1 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Fear and Greed Business Interview. I'm Sean Aylmer. 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: The charity sector in Australia is big business. There are 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: around sixty thousand charities across the country and some estimates 4 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,120 Speaker 1: put employment at one point five million and revenue about 5 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: two hundred and twenty six billion, which of course includes 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: plenty of government funding. It's a diverse group working locally 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: and internationally in a broad range of areas including health, education, 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: social welfare, religion, culture, human rights, the environment and animal welfare. 9 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: One charity based in Manly. One charity based in Manly 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 1: and Sydney is Royal far West. Its remit is to 11 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,919 Speaker 1: look after country kids and it's heading towards its one 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: hundred year anniversary. Joining me this morning is the CEO 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: of Royal far West, Jackie Emery. Jackie, Welcome to Fear 14 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: and Greed. 15 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 2: Hello, Sean. 16 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,319 Speaker 1: Explain what you do well. 17 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 2: Royal far West is a child development service and we 18 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 2: provide health care for country kids. And you know right 19 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 2: now there is a lot of gaps for country kids 20 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 2: and the needs of never been greater. 21 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: Okay, so let's get the history. You're about to turn 22 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: one hundred and that's kind of part of the reason 23 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,919 Speaker 1: we're here today. It started by a guy called Stanley 24 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: Drummond who was a reverend in western New South Wales 25 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: and he took a holiday in Manly and decided that 26 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: kids in the far West needed a break by the seaside. Yeah. 27 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: Look, Stanley and his wife Lucy were incredible visionaries. They 28 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 2: just had this dream and the very next year they 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: started bringing kids to Sydney and very soon they created 30 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 2: a holiday camp for kids that lived a very, very 31 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 2: long way from the sea. And many of those kids 32 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 2: it was well, all of those children back then it 33 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 2: was the first time they'd actually seen the sea, and 34 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 2: we get kids coming today that still have never seen 35 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 2: the sea before. So the respite and the beauty of 36 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: Manly means a lot to country families. 37 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: Okay, what's a climate like for charities at the moment? 38 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 2: Great question. It's definitely a challenging time for charities. I 39 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 2: think the cost of living crisis is really impacting fundraising 40 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 2: for all charities. Also, there's a lot of change happening 41 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: with government, this current government. There's been a lot of reviews. Happily, 42 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: there's a lot more focus on children, which is great. 43 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: But we're yet to really see how all of those 44 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 2: reforms are going to play out, especially for the charity 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,519 Speaker 2: sector that plays such an important role in filling gaps 46 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: where government just can't reach. Essentially the system stops and 47 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 2: that's where not for profits takeover. 48 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: So is the cost of living crisis harming fundraising? 49 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely absolutely, you think about it. You know, when 50 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 2: everyone is looking at their household budget, often the first 51 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 2: thing that they do is look, you know, where are 52 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 2: we giving away money? What things can we cut? And 53 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: often it's that regular donation to a charity that gets cut. 54 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: Might be a dumb question, but surely in a world 55 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,839 Speaker 1: which is smaller than it's ever been before, the needs 56 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: of rural and remote communities are being better met, therefore 57 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: a charity like yours is less necessary. I got that wrong. 58 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 2: Well, I wish that was the case, but sadly it's 59 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: not right now. Right across Australia, there are so many 60 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: communities that just don't have pediatricians, don't even necessarily have GPS, 61 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 2: and this crisis is just getting worse. And so you know, 62 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 2: we have families telling us and reporting to us that 63 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 2: they can wait up to six years to see a 64 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 2: pediatrician and when you think about a child's development, often 65 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: the window where you can really make the biggest impact 66 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: with kids has closed by that time. So it is 67 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 2: a big problem. And then you know, once a child 68 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 2: perhaps understand what is going on for them, or the 69 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 2: family understands what's going on for the child, often that 70 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 2: they need supports from allied health professionals like speech pathologists 71 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 2: and occupational therapists and sometimes even clinical psychologists. But again 72 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: we've got chronic rural workforce shortages in those areas. 73 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: Okay, what about telecommunication? So the idea of telehealth and 74 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: I know that Royal far West was in many ways 75 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: a pioneering telehealth will before COVID. I mean, has that 76 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: helped you do your job? Oh? 77 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 2: Absolutely, And certainly when COVID struck, we were literally able 78 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: to send our workforce home and they continued to deliver 79 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 2: services the very next day. So today we do about 80 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 2: six hundred telehealth sessions a week to children across four states, 81 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 2: even as far away as fitzroy Crossing in Wa. And 82 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 2: it is really important for families that just can't access 83 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: services locally. It's got to be part of the mix. 84 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 2: And certainly face to face services are really fantastic and 85 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 2: we'd like to be able to deliver all services face 86 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 2: to face, but sadly the reality is that just can't 87 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 2: be at the moment. 88 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: Stay with me. Jackie will be back in a minute. 