| By The Editor
Individuals make a difference
Today Bendigonians, along with all Australians, are being asked to dig deep to help ease the suffering of the people of Burma who face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives after last month’s disastrous cyclone which killed tens of thousands and left hundreds of thousands without a home.
Calls on our citizens to support worthy causes are frequent, yet the response is usually generous, reflecting a recognition that this city and nation are more fortunate than most and have the capacity and desire to make a difference.
The recent past has dealt many harsh blows to people, not only world wide, but also on a local level.
Internationally there have been natural disasters of floods, famine, and earthquakes on a scale equal to the worst in recorded history, as well as crisis caused by inept and corrupt governments such as is presently the case in Zimbabwe.
If any evidence is needed about how Bendigo people offer their support at home it is demonstrated by today’s story about young Connor O’Sulllivan a six year-old who is bravely battling leukaemia.
Our community has got behind Connor with numerous well-attended fundraising events to help him and his family through his period of treatment.
This kindness and generosity is repeated time and again.
It is just a couple of weeks since the Salvation Army’s Red Shield appeal raised some $40,000, and just a short time earlier that locals donated thousands to support the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Good Friday appeal.
Consider too, the ongoing support of East Timor by Bendigo people which has involved gifts of money, gifts in kind, and hundreds, if not thousands, of hours worked by volunteers in the country itself.
Helping those in need is something which has been a feature of life in Bendigo since the earliest days of the gold rush.
In a formal way, one of the first
examples was the appeal for the building of Bendigo hospital and later the establishment of the Easter Fair to support the hospital and the Benevolent Asylum, two vital charities in those days; but on a less formal level there have always been spontaneous offers of support.
Whether it’s Burma or Bendigo, the simple principle of a small contribution given by many can do so much to ease the pain and suffering of human beings who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in desperate straits. It is the generosity of individual people which makes a powerful difference.
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