknowledging one so it might the finals of course,
[00:32:01] Geoff
as I mentioned earlier for the Freemasons New South Wales act, community service award.
[00:32:07] Geoff
But you also went on to win the young achiever of the year.
[00:32:11] Geoff
That must have been an absolute you.
[00:32:15] Michael
Yeah, it really was, and I was it was
[00:32:17] Michael
totally unexpected. I remember going up to the stage
[00:32:21] Michael
after hearing everyone’s stories and, and all the other nominees and I just had signed off on it in my head that I wasn’t going to win. Because I knew that they were all better than me in my head.
[00:32:35] Michael
And to win I was
[00:32:37] Michael
I hadn’t had a speech prepared. I was caught. So off guard and yeah, I was totally blown away and incredibly humbled to win. And
[00:32:48] Michael
yeah, it really, it, it put me on a
[00:32:51] Michael
projectile I guess for everything else that I’ve achieved since as well. I didn’t rest on our laurels after that. And I really wanted to
[00:32:59] Michael
show to other young people say, tell my story and say, you know, use this as an example, especially for those that might be struggling or looking for opportunities to, to try and get opportunities. And yes, it’s just such an
[00:33:17] Michael
incredible night and I was lucky to have my family there with me and my best best mate and family friends is there as well. So
[00:33:26] Geoff
he wants to empower people
[00:33:28] Geoff
to go to another level, often to be able to do more to be
[00:33:33] Geoff
more aware in the community
[00:33:36] Geoff
to
[00:33:36] Geoff
raise awareness for others about what you’re doing.
[00:33:39] Geoff
And it’s great that you’re able to take advantage and use that opportunity.
[00:33:44] Geoff
Is there anything that stands out in your mind still
[00:33:47] Geoff
that you will never forget about? Well, it’s not. Um,
[00:33:52] Michael
I think my speech
[00:33:54] Michael
was a little bit could have been better prepared because I didn’t prepare one. So I was a bit of tangent but the thing that stood out was would probably
[00:34:04] Michael
be listening to everyone else’sstories.
[00:34:07] Michael
Obviously it’s not all about volunteers it’s about there’s
[00:34:10] Michael
different categories and
[00:34:12] Michael
there was I think some amazing people working in
[00:34:14] Michael
health and doctors and stuff at the time or people that were working on cures for cancer and
[00:34:19] Michael
things like that. And it’s just it to me
[00:34:22] Michael
that put it all in perspective about some of the real change that some young people out there are doing. And
[00:34:27] Michael
it makes you feel like
[00:34:30] Michael
you need to do more I guess. And
[00:34:32] Michael
I think
[00:34:33] Michael
especially at a time when
[00:34:34] Michael
I felt that everything you hear in the media was always negative negative, and you go to an event like that. And you just see all these positives especially that young people were
[00:34:43] Michael
working on it.
[00:34:44] Michael
It blew me away and it was even so good to have
[00:34:48] Michael
John barilaro there as the deputy premier
[00:34:52] Michael
to for him to to take that out of his time and to,
[00:34:55] Michael
to be that really shows the level of, of the Awards that it
[00:34:59] Michael
and the respect that it has in the, in the community I guess. Absolutely.
[00:35:06] Geoff
I think we underestimate
[00:35:08] Geoff
how much
[00:35:09] Geoff
appreciation there is from
[00:35:12] Geoff
High levels of the community for our young people and the need for our young people to create change, as you rightly said.
[00:35:21] Geoff
In fact, the Geoff Geoff young achiever award nominations are open
[00:35:24] Geoff
right now, right across the country. And
[00:35:27] Geoff
if anybody wants to nominate someone
[00:35:30] Geoff
head to Awards dot com, or if you want to know how to make a contribution
[00:35:35] Geoff
for our prize grants to go to the winners for the coming program.
[00:35:40] Geoff
And you can head also towards Australia at dot com for more information
[00:35:45] Geoff
prize grant
[00:35:47] Geoff
coming harder and harder to find and to put together to anybody who’s able to help make education. Those funds go directly to our winners for the twenty one twenty two program.
