Charity begins at home 

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give – Winston Churchill

At the SAS Group, we take pride in the work we do for our clients. Together, we’re committed to making Australia a better place and improving the lives of fellow Australians. 

I would like to share a few stories about our team’s commitment to our country and the fulfillment of giving.

The SAS Group has supported the Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation since its inception.   Through the voluntary dedication of Malcolm Cole and Natasha Eric, the SAS Group has supported Sue and Lloyd Clarke to significantly impact the awful cycle of domestic violence. 

Following several years of advocacy, in October the Queensland Government introduced a landmark legislation to Parliament that criminalises coercive control. “We’re proud to have played a part in advocating for stand-alone coercive control laws in Queensland,” said Lloyd Clarke.

In the interim, we’ve been helping the Foundation spread awareness of its various education programs to address the role of coercive control in Family and Domestic Violence.

More recently, Angela Harper and James Baker have done a power of work supporting the Soldier Oncause. Soldier On delivers holistic support services to enable current and former Australian Defence Force personnel and their families to readjust to meaningful civilian lives after having served in conflict zones.

It provides support across health and wellbeing, employment, learning and education, and community connection.

Angela, an ex-helicopter paramedic, and James, a former veteran of many theatres of war and a current ADF reservist, recently helped organise a major Soldier On fundraising event in Brisbane. Valuable proceeds were raised to help our returned veterans and their families to improve their health and wellbeing, particularly related to PTSD.  

Supporting the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Australia has been a passion of mine for the past 18 years. One of the greatest assets of any nation is its youth, and these awards help them develop character, resilience and outdoor skills through activities and volunteering.  Currently, over 55,000 young Australians are enrolled across school and tertiary intuitions.

On 20 November, I had the pleasure of presenting an award to His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and his wife Linda Hurley at Government House in Canberra.

As I write this, I’m in Sydney with His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, our patron promoting the Award to governments, supporters, and to schools participating in the awards.

In each of these cases – helping make better laws to prevent domestic violence, aiding our veterans and their families adjust to civilian life, or empowering young Australians to be their best – have one thing common making Australia a better place.

As Winston Churchill said, ‘we make a life by what we give’. Hats off to SAS Group team members.