Medicines Australia CEO to sleep out for homeless
Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw will again brave the depths of Canberra’s winter this year, sleeping rough in a cardboard box to raise money in support of homeless Australians.
Dr Shaw will be participating in the St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleepout on 20 June, in Civic Square in Canberra. The Sleepout is conducted at centres around Australia.
“It’s a great thing to do for a good cause,” Dr Shaw said.
“With overnight minimums in the capital already falling below zero, I certainly have some reservations about sleeping out in the middle of a Canberra winter.
“Having done this before, I know that sleeping rough can be an extremely cold, wet and miserable experience.
“Last year was a salutary lesson for me in how not to build a cardboard shelter in the rain. I learned things such as don’t build your shelter in a drain, be alert for water running into your sleeping bag, and remember to wake up when your cardboard collapses on you in a storm at 3am.
“Of course many people simply don’t have a choice about whether or not to sleep out, they just have to. As a community we need to do all we can to help homeless people get off the streets and into proper accommodation.
“There is more we can do to support the homeless and work towards ending homelessness, so I’m very pleased to be able to help out in is way.
“We need to be much more aware of the plight of homeless Australians. I hope the CEO Sleepout will help give this serious issue the attention it deserves.
“There are many issues that homeless Australians have to confront every night which very often we don’t even think about. The CEO Sleepout gives participants a much better insight into some of those issues.
“Hopefully I can raise enough money to help make a difference and give me some solace through the night.”
If you would like to sponsor Dr Shaw’s participation in the CEO Sleepout and help raise money for St Vincent de Paul you can sponsor him at: http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/ceos/act-ceos/brendan-shaw-medicines-australia
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Contact Person:
Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au