[00:36:00] Geoff
In addition to being invited back the following
[00:36:03] Geoff
year, after winning your award
[00:36:05] Geoff
at the Awards gala presentation turned aside a few words to the 400. Yes, that were there which your speech was
[00:36:15] Geoff
excellent on that particular occasion.
[00:36:17] Geoff
You’re also invited to be an executive judge for the twenty nine eight Awards. How did you find that experience?
[00:36:25] Michael
Yeah, it’s exhilarating. Definitely, definitely interesting to be at the other side of the piece of paper I guess
[00:36:33] Michael
reading every like it’s such a
[00:36:35] Michael
tough job for the judges having to read through those nominations. But it was, it was really good and I learnt a lot out of it too. About some of the discussions that we had and
[00:36:44] Michael
trying to actually
[00:36:46] Michael
you know,
[00:36:47] Michael
rank I guess some of these amazing young people coming through and,
[00:36:51] Michael
and the Awards night
[00:36:53] Michael
was another
[00:36:54] Michael
amazing not just saying everyone else that was coming through and actually being able to sit back and I guess not be nervous about being a finalist and so forth. Was really
[00:37:04] Michael
enjoyable. So
[00:37:05] Michael
yeah, it was it was really,
[00:37:07] Michael
really amazing. And it was, it was good to see some of the other young people and I think some of Them were as young as 14
[00:37:14] Michael
that year. Them winning higher Awards as well.
[00:37:18] Geoff
What have been fascinating watching
[00:37:20] Geoff
and listening
[00:37:22] Geoff
and experiencing judging from the other side
[00:37:26] Geoff
of, of the fence, not being a nominee, but being a judge.
[00:37:30] Geoff
It is daunting, isn’t it?
[00:37:32] Michael
Absolutely. I don’t envy judges. And
[00:37:36] Michael
yet it’s a tough thing to do especially for all these young people that are all doing the same amazing things and trying to you know, look at the impact
[00:37:48] Michael
that they’re all having and and kind of measure that is a, is a really tough thing to do it’s
[00:37:54] Geoff
always a
[00:37:55] Geoff
wonderful experience to participate in the judging across the country
[00:37:59] Geoff
because we get together
[00:38:01] Geoff
as a like minded group of people who really came
[00:38:06] Geoff
to give back but also make a difference in people’s lives.
[00:38:11] Geoff
And that one month long judging process
[00:38:15] Geoff
two weeks for the executive
[00:38:17] Geoff
panel on that final long day
[00:38:21] Geoff
of fun. But very serious responsibility. It’s such a privilege and
[00:38:28] Geoff
then to
[00:38:29] Geoff
meet and see all of the finalists
[00:38:32] Geoff
in person on the night is just so exciting.
[00:38:37] Geoff
Are there any other hobbies or interests
[00:38:41] Geoff
you have, you know, when you’re not when you meant to be sleeping?
[00:38:46] Michael
Well, since lock down, I’ve been playing a hell of a lot more PlayStation which is probably not a good thing. But trying to still maintain some exercise and been swimming at the beach a lot, which has been good and I just
[00:39:00] Michael
purchased and moved into
[00:39:02] Michael
my New home which has been exciting. And I’m studying a diploma
[00:39:08] Michael
of
[00:39:08] Michael
Public safety and emergency services. So that is another extracurricular thing that I’ve, I’ve got, but I’m enjoying that as well. So still a lot to do,
[00:39:19] Michael
but it’s nonetheless all keeping me
[00:39:22] Michael
busy and,
[00:39:23] Michael
and entertaining. I guess.
[00:39:27] Geoff
Well, I think the PlayStation is the entertainment part
[00:39:30] Geoff
of that.
[00:39:31] Geoff
Congratulations on your New home. That’s very very exciting.
[00:39:35] Geoff
Thanks. And is the New study does that lead you into a Kinect
[00:39:43] Geoff
outside of surf Life Saving or is
[00:39:46] Geoff
it more of a connection with other services potentially with surf Life Saving?
