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Speaker 1: I want to tell you about a man called Everald Compton.

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Speaker 1: You may have heard conversations with Cornsey here on five

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Speaker 1: Double A. Everold has featured on that and I can

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Speaker 1: recall talking with Everld twenty years ago here on five

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Speaker 1: double A, probably more than that now, when we were

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Speaker 1: in the throes of building the Alice Springs to Darwin railway.

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Speaker 1: And that's where I first came across Everil because he

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Speaker 1: was leading a consortium to build a line, pushing for

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Speaker 1: construction of a line he said would be more effective

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Speaker 1: if the line came out of Melbourne, went up the

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Speaker 1: east coast to Brisbane and then swung across to Darwin.

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Speaker 1: We'll never know it didn't get built. The Alice Springs

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Speaker 1: to Darwin line was finished, as was the plan back

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Speaker 1: in Federation days with Premier Tom Price here in South

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Speaker 1: Australia who seeded the Northern Territory in exchange for the

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Speaker 1: line being built back in those days. But anyway, Everald

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Speaker 1: Compton has a long history of business and achievement in Australia.

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Speaker 1: He helped establish the National Seniors Australia Group, which looks

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Speaker 1: after the interests of older people in the country. They

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Speaker 1: have named a medal after him, Everald Compton Community Champion Medal,

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Speaker 1: and this medal is open for anyone who is deserving

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Speaker 1: of recognition achieving in a field that is relevant to

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Speaker 1: older people. Let's have a chat with everyone who is

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Speaker 1: on the line. Good morning, good morning you, thank you

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Speaker 1: for your time. Well, what an honor having this medal

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Speaker 1: named after you.

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Speaker 2: Well, I'm very humbled by it that I didn't expect it

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Speaker 2: to happen. I'm ninety two years of age now and

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Speaker 2: I'm still well, I'm still fitting and active. I was

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Speaker 2: delighted when National Seniors toned me. I was on the

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Speaker 2: board of Cammen of that for twenty five years, but

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Speaker 2: that was a long time ago, and I was delighted

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Speaker 2: when they phoned me and said they wanted to establish

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Speaker 2: this meddal and name it after me. And I'm want

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Speaker 2: to make sure that we find every year here the

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Speaker 2: middle is going to be an annual award for one

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Speaker 2: person anywhere in Australia. That person can live and that'll

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Speaker 2: be someone a senior who's made a significant contribution to

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Speaker 2: Australia in there in that lifetime in any field of endeavor.

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Speaker 2: You don't have to be a member of National seniors

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Speaker 2: at all, and I think it's the thing that's long

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Speaker 2: overdue and I'm I'm happy that they invited me to

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Speaker 2: delete it and present it every year.

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Speaker 1: Oh there must be so many inspiring stories that are

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Speaker 1: just not told that we don't hear of. And what

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Speaker 1: an excellent initiative.

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Speaker 2: Well, I thought it is. Throughout the time that I

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Speaker 2: was involved with National Seniors, then following that I was

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Speaker 2: chairman of the Federal Government's Advisory Panel on Aging, I

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Speaker 2: always sense that there was in the community a feeling

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Speaker 2: that senior Australians are a burden on society their pensions

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Speaker 2: and health care and housing needs and transform needs and

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Speaker 2: all those things that a lot of people feel subconsciously

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Speaker 2: or consciously that they're burned on the nation. But I

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Speaker 2: always felt that seniors were contributing mightily in the community.

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Speaker 2: Have to when they go into their retirement years. And

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Speaker 2: I've met all over the country seniors who were trying

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Speaker 2: to do something quite innovative, using the wisdom that they

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Speaker 2: gained in their life to try to do something for society,

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Speaker 2: or invent something, or do something that no one had

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Speaker 2: ever done before. And there's never been a medal that's

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Speaker 2: honored that those people, and I think they're everywhere, particularly

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Speaker 2: in small communities all over Australia. I've found older people

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Speaker 2: doing quite special things there. So I've on a search

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Speaker 2: between now and October to find the first one of those.

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Speaker 2: And I hope to live a few more years to

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Speaker 2: keep handing it out every October.

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Speaker 1: I hope so too. Give us an example of the

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Speaker 1: sort of thing you've come across over the years.

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Speaker 2: Well, well, you know, I've met people in remote communities

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Speaker 2: where that there are very poor medical facilities, particularly for

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Speaker 2: older Australians, where the community has got together and leaders

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Speaker 2: have done innovative things to give older people a life

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Speaker 2: away from nursing homes and away from hospitals, and and

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Speaker 2: to give them an opportunity still to do things to

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Speaker 2: say that old he is. Look, you know, while you're

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Speaker 2: sitting in a wheelchair, you don't have to be idle.

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Speaker 2: There is some something you wanted to do in your life,

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Speaker 2: and now it's your opportunity to do it. Whether it's

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Speaker 2: to write a book for the first time in your life,

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Speaker 2: or do painting, or you know, or you do things

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Speaker 2: that and a new way of a new way of

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Speaker 2: you know, of doing things, growing the new plants that

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Speaker 2: nobody's ever thought of. And I'm seeing people change from

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Speaker 2: having an occupation in a profession that there's something new.

