Monday 17th March 2008, 13:11Ann Woods an unlikely pioneer ................
I was first contacted by Ann Woods almost two years ago. Ann had watched a late night viewing of a TV programme about Emma Harrison and A4e. Ann was inspired by the vision of Improving Peoples Lives and was moved to find our web site and contact me through the Blog pages. Ann enquired if A4e was operating in Australia and if not, why not and what were our plans for setting up ASAP.
I agreed to meet Ann in Sydney early last year to give her a greater insight into A4e and also to gain an insight into the need she had identified for A4e in Australia.
Ann is best described as an enormous ball of energy. Following a successful business career in large scale haulage where she built and ran her own company from the dockside in Sydney, Ann had spent the last few years nurturing a passion that more could be done to help those excluded from communities. From a very small start Ann ran a wonderful Christmas Day Party for homeless and lost souls just outside Sydney. This venture led her to set up the Blue and White Breakfast Club. Ann sent me the minutes of the meetings including her ultimatum to the local committee to “pull their socks up”.
Alongside these activities Ann also joined the board of the local community radio station and trained as a trainer for financial exclusion services in her community.
On subsequent visits to Australia I met Ann for an update on the “world according to Ann,” local and national politics and the needs of the overlooked. Ann also made some great introductions to local and national politicians.
Eventually Ann made her announcement; “Australia needs A4e, I can think of nothing better than to commit myself to this goal and so I shall leave all my current roles and move to the UK for six months to work in A4e to train and get a better understanding of how “we” need to work together to get a best fit for A4e in Australia.”
This morning, five months later, I had an email from Ann now working in the Holloway office of A4e, sharing a flat in Holloway, starting her third week in this amazing adventure – working in A4e.
Ann you are an inspiration to all of us. You have taken so many brave steps and put your trust in A4e. You have a vision for Improving Peoples Lives that burns so bright I could see it from the other side of the world.
When we open our first office in Australia, it will be in no small way thanks to the energy, passion, madness and adventure of Ann Woods, a pioneer of the best kind.
My thanks go to Justine, Paul Woodmancy, Gee Punia, Paul Siffre, Peter Brooks and everyone in A4e who keeps our spirit of Improving Peoples Lives moving forward.
Thanks
Roy
Back to posts by Roy NeweyContact Roy Newey |
Roy Newey's Archive
|