For those of you who have listened to episodes 33 and 34 where I interviewed Shane Holst of the Australian Altruism Foundation, you may remember he discussed the Humanitarian Awards.

These awards recognise people who contribute to the social and spiritual wealth of their communities and often receive little or no recognition. The Humanitarian Awards are a way of recognising these people and giving their causes a public profile.

Nominations for the 2007 awards are now open and forms can be accessed on the AAF site . It costs $Au25 to nominate someone and this cost goes to fund the conducting of the awards. The Awards will be presented in May 2007 in Melbourne and I encourage all Aussies to think of a worthy person in the community who meets the criteria and take five minutes to nominate them in one of the following categories: Arts, entertainment and media, charity, education, environment, health.

When you go to the site, you will notice that the dates are different to those I’ve mentioned, IGNORE that……….it’s in the process of being changed. Nominations now close at the end of January 2007. I’ll keep you updated as things move forward.
So GET TO IT and reward someone who contributes for the good of all.

I guess you guys think I’ve dropped off the face of the earth, but in fact I’ve been busily hanging out with my TPN colleague Father Bob.

Bob, myself and a couple of other like minded, creative thinking people are madly working on a project that will empower people to reclaim their personal spirituality and share in (Bob’s words) “the common spiritual wealth”.

So it’s all a bit ‘cloak and dagger’ just now until the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed………..SO WATCH THIS SPACE.

I’ll let you know whats happening in the next few weeks……………keep an ear on Bob’s program too…………..he might just drop a clue.

I watch the TV and see frightened people trying to escape from a war zone and wonder what the hell is going on?

Can’t people see the futility of shooting bombs at their neighbors when the majority of people who get killed and maimed are civilians? Do poeple not have any sense of proportion and/or ethics?

It would be easy to let all of this violence make us more apathetic…….after all what can you and I do about it?

I’ve pondered this question long and hard and decided I don’t want to live in a bubble. Much and all as I abhor the violence and aggression, I can’t shut it out and pretend it’s not happening………………therefore I need to do something proactive.

So, I’m writing to politicians, talking to people at work and at home, and positively affirming an end to this conflict.

What good will that do? I hear you say……………..well it’s a damn lot better than avoiding the news and pretending that I don’t have an investment in what happens on MY planet and in MY world……………….because it’s MY world and it’s YOUR world………….it doesn’t belong to any one country and no one super power (no matter what they might think)!

So get to it troops…………..write, talk, think and VOTE for a better world. The day will come when all of these elderly cowboys who currently sit in the top jobs in many powerful countries will be sitting quietly in a nursing home somewhere and eating vitamised food …………..they can’t stay in power forever. Our day is coming and we need to know how we’re going to move the world ahead in a peaceful and productive way, caring for the environment, caring for each other and caring for our future and the future for our kids.

Well, like millions of others I arose in the wee small hours to watch the World Cup final this morning.

I guess I was a bit perplexed. I didnt know who to barrack for, all I knew is I didn’t want Italy to win, so I ended up cheering for the French.

Maybe I’m bitter and twisted, but I still cant quite forgive Italy for their “diving” defeat of the Socceroos. If the circumstances had been different, there would be no question about me supporting Italy, given that my kids live in the centre of “little Italy” in Melbourne and I have lots of Italian friends………..but they weren’t and having watched all of the Italian games, I find the “diving” aspect of their game “poor form”.

Yet again though, it worked…………

So Italy are the champions, despite all of the scandal about match fixing going on at home, despite their relatively ‘lack lustre’ performance in a number of games………the defensive game won out and I think that’s a shame for the game.

On reflection, the games I enjoyed the most over the past weeks are the games where teams tried to score, not the games where teams tried to stop the other team scoring…………..and that is the Italian strategy.

Of course luck has a lot to do with it. Luck of the draw, luck of the referee you are allocated, luck of the umpiring decisions and the luck of your passage through the finals.

France were very unlucky last night. They played better than Italy but were unable to score after their initial goal. The missed penalty occured because the ball didn’t bounce as they would have wished………………and the game was over.