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Speaker 2: I met a broth who retired after an eminent law career,

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Speaker 2: and he said, well, I want to do something totally

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Speaker 2: new and libe and he went to a tape soledge

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Speaker 2: and he learned how to grow olives and then he

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Speaker 2: went off that made a little farm and he grew

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Speaker 2: special types of olives. He worked out ways that he

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Speaker 2: could produce better olive seeds. And he's dead now, but

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Speaker 2: he produced superb olives that he sold all over the place.

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Speaker 2: Having spent a life in the law, and you find

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Speaker 2: you know people who you know who did that, and

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Speaker 2: in all forms of community service they're involved. I've seen

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Speaker 2: older people get involved in caring for victims of domestic violence.

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Speaker 2: We're not limited by the scope of what an older

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Speaker 2: person it is. So they got all those years of

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Speaker 2: experience that we can't let the nation waste all that

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Speaker 2: with them. And I think this medal will encourage people

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Speaker 2: to do something you know, extraordinary, you know, in their lives,

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Speaker 2: or it's also an opportunity to honor someone who has

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Speaker 2: already done a lifetime of extraordinary services and is continuing

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Speaker 2: that in their old age, and there's lots of examples

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Speaker 2: of that.

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Speaker 1: Ever, all you mentioned earlier that you had the impression

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Speaker 1: that Australians regarded older people as as just a burdener

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Speaker 1: taking the pension and you know, costing the system money

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Speaker 1: as they aged. Is that was that your motivation for

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Speaker 1: starting National Seniors fifty years ago.

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Speaker 2: Well, well, that that and other things that I mean,

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Speaker 2: everyone in Australia appeared to be organized in various ways

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Speaker 2: except for older people. I mean, trade unions looked after

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Speaker 2: people who were working. There all sorts of community organizations

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Speaker 2: that looked after younger people and their activities. And we

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Speaker 2: felt it was time that we should organize as seniors

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Speaker 2: in two ways. One that they could have better means

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Speaker 2: of being productive, that they had better means of a

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Speaker 2: setting things that they were entitled to have in their

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Speaker 2: old age. But above all that they should become volunteers

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Speaker 2: and in society and be role models for society and

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Speaker 2: in you know, in all that we did and we achieved,

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Speaker 2: you know, quite a few things. For instance, the pension,

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Speaker 2: the age engine in Australia was totally inadequate, and way

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Speaker 2: back in two thousand and eight negotiated when I was

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Speaker 2: still with National Venures, I negotiated with Wayne Swan to

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Speaker 2: do was traitor at the time to get the largest

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Speaker 2: increase in the age mansion since there was started one

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Speaker 2: hundred years before, because it simply didn't take into account

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Speaker 2: the extra expenses there are when you get old, and

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Speaker 2: and that in return for that, the seniors who've got

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Speaker 2: that extra pentil were willing to get out in society

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Speaker 2: and say thank you for that. And I want to

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Speaker 2: be a good volunteer. I think that they've been underrated

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Speaker 2: in that regard and the potential, the potential to add

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Speaker 2: to the productivity of Australia is that you know in immense.

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Speaker 1: Yes, indeed, indeed it is and hopefully that productivity will

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Speaker 1: be displayed with the metal when its first the war

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Speaker 1: had come October this year. I really appreciate your time

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Speaker 1: this morning, Eperald. Thank you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, could I just mentioned then? Anyone can nominate

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Speaker 2: someone in their community for this award. If you go

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Speaker 2: to the National Senior's website and click on the medal,

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Speaker 2: there's a form to fill out to nominate someone. To

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Speaker 2: hope the listeners in your program that they will say, well,

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Speaker 2: look we've got a really fine person in our commendy

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Speaker 2: and I'm going to go to the website and nominate

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Speaker 2: them and I look forward to reading those nominations as

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Speaker 2: they come in.

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Speaker 1: Indeed, I really appreciate your time everyone.

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Speaker 2: Thank you Hie.

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Speaker 1: Everald Compton there, who is the face of a new

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Speaker 1: Community Champion medal that's been organized by National Seniors Australia organization.

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Speaker 1: He found it fifty years ago, business leader and still

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Speaker 1: love he's politicians. I see him on social media. He's

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Speaker 1: got a few social media accounts. He can follow him

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Speaker 1: if you like. But he pops up there, he goes

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Speaker 1: to canber He's around the place, very active man at

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Speaker 1: ninety two, still and still leading the way for in

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Speaker 1: this case seniors to be recognized in the good work

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Speaker 1: they do in communities around the country. What an excellent initiative.

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Speaker 1: Just go to National Seniors Australia the webpage and find

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Speaker 1: the metal and nominate away to someone you think is worthy.

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Speaker 1: What an excellent initiative.