Australia Day 2012 Ambassador Victoria Funnell
Australia Day 2012 Ambassador Victoria Funnell. click image
Vici Funnell is the Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish Foundation Australia and has many inspiring stories of courageous children and their families and the great volunteers who grant the children's' wishes. She previously held the role of CEO Scope (Vic) Ltd, formerly the Spastic Society of Victoria. Vici has 25 years experience as a CEO in health and community services.
Currently, she also holds the position of director with the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria; she is an honorary member of the Harvard Club of Australia and a member of the Box Hill Central Rotary Club. Vici was awarded the inaugural Harvard Club Non-Profit Fellowship in June 2001 to study Non-Profit Management, at Harvard Business School and was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to the community through people with a disability.
Vici is married to Steve, and they own and operate a boutique vineyard Hat Rock on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 20 minutes from Geelong. They have two young adult children, William and Caitlin. In the little spare time she has, Vici loves to garden, read and cook. Her favourite place to visit is the Scottish Highlands.
Australia Day speech
Mayor Mick Williams and Councillors Swan, Furnaletto and Myers, CEO Steve Crawcour and Shire staff, Australia Day Committee, President Dot Rae, Committee members, MC Pat Glynn, honoured guests, fellow citizens, and Craig kelly representing our sponsor Woolworths / Safeway. It is really great to be here in Violet Town celebrate this special day in Australia's calendar.
I wish to pay my respects to the Indigenous custodians of this land and to any Elders who may be present today.
Weren't the Violet Town Stringbusters Ukulele Group and the Euroa Citizens Band great and a great breakfast! Thank you to Alex Walker for raising our Flag and I am looking forward to the presentation of the Violet Town Awards and the Shire Wide Australia Day Awards.
Thank you for inviting me to vibrant Violet Town to spend Australia Day with you. It gave me a reason to find out more about this area and I really enjoyed reading back editions of the Violet Town Village Voice and getting to know more about this strong community. The thriving market, which I am sorry to have missed, is renowned as possibly the best country produce markets in the state. The popular swimming pool, the community hall renovations, active community organisations and the local support for the renovations to the Community House all give a picture of a proud and close community that really cares. I am honoured to be here.
I am one of 143 Australia Day Ambassadors adding our voices to today's celebration in Victoria. As a naturalised Australian, I am proud to be part of this truly National program with Ambassadors participating in celebrations in every State and Territory of Australia.
Australia Day is about celebrating what is great about being an Australian and what we value about our country. It's also a day for reflecting on what we have in common and for thinking about what connects us as Australians.
One of the things that I most admire about the Australian culture is a sort of quiet, practical, courage. An unfussy helping hand offered when needed. A capacity to keep going and nut out a solution in a difficult situation. These qualities are in a bundance here in Violet Town. We Australians, rely upon the commitment of hundreds of thousands of individuals who volunteer in programs like the CFA, SES or countless community service organisations, who see ourselves as part of something bigger - a community- and who together each year contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in community value every year. It is volunteers who assure the survival and the safety of our Australian community.
It is so often the busiest members of our community who find the time to somehow do the extra things that really make the world a better place.
Volunteering and organizing community events take courage, skill and commitment and investing in our volunteers make very good sense whoever and wherever those volunteers may be. In Australia we are particularly dependent on volunteers because of our geography and our low population densities.
The majority of the 1150 volunteers, who deliver wishes and fundraise for Make-A-Wish, have jobs and families. Many volunteer for other community organisations as well. I like to think that the training Make-Wish provides our volunteers in running their branches, being treasurers, getting PR and organising events, benefits the whole community over the longer term by giving a group of skills to a team of people who can then use those skills in other settings.
By way of background, for those of you who may not know, Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children who are battling with life threatening medical conditions. The wishes are designed by the children themselves and range from going skydiving to patting a dolphin. We had a young lad who really wanted to meet an Armadillo, when asked why, he said he had had so many needles that he would like to have a thick hide like an Armadillo so the needles couldn't hurt him any more.
Being so sick is tough and our Volunteers are wonderful at setting the children at ease and helping them to find the experience or thing that will bring them strength, comfort and happiness- building up their resilience to help them fight back. In some sad cases where the child does not make it through, the wish creates a break from treatment and suffering, providing the chance to celebrate life together and leaving the rest of the family with cherished positive memories.
Volunteering is not just giving. There is much research that shows that people who volunteer are happier and healthier as a result! - albeit busier too! The research that Make-A-Wish has done found that 97% of people who volunteer for Make-A-Wish reported a "heightened sense of gratitude and appreciation for the good health of family and friends" and "an enhanced belief in the inherent good in people and their willingness to share that goodness" which is a love thing to recognize and experience in people. Granting wishes was reported by 95% of volunteers to instill a desire to become more selfless and pursue the interests or welfare of others". In this day and age it is great to know that there are experiences that encourage and support these wonderful sentiments.
On this day all over Australia new citizens pledge their allegiance to this country and welcome new citizens who are joining us today. Our friendship, support, advice and the way we act is the role model for all new citizens including our own children. On this Australia we can reflect on our community, our values and how we contribute to making our community more welcoming and supportive for everyone and we can be proud of the positive outcomes that we achieve together. However large or small your contribution, makes a difference and will enrich your life too.
The everyday support that small local businesses provide are the true lifeblood of our communities both in the country and in the towns and cities. Without local support and commitment these events could not be held. Thank you for your support and sponsorship and your commitment to your community.
I would also like to acknowledge the sponsorship of Woolworths / Safeway for the Australia Day Ambassador program, represented by Craig Kelly from Benalla. The support of Australian companies and their staff, in promoting Australia Day as part of their service to the community, is greatly appreciated.
Today could not happen without the hard work many volunteers like the Australia Day Committee members and all of you who have contributed here in Violet Town today. We are the better for your contribution.
Thank you all of you. Enjoy Australia Day, my best wishes for the coming year
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