So, to all the teams who inspired and enthralled this predominantly Aussie Rules supporter…………….thankyou. To Croatia, Togo, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Ukraine and all of the other teams who played action packed attacking games that kept me enthralled………Thankyou

THANKYOU to the georgeous Lucal Neil, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and JOHN ALOISI and all of the other Socceroo boys who did Australia proud…………..

I’ll never forget the vibe of being among 20K+ of my countrymen and women singing the national anthem at ’stupid o’clock” in the morning in Federation Square and Lygon Street in front of the big screen, with my daughter and her friends………….

What a ride! Roll on the Asia Cup!

I saw an amazing program on TV the other night about an Indian man, Dr Bindeshwar Palhak who established the Sulabh Sanitation Movement.

Hard to imagine that in a country like India, with it’s huge population, the majority of disease is caused by lack of adequate sanitation. In fact, many houses in New Delhi and other major city centres, do not have toilets. What do they do? I hear you ask? Well, they squat on the street, under bridges and beside rivers…………..hard to believe in the 21st century! 110 million Indian houses have no toilets and 10 million have “bucket toilets” that are emptied onto the streets!
What is worse, “scavanger” women sanitation collectors (who belong to the lowest caste of “untouchables” in the Indian social system), have the role of collecting this human excrement from the streets, and are subsequently shunned by the society because of this work.
Dr Palhak ( a Brahman by caste and therefore high on the social ladder) developed an ecologically sound recycling system in the early 1970’s and set about establishing waste management and sanitation strategies to improve the quality of life of India’s poorest people. To date Dr. Palhak and his foundation have built millions of toilets in India. But his workdoes not stop there, he promotes health programs, education and training and support for the poor of India and has been recognised world wide for the amazing technological breakthroughs in sustainable sanitation developed by his foundation.

This man has invested in the future of his country and his fellow Indian’s, no matter their social or financial status. In fact he is a true humanitarian…………….and it all started by identifying a need and doing something practical about it, even though sanitation is not a “sexy” cause, he has invested heavily in making life better for poor people. We could all learn a think or too from Dr Palhak………a man with true vision!

Well I went to the Socceroo/Italy game in Lygon Street, Carlton on Monday night. For those of you who dont know………this is the centre of the Italian population in Melbourne.

The vibe was great……………Aussies chanting, Italians chanting……….another great funfilled night of frivolity. I was again surrounded my two of my kids and numbers of their friends. As we headed toward “kick-off” we found a spot amont the 20K plus crowd right up in front of the big screen.

We all sang the national anthem with verve, waving our flags and screaming Ole, Ole, Ole, ole, Aussie, Aussie……..and the game started.

And what a game! I really thouight we were going to win………….and then the decision that was like a kick in the stomach……..and it was all over for another four years.

We walked home disheartened and I must say, a little bitter!

Rather than winge about a terrible umpiring decision that cost us a place in the last eight, I want to remind you all of the importance of coming together and sharing a peaceful event.

If I’ve learned nothing from the Socceroos, I have learned this…………no matter the odds, if you keep putting in all you’ve got and more, even when things seem hopeless, luck may not be on your side, but you earn the respect and admiration of those who have watched you contribute.So what does all this mean to how we live everyday? I think the fact that passionate people from different backgrounds, with different ideas can come together and share something in a respectful and peaceful way is a lesson that many politicians should take on board.

The fact that there is always a winner and a loser, but that a huge impact is made by HOW you win and how you celebrate that win as well as HOW you lose and how you accommodate that loss……….. are things that politicians should learn. Sometimes the loser can actually have more influence in the long term than the winner…………then we should ask what does winning actually mean?

So, for me the past two weeks of soccer (or football as it is called elsewhere) have been exciting, challenging and comforting………….I feel great about my community, a community made up of people from all over the world who have made Australia home, who can support their country of origin in a sporting event without being abused or having to tolerate violent behaviour from their adopted country’s population……………a community that celebrates together and commiserates together…………..we are really lucky.