[00:39:52] Michael
So it was actually through surf lifesaving that put me onto it. I was lucky enough
[00:39:57] Michael
to get a scholarship through the Australian Institute of disaster resilience
[00:40:01] Michael
a couple of Geoff ago.
[00:40:03] Michael
And it sort of funded about half of it. Yeah, that’s sort of how I got into it and yeah, it doesn’t really benefit my career in any way but other than just benefiting my own personal development. So for surf Life Saving so it’s not often you see
[00:40:18] Michael
people in volunteer roles aspire to up skill with extra curricular and or postgrad learning.
[00:40:24] Michael
And I think that’s what this was trying to achieve and
[00:40:27] Michael
it’s been really beneficial. So
[00:40:29] Michael
I’d recommend to anyone out there to actually try and look at that sort of stuff if you’re in the same field as me. And yeah, I think it’s,
[00:40:36] Michael
it’s always good to keep learning New things and
[00:40:39] Michael
keep your head in the books at least somewhere.
[00:40:43] Geoff
What’s the passions that makes Michael tick?
[00:40:49] Michael
I like being busy. I think I think being busy. If I’m not busy I probably don’t know what to do. I like
[00:40:57] Michael
I like to put myself out of my comfort zone. I like to always strive to be better and to challenge myself.
[00:41:03] Michael
And I just like to do things that I enjoy. So at the end of the day I
[00:41:08] Michael
really enjoy going down to the beach and surrounding myself with the same people that are happy to volunteer their time. And
[00:41:16] Michael
are I really enjoy getting out of the
[00:41:18] Michael
footy field
[00:41:19] Michael
and talking to players or blowing the whistle. So there’s things like that that,
[00:41:25] Michael
you know, really, it’s the, it’s the highlight of my week. I look forward to it and all that. I love hanging out with my mates and
[00:41:33] Michael
hopefully we can all see each other as soon as well.
[00:41:36] Geoff
Well, tell us the truth, you feel like sending people off with you?
[00:41:42] Michael
I don’t, I really don’t. But I think the first few rounds of the season I had one each week. And as I say, it’s not something I enjoy. But yeah, I really don’t enjoy that at all.
[00:41:56] Geoff
I guess you got to do it. Otherwise everybody’s going to go a little while.
[00:41:59] Michael
Yeah, that’s right.
[00:42:01] Michael
You maintain that control?
[00:42:03] Michael
Yeah.
[00:42:04] Geoff
Do you have any other words of wisdom you’ve given us plenty. Anything else you can think to impart
[00:42:11] Michael
words of wisdom? I think I’ve already said it but put yourself out of your comfort zone.
[00:42:18] Michael
The thing I always think about and it might sound a little bit cliche, but
[00:42:22] Michael
at the end of your Life, what do you want to be remembered for?So,
[00:42:28] Michael
you know, I always think about that and I think about, you know,
[00:42:31] Michael
leaving your, your stamp or your footprint
[00:42:33] Michael
on this world or on you, on your home town or whatever it is, your family name
[00:42:38] Michael
about something that you’ve achieved. And as you said if you’re going to do something
[00:42:42] Michael
to it
[00:42:43] Michael
really well, or as best as you can and that’s the way sort of I think about everything that I do.
[00:42:49] Geoff
Great words of wisdom.
[00:42:53] Geoff
Michael, where can our listeners connect with you online?
[00:42:58] Michael
I’m on LinkedIn, Facebook Instagram probably
[00:43:02] Michael
won’t say like Snapchat or
[00:43:04] Michael
anything like that or keep it limited to LinkedIn. I think.
[00:43:10] Geoff
Is there anything else that you want to add today before we close to that?
[00:43:16] Michael
I just like to say thank you to the Awards Australia Geoff and your team
[00:43:21] Michael
especially for the recognition that I got in twenty eighteen
[00:43:24] Michael
and the projectile that that put me on and even to be on this podcast today. And to share my my story.