89 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: My guest this morning is Jackie Emery, Chief executive Officer 90 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: of Royal far West. Now, I know you have schemes 91 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: around bushfires, droughts, those sorts of things. To just explain 92 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: what they are. 93 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 2: Well, what we've found in recent years is climate change, 94 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 2: climate related disasters are really changing childhood in this country 95 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 2: and the communities that are most impacted are rural and 96 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: remote communities, and kids in these areas often who perhaps 97 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 2: have more developmental challenges than their city counterparts. We know 98 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 2: that already, and then they're disproportionately affected by these disaster 99 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 2: level events. It really has an impact on them. And 100 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:04,119 Speaker 2: then on top of that, there are limited local health 101 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 2: services that they really require in order to recover from 102 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 2: those events. And so since the twenty twenty bushfires, we've 103 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 2: been working in at least sixty communities supporting kids with 104 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 2: their recovery, building their resilience and supporting all of those 105 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 2: key adults around the children, like their teachers and their 106 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 2: parents how best to respond and support their kids when 107 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:25,799 Speaker 2: things like that happen. 108 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 1: It's kind of like the silence sufferers some of these guys. 109 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, we often call them the invisible children, and kids 110 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 2: are really interesting. They respond to these things in really 111 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 2: different ways. Often they're really worried about their parents and 112 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 2: how they're going to react, so sometimes they don't really 113 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 2: express how they're feeling. And sometimes they just don't even 114 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 2: have the skills to actually be able to process what 115 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 2: they've been through and to communicate what's going on for them. 116 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: So how many kids do help? Every year? 117 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 2: So last year we actually supported over five thousand kids 118 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 2: and over twenty two thousand beneficiaries. And the beneficiaries are 119 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: always parents, teachers, health professionals, all of those at work 120 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 2: that are with the child. So we work together as 121 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 2: a team. 122 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: Okay, one hundred years, one are you? One hundred years? 123 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 2: Where one hundred years on the fifth of December of 124 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 2: this year, which is such an important milestone. Not many 125 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 2: charities reach that milestone. So we feel really proud of 126 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 2: our history and we really want to celebrate not only 127 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 2: our past but also a future. 128 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: Okay, so what are you doing to celebrate? Oh? 129 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 2: Lots of things, lots of things, Sean Well, it all 130 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 2: kicks off with a big birthday party on the beach 131 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 2: at Manly, which is obviously our home, and that'll take 132 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 2: place on the day of our birthday. And then we 133 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 2: have really a year long calendar of events so that 134 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 2: we can really take the celebration to all of the 135 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 2: wonderful communities that have worked with us that we've walked 136 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 2: alongside for almost one hundred years. 137 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: And you've got a big bike ride in May next year, 138 00:07:58,840 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: is that right? 139 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, so it will be our eleventh bike ride, 140 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 2: the ride for Country Kids. But of course because it's 141 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 2: in our hundredth year, we want to go to the 142 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 2: places that are really special in our history, and so 143 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 2: the Ryde kicks off in Burke, which was our first 144 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 2: clinic outpost in nineteen thirty one where the very famous 145 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 2: Nazi Bird Walton used to fly out our nurses out 146 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 2: to that clinic outpost. And then we head to Coba 147 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: and Cobar of course is our spiritual home. It's where 148 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 2: our founders Stanley Drummond was from. And then we head 149 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 2: to Ningen and to Naramine. Narromine was actually the longest 150 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 2: serving telehealth school that we've been working with and we've 151 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 2: been there for about eleven years now, and so it'll 152 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 2: be great to show our one hundred bike riders all 153 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 2: of these fantastic parts of our history and what we're 154 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 2: doing now and what we hope to do in these 155 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 2: communities in the future. 156 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: Okay, so all these places are western New South Wales, 157 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: but four hundred k's is that right? All over three days? Yes, 158 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 1: and try and encourage Fear and Greed people to. 159 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: Well, we would love the listeners to join up. It 160 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 2: is an incredible experience and being out there in the 161 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 2: outback of New South Wales, the communities are just so amazing. 162 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,199 Speaker 2: They're so friendly, the scenery is breathtaking. Actually going and 163 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,599 Speaker 2: seeing the impact that we have on kids in the 164 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 2: schools out there, it's a cracker. So listeners should definitely 165 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 2: join up and join the party. 166 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: Well, I'm going to talk to Michael Thompson, my co host, 167 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: and Adam Lang who's a judging our weekend edition, and 168 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:40,199 Speaker 1: if either of them do it, I'll do it. 169 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 2: Well there's a challenge, deal. 170 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: Jack Emory, thank you very much for talking to Fear 171 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: and Greed. 172 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 2: Thank you, Sean. 173 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: That was Jack Emory, CEO of Royal far West. This 174 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: is the Fear and Greed Business Interview. Join us every 175 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:54,959 Speaker 1: morning for the full episode of Fear and Greed. Daily 176 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: business news for people who make their own decisions. I'm 177 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: Sean elma Enjoy your day.