When I was walking home, a young guy clad head to foot in Italian colours, waving an Italian flag rushed up to me and said “Bad luck love, we deserved to win”. I said “You did win” and as he pulled off his Italian flag to reveal a Socceroos jumper he said, “No we lost, but from now on I’m barricking for Italy” and disappeared into the frenzied croud shouting “Italia, Italia, Italia”

Well that’s the Aussie Socceroo theme song, and you know what? I did jump and scream…………not in a stadium, but at Federation Square, in the centre of Melbourne at 5am in the morning, with 20,000 other mad Melbournians as our team succeeded in moving to the final 16 in the World Cup.

I never thought I’d see the day when I would be madly swept up in “soccer fever”, but I have been. I got up at 0230 and rugged up, packed the thermos and the umbrella and headed into the centre of our fair city with my daughter and her friend to watch the Australia/Croatia game on the big screen with the rest of the diehard soccer fans.

The thing that amazed me was the feeling of expectation and goodwill. All those people crowded together……….a good mix of Aussie and Croatian fans, smiling, talking and singing together. The teams came onto the field and the noise of the crowd singing both national anthems gave me goosebumps! Then the game started.

Despite some dodgy calls by the referees, there was good hearted “oohs” and “aahs”………..with each ‘crappy’ call, toilet rolls were thrown in the air to illustrate the thoughts of the fans! Croatia scored the first goal and the singing was deafening from the Croatian fans…………the Soccerroos equalised and the crowd went wild…………jumping, screaming, singing…….drums thumping, trumpets blowing, flares lit and turning Federation Square into a sea of pink smoke……………another Croatian goal and another Aussie goal………….strangers hugged each other, the drums went crazy, whistles blew, people screamed in unison, “Harry, Harry, Harry”………..Harry Kewell had done it…………..equalised the score and qualifying Australia to progress to the next round.

At 1/4 to 7 in the morning the crowd danced out of Federation Suqare into the junction of Swanston and Flinders Streets……….the major intersection in central Melbourne……….the traffic was at a standstill as thousands of fans poured into the street. Flags were flying, soccer balls being kicked into the sky……two guys danced on top of a tram………..the crowd danced down Swanston Street……………laughing, singing, chanting…………….up Collins Street they marched…………to the steps of Parliment House where they danced some more…………one guy stripped down to his Aussie flag undies and danced in front of the mounted Police. People sang “Our team is red hot………..your team is diddly squat”…………..JUBILATION!

The amazing thing about all of this was that among the laughing, singling, chanting throng of Aussie fans was a whole gang of Croatian fans…………singing, laughing and dancing as well………exchanging good humoured banter and all aware of what a great experience they were a part of.

I was so impressed that there was no anger…………..no bad sportsmanship…………..just good humoured ’stirring’ that was enjoyed by all.

Tomorrow morning I’m heading off to the soccer at Federation Square again………this time we play Italy and I know, with a huge Italian community in Melbourne ……………..the game will be just as exciting to be a part of…………….now that my kids live in Carlton (the home of Lygon Street……..the centre of Melbourne’s ‘little Italy’) I will be cheering for the Socceroos, but will be finishing my day, win or lose…………in Lygon Street with a caffe late and a good italian ‘breaky’.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how very great it is to live in a multi cultural country where we rejoice in our similarities AND our differences and celebrate good natured rivalry on the sporting field without it getting ‘out of hand’.

Go Socceroos!!!

I heard an interview on the radio in the car last week that was extremely powerful.

It was an interview with a 43 year old man who I knew………..not personally, but as I grew up watching “The Sullivans” on TV, I felt I knew this guy. His name is Richard Morgan and he played Terry Sullivan in the quintesential Aussie TV drama.

Richard and his wife were sharing a very personal story. The story of his diagnosis one year ago, with Motor Neurone Disease. Richard went from being a fit, health man, the father of two young children, to being confined to a wheelchair, dependant on the care of his wife and others. Richard lives daily with the probability that he will be dead within two years.