[00:43:31] Michael
To see
[00:43:33] Michael
how passionate you guys are about sharing young people’s stories and
[00:43:37] Michael
it’s something that
[00:43:38] Michael
I think a lot of organisations in Australia can be better at but it’s gaining a lot of momentum at
[00:43:44] Michael
the moment. So
[00:43:45] Michael
yeah, it’s just a really big shout out to
[00:43:47] Michael
you guys for all the hard work. Do I think it’s for most of it it’s thankless
[00:43:52] Michael
work and you guys don’t probably get the recognition you deserve. So thank you and to anyone that’s listening, please nominate as many people as you can. Or if you know anyone in business Please sponsor
[00:44:05] Michael
one of the Awards if you can because
[00:44:08] Michael
it really goes to a great cause.
[00:44:10] Geoff
Oh thanks man that’s very gracious
[00:44:12] Geoff
of you. We do our best and for us it’s not about us personally It Awards Australia getting the recognition. It really is
[00:44:20] Geoff
about that connect
[00:44:21] Geoff
between businesses.
[00:44:23] Geoff
You might want to partner because we don’t get any
[00:44:25] Geoff
funding other than the
[00:44:27] Geoff
category Naming sponsors that come on board.
[00:44:30] Geoff
So here is for us, are acknowledging Them and connecting Them with community in their chosen industry.
[00:44:38] Geoff
So really appreciate your kind words. We love what we do which is why we’re very passionate. All about team.
[00:44:43] Geoff
Is passionate
[00:44:46] Geoff
about our purpose to make a difference, I think. And
[00:44:50] Geoff
you are a real champion, it’s
[00:44:52] Geoff
been an absolute pleasure to have you on the podcast today. Michael,
[00:44:55] Geoff
it’s good to catch up to even virtually to see you again after 18 and 19
[00:45:02] Geoff
because you are an absolute champion.
[00:45:04] Geoff
Thank you so much for sharing some of your story with us.
[00:45:08] Michael
No worries. Thanks, Geoff.
[00:45:10] Geoff
Well, good luck with that New home. Good luck with all of your roles at surf Life Saving. Really appreciate everything you do on behalf of those people that you help and support
[00:45:21] Geoff
that day on the beaches.
[00:45:23] Geoff
We hope everybody listening to enjoyed hearing some of Michael’s story today.
[00:45:28] Geoff
And during these tough times, I encourage everyone to dream bigger and bolder,
[00:45:32] Geoff
be strong because whilst there often
[00:45:34] Geoff
seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel is to end. Now until next week, please be kind to yourself and others. And remember,
[00:45:42] Geoff
together we make a difference.
[00:45:45] Geoff
I hope you enjoyed today’s interview as much as I had.
[00:45:49] Geoff
We would love you to subscribe to our podcast, that you won’t miss
[00:45:52] Geoff
an episode showing us each week as we talk
[00:45:55] Geoff
with ordinary Australians.
[00:45:57] Geoff
Achieving extraordinary things. Did you know that Awards Australia is a family owned
[00:46:02] Geoff
business that proudly makes a difference
[00:46:05] Geoff
in the lives of those
[00:46:06] Geoff
that make a difference for others? And we thank our corporate not for profit partners to making award programs possible to, you know, someone that’s making a difference
[00:46:18] Geoff
or maybe a
[00:46:19] Geoff
business might like to sponsor an award.
[00:46:21] Geoff
Contact us through our Instagram page, Inspirational Australian’s dot Australians will head to our website.
[00:46:28] Geoff
Awards Australia dot com. Would be great
[00:46:32] Geoff
if you could share this site with your network.
[00:46:34] Geoff
Because who
[00:46:35] Geoff
doesn’t like a good news story, and please write and review us.
[00:46:39] Geoff
We would really love to hear your thoughts until next week. Stay safe. And remember
[00:46:45] Speaker 4
together we make a difference.
[00:46:50] Annette
Thanks for joining us today on the Inspirational Australian’s podcast. We hope you enjoyed listening
[00:46:56] Annette
and have been inspired by
[00:46:57] Annette
ordinary Australians Achieving
[00:46:59] Annette
extraordinary things.
[00:47:01] Annette
So it’s goodbye for another week. Remember together
[00:47:05] Annette
we make a difference.
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