Our Oral Angel
Shane Stuart Ellis, Equity Protect Business
Giving Gives Back
Justine Davies, Columnist for The Australian
Sometimes it’s the Smallest, Trivial Things that Stick in the Mind …
Emma Ayres, ABC Classic FM
Pyjamas in Iran
4. Acts of Kindness in the Formative Years
Morris Iemma, Former Premier of NSW
Goodness is All Around Us
Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize Winner
Miss Glasby
Professor David de Kretser AC, Governor of Victoria
Welcome to Melbourne
Gavin Wanganeen, Former Captain AFL Team Port Adelaide
A Legacy of Kindness
Natarsha Belling, Channel 10 News Sydney
An Act of Kindness I Will Never Forget
Eric Bailey, Former NBA Player
Abandonment to Abundance
Professor Anthony Klein, The University of Melbourne
Mistaken Identity
5. Acts of Kindness to Those Less Fortunate
Libby Gleeson, Author
A Surprising Act of Kindness
Peta Farquhar, Wesley Mission
Happy Blankets
Glenda Rouxel, Author
Forbidden Fruit
Di Knowles, Teacher
Ten Cents for a Hero
Robyn Henderson, “Networking to Win”
A Random Act of Kindness in Reverse
Professor Margaret Reynolds, Former Senator for Queensland
Opportunity through Anonymous Generosity
Glenn Wheeler, Presenter of “The Morning Show”
Connor - The Kid from Coffs
Professor Andrea Hull AO, Former Director of the Victorian College for the Arts
Kindness without Limits
6. Acts of Kindness in Emergencies
George Donikian, Channel 10 News Melbourne
“Be Prepared”: Scouts to the Rescue
Brigid Foster, Mother
Kindness in Phuket
Sarah Degabriele, Account Executive
Flowers from a Stranger
Reverend Professor James Haire, Charles Sturt University
Kindness Has No Boundaries
Phillip Adams AO, Author, Filmmaker, Broadcaster
Thank you, Shaun
Andrew Fraser MP, Member for Coffs Harbour NSW
From Loss Comes Kindness
Pru Goward MP, State Member for Goulburn NSW
Mr Nice Bloke
Graham Foster, International Speaker
The Awesome Generation
Michael Groom, Professional Mountaineer
A Helping Hand
Chris Gray, Sky News Business
From Entrepreneur to Philanthropist
Stephen Dale, Motivational Speaker
When Strangers Become Savers
Professor Henry Burger AO, Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research
Blown Away After a Blowout
Peter FitzSimons, Best-selling Author
The Backpacker Brotherhood
Jess Williams, Bartender
Heartlessness then Humanity
7. Acts of Kindness for No Particular Reason
Sheridan Voysey, Author
A Sweet-sounding Love Song
Peter Buckley, Keynote Speaker
The Glow from Poppies
Jules Faber, Australian Cartoonists’ Association
A Man of His Words
Nola Smart, Pharmacy Assistant
Mrs Shmegg
Sara Groen, Weather Presenter, Channel 7 Sydney
A Child’s Cosy Gift of Kindness
Stephanie Streatfeild, Student
My Genie with No Lamp
Your Story
Thank Your Kindly Stranger
Appendix
Endnotes
About Us
Background and Purpose
The idea for this book came about when my wife Ruth and I were backpacking as a young couple and were the recipients of several acts of kindness from strangers. It was Ruth who came up with the book concept, as we sat talking in a pine forest on Kangaroo Island, reflecting on the generosity of so many fellow Aussies who are readily prepared to help strangers as we had just experienced.
I spend much of my professional life researching people – whether by facilitating focus groups or conducting national surveys, and what I consistently find is that most people embody the Australian stereotype of lending a hand - whether it be to a mate or a stranger.
The perception of worsening violence and less kindness is largely based on crime coverage in daily media reports, and is refuted by solid research. The reality is that nationally, and for the majority of Australians personally, we experience far more acts of good than ill - indeed, as shown later in the book, by a factor of 38 to 1.
This book is a small testament to the power of good in our society. These seventy true stories of kindness from strangers are just a sample of the millions of such stories that could fill volumes like this.
Many of our contributors, though not all, are prominent Australians. Their stories are further recognition that individual achievement rarely occurs without a helping hand from others. After all, we call this the lucky country - we don’t take the credit for it all ourselves. We value independence in a community-minded way. We hope you find this book further evidence of the power and life of the