By RON LANE
TO say that the guest speaker held the crowd in the palms of her hands would have to be the understatement of the year – and the occasion was the annual Salvos Red Shield Appeal Breakfast, held at the Noosa Convention and Exhibition Center Tewantin.
In his opening remarks, master of ceremonies Lieutenant David Sutcliffe of the Noosa Corps, explained that an amount of $800,000 was set to be raised right across the coast. He then informed the gathering that on many occasions some $1500 was used to assist and 50kg of fresh food was distributed per week. However this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the massive good work done by the Salvos in our community.
The official welcome was presented by appeal committee chairman John Madill. During this he expressed a very sincere thank you to the 200-plus people in attendance and also drew attention to the fact that it was the fifth time that this annual fund-raiser had been held. He then went on to acknowledge the ongoing work done by the Salvos in our community and in particular emphasised “the great many lives bought back on track by these people”.
Following the official greetings it was time for guest speaker Carren Smith to take centre stage. This lady is now classed as one of the most innovative and inspirational leaders in the field of human growth and expansion.
During her opening remarks, she asked a question that definitely grabbed everyone’s attention: “At the end of your days don’t you want to look back on your life and say – it was great?“
To watch and listen to this attractive, smiling young woman, it seemed hard to imagine that here before us, was a human being whose journey through life can only be described as being ’to hell and back’.
Born in South Africa in 1970 and migrating with her family to Australia in 1977, her private life went into massive decline when, in 2001 her partner committed suicide. Believing it was her fault, she was “catapulted into the depths of darkness and despair”. To end this she decided to finish it all during a trip to Bali; accompanied by her unsuspecting best friend Jodi and another girl Charmaine.
However she was then caught up in the Bali Bombing which not only dropped her at death’s door but also took the lives of both her friends. From then on her fight for life and the road back to good health and eventual happiness was, to put it mildly, absolutely incredible. In her book Soul Survivor she tells it all.
Once again the committee of Red Shield Appeal upheld their reputation of not only providing a guest speaker of renown, but above all creating an atmosphere of welcome and friendship. Well done to all involved.
