John Murphy (Lowe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding fundraising achievements of Communities for Communities which has recently reached its $1 million fundraising target. Communities for Communities is a local non-profit based organisation in my electorate of Lowe run by volunteers who raise money for both local and global projects. It was founded by my inspirational constituent Mr Lance Brooks in 2002 after he spent 30 days and nights in the desert. He was without shelter, warmth, running water or contact with his family. He wrote of his experience:

I lost 11kg and was essentially starving. A single grain of rice, a drop of water became amazingly precious. My companions and I agreed that the best way to survive was to help look after each other. I realised as I sat there, cold and hungry, that this was the reality for a large proportion of our planet’s population.

On his return, Lance took up the challenge to make a difference both at a local and global level. Last month I had the pleasure of attending the announcement and celebration of this amazing $1 million fundraising milestone with 100-plus supporters of Communities for Communities. The evening was a night to recognise the strength of unity and the value of community. The vision and determination of one man has led to a remarkable community following which now proudly has over 400 volunteers and hosts events that have to date attracted around 30,000 attendees.

During the evening I spoke with Miss Anne Roberts, the Principal of Lucas Gardens School, a local primary school which cares for children with severe mental and physical disabilities. The school received over $50,000 raised at the first ball hosted by the organisation in 2007 for additional paediatric physiotherapy and has since received further donations from Communities for Communities for important equipment and services. On an international level, Communities for Communities has helped to build nine schools for Burmese refugee children, 320 homes for families living on rubbish tips in the Philippines, as well as homes, a school and community centre for families currently living on a rubbish tip in South Vietnam. The organisation is particularly proud that the voluntary structure ensures that the proceeds go directly to the target projects.

Lance Brooks founded Communities for Communities with a view to building, experiencing and celebrating community, reaching out and helping other communities and raising awareness and understanding of the needs of others. Lance is truly an inspiration and I congratulate him for the outstanding contribution he has made in my electorate of Lowe and around the world. Most importantly, Lance would like to encourage other communities to establish their own Communities for Communities model so that others may enjoy the gift of receiving and giving the experience of the joy of community, and I challenge others with enough courage and determination to follow Lance Brooks’s shining example.