Disability awareness support fund raiser, Christmas in July

I think the way we are raised plays a big role in how we see the world and what it is that we do with our lives to make the world a better place. I also believe we all want to see the world become a better one but the differing points of views is what at times obscure what it is that we're looking at and how we see it.

In my industry I come across a broad range of people from all walks of life and no matter who it is you're speaking too or where they come from everyone wants to make the world a better place. From the working class family in a working class suburb, to the middle class and all the way to the top end of wealthy aristocratic socialites. Everyone shares the one common goal of leaving this world in a better position then what we've had it.

Today I tagged along to an event with my wife where we met a gentleman by the name of Jo, he spoke about his own personal battles with mental health and how he had overcome them. His held leadership positions and also had a tilt running in elections, although not successful but he put his hand up. I honestly tip my hat to anyone who runs for office it is the most gruelling, cut throat, knife wielding industry on the planet and always has been.

In order to run you have to dox yourself on a whole other level, your entire life, the way you've lived it, what school, who your friends were, where you grew up, even your first job is all open. You'll never be able to ever go anywhere again or do anything without someone knowing you. Your life becomes an open book. I think a lot of people forget or don't know about that part of politics, even if unsuccessful you'll always be known as a politician.

Jo organised a fund raiser to help raise awareness and funds for specialised housing to support people living with a disability, I say it in those words because previously we said disabled people. But people are not their disability, they're more than that and they live with it.

I'm not sure about other nations but we had a really bad track record in Australia in how we treated people with a disability, many were institutionalised and kept out of public life. Locked away and never to be seen and many which has recently come to light were sexually assaulted, exploited, abused and taken advantage of. A blight on our society that wasn't too long ago, all this occuring within my life time.

We took our oldest daughter along with us to show her the world around her, lockdown has kept her isolated and it's important that she learns the value in people as I feel that is something we do not do enough of. My daughter unlike my wife and I was born into privilege, we fought hard and overcame our adversity to provide her with her future.

My mother in law was born under a tree in a paddock, I was born into poverty, my wife also struggled but when my daughter was born she was born into her own home. Might not sound like much but to us that was huge. The way we show her the world will frame it in how she sees and behaves and I don't want her to forget her past but to know it.

People living with a disability holds a special place in my heart, I worked as a disability carer for 5 years battling that old mindset and it is here where I experienced some of my best life moments. I remember a young man same age as me at the time, 25. All he had ever known was the walls of an institution and I took him out. The first person ever to do so, due to his high behaviours of concern people were frightened to take him out.

I couldn't help but think, if I was locked up my whole life I would go insane also. We went hiking and we scaled one of the mountains, walking track of course. When we got to the top, he stood there arms apart overlooking the city below. View as far as the eyes could see.

This was the view, it was the first time in his 25 years that he had ever experienced freedom, freedom which he should have had due to no fault of his own. He stood there for over an hour with a smile on his face and arms wide apart, as if he were a bird soaring in the sky. He was non verbal but we spoke to each other through body language and eye contact.

Still today in Australia people living with a disability suffer greatly due to the lack of supports, supported housing is not being built as much as it needs to be and many go without and struggle daily. Support worker wages are so low no workers are attracted to the sector and people go without basic support at times. A big burden for parents to wear especially in their older years unable to care for themselves must care for their child and continue to do so. Many young people were ending up in nursing homes for the aged instead of being with people their own age. Defined by their disability rather than who they are.

Which is why today's fund raiser was so important to me personally, this movement is working towards implementing supported accommodation for people living with a disability. A noble cause for a group of people within our community that are often over looked and under-represented in all aspects of life.

I wish this movement well and I do sincerely hope it achieves what it is setting out to do, and that's provide a basic human need to people living with a disability.