I know plenty about Motor Neuurone Disease as I’ve cared for plenty of people in the end stages of this awful, wasting disease. I know a number of people who work for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. I understand that it is an umbrella term for a range of degenerative, neurological conditions that can not be defined.

BUT each person’s story is unique. Each person diagnosed and the people who love them, have to live on knowing what awaits them. Every day they loose mobility, strength and function. They have to live on knowing that eventually they will die from asphixiation or choking.

Richard’s story is a powerful one. A story that highlights the lack of compassion often demonstrated openly in the health sector. A story that reinforces the importance of community when things go wrong. A story that is both inspirational and devastating. A story of personal strength and defeat.

I encourage you to listen to the program if you have a chance. I also encourage you to find out more about Motor Neurone Disease by listening to the program I did with Rod Harris, the CEO of the MND Association, late last year on Dead Serious.

I also encourage you to think about Richard and others who are living with Motor Neurone Disease.

With the World Cup games happening in the middle of the night here in Australia………..there are lots of ‘bleary eyes” around today!

I, like millions others, sat up till 2am to watch the Socceroos play Brasil this morning. Come 4am, I dragged myself off to bed, disappointed at our loss, but not devastated…………we played well, but the luck wasn’t with us. That’s OK though, we’ve got a good chance against Croatia and the fact that we’re playing at all is something to celebrate!

As I lay in bed at 4.30am, exhausted, but unable to sleep, my mind wandered…………I started thinking about what other people are awake at this time of the night? Obviously, other soccer fans in the southern hemisphere, but who else?

I thought about people who were lying awake because they were worried and unable to sleep……………the people who are worried about not having enough money to pay their bills, the people who are worried about a son or daughter who is out late, the people who are worried about the security of their job, the people who are worried about a sick family member or friend, the people who are worried about their future, the people who are worried about their relationship………….the list goes on.

I thought about people who can’t sleep because they are sad or depressed. The people trying to come to terms with a loss………..an empty space in the bed where there used to lie someone they loved, the people struggling with the fear and anxiety of depression, the people battling physical pain due to illness or injury, the people feeling frightened because their nighttime hours are full of nightmares.

I thought about the people who cant sleep because they are cold, living on the streets or in refugee camps. The people who can’t sleep because they are hungry. The people who can’t sleep because bombs are ringing in their ears.

Thinking of all these sleepless people made me feel  guilty and then I realised I shouldn’t feel guilty…………..I should feel GRATEFUL!

I snuggled down under my doona, with a full stomach, next to the man I love, in a warm house, in a peaceful country and reminded myself that the day to day things that keep me awake at night are so small in the big scheme of things…………they are not worth the energy I give them………………from now on I won’t let the negative things invade my peaceful thoughts…………..I’ll focus on how very lucky I am and be grateful.

It reminded me of something my Dad always used to say, “I used to complain because I had no shoes……….until I saw the man who had no feet”.

Sometimes we need to remember that man with no feet!

(MP3- 13MB- 37.58min)

LISTEN TO PODCAST HERE

This week I explore depression…………….often referred to as “the black dog” because it’s dark, haunting and always ready to pounce on vulnerable people when they least expect it.

What is depression? What predisposes people to suffer from depression? What causes depression? What are the symptoms and how is it diagnosed?

I used to think that people who were ‘depressed’ were self indulgent………….they should ’smarten themselves up’ and ‘get on with it’ like the rest of us…………………that was until I was ‘bitten’ by the ‘Black Dog”.

Depression was contrasted with grief by Sigmund Freud in 1917 in his essay “Mourning and Melancholia”. What are the differences between clinical depression and grief? How does our contemporary understanding differ from Freud’s first ideas
about grief?

What have we learned and how can we help and support people living with depression? How do the needs of people living with depression differ from those of grieving people?

Tune in and learn a little about depression………..an illness that is worryingly underdiagnosed because people are too frightened, too ignorant or too overwhelmed by their symptoms to seek help.

Music provided by Simpatico

For further information and support on all aspects of depression contact Beyond Blue or Depressionnet