SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM, GENEROSITY MAKE US ALL AUSTRALIANS

ONE of the great privileges of my year has been to broadcast my TV show from so many wonderful towns. From Toowoomba to Launceston, Broome to Alice Springs and Whyalla to Townsville. So many special places.

One thing unites everywhere we have gone: a relentless fight to never be beaten by the worst this life can throw at us. Be it drought, flood, fire or economic downturns. The people of this country refuse to whinge and don’t hesitate to help out a mate in times of trouble.

This was best exemplified by the giving spirit everywhere we went. Sky News worked with Harvey Norman to raise $400,000 for the CWA. This money buys little things for many people but is a lifeline to so many in need who we share this land with. In Toowoomba, it bought footy boots for kids whose family can’t afford the next size up.

Drought robs us of so much. An income obviously. But for so many it tightens its grip by confining families to the farm.

I met a woman who said she only goes into town two or three times a year for a haircut. Some parents gamble every time they take the kids to school because their car isn’t registered.

Floods hit hard in Townsville this year and we didn’t go there when the rest of the media was just pointing at disaster. We chose to go weeks later, to get the message out that while damaged, it was open for business and needed people to come visit.

In Whyalla we raised $20,000 for care packages for newborn babies in hospitals all over SA. The focus wasn’t on giving rich mums a free gift, but on giving struggling mums a show of support and love for the greatest job they will ever have.

Over in Bourke, we met an amazing woman who worked full-time as a nurse. But in her spare time, and with her own money, she would drive hundreds of kilometres to sit down with struggling teenagers who are on a path to taking their own life.

I don’t say this lightly, but Sandra Guzzi has saved lives. Harvey Norman and the CWA, through us, gave her funds to take two days off work and spend other people’s money for once, filling the tank to do her wonderful work.

In Alice Springs, under the stars in front of old rock, we heard the stories of people who thrive in the middle of the country. They revel in being in the heart of our nation and everyone we met loved extolling the virtues and values of their slice of the greatest country in the world.

From coast to coast ours is a special nation. We fight, we love and we are there for each other.

Thank you everyone we met this year, thank you to everyone who watched and I can’t wait to do it all again.