Life in 2015 can be pretty exhausting. With all the terrible Kris Jenner birthday songs, the dismantlement of One Direction and our nation’s leader changing every five minutes – there’s a lot going on and there’s a lot to digest. We think everyone would benefit from taking a second to remind ourselves that modern society isn’t all fire/brimstone/provocative wardrobe malfunctions. As luck would have it, CommBank think the same thing, and have done so for a while. Seeing as they help Australia celebrate remarkable people with the Australian of the Year awards, they thought they’d remind us that #2015lyfe isn’t all that bad. The Australian of the Day campaign was created to honour everyday Australians doing remarkable things. To find them, CommBank sent out eight young photographers to give them some much-deserved limelight. Tasmania’s up next and these unsung heroes should restore your faith in humanity.
Charlton De Silva Quitoriano has (amongst a myriad of other *thumbs-up* traits) a beautiful name. Just take a second to let it roll off your tongue.
Charlton De Silva Quitoriano.
Charlton De Silva Quitoriano.
Charlton De Silva Quitoriano.
Some say that if you repeat it enough times whilst spinning on the spot in front of a mirror, he’ll miraculously appear.
As Condoleezza Rice, Conchita Wurst and Benedict Cumberbatch are aware: great names come with great responsibility. Charlton doesn’t strike us the sort of guy to misuse his power though – quite the contrary.
Charlton’s in the final throws of becoming a paramedic, and this vocation’s given him a pretty solid understanding of what life’s all about.
“When you do something nice for someone, it makes you feel pretty good. So, if you do a job that revolves around helping people, that should in turn make you happy all the time.”
He realised this was a role he’d be keen on when a random hit-it/quit-it too hard at a concert and passed out in front of him.
“People were standing around not doing anything. I had just completed my first aid qualifications and put those skills into action. After the incident, it made me realise that I can actually handle this stuff.”
To those people just standing there – wot doin???
When he’s not studying to become a paramedic, Charlton occupies his time as a support worker at a homeless shelter.
Pls stop being so amazing. It’s no wonder why you’re CommBank’s Australian of the Day #178.
“I just like to help people. At the shelter I get to do this by helping with basic day-to-day life stuff, helping with food, talking… Just basic needs really.”
Although he has big plans of working in foreign-aid down the track, Charlton (for the time being at least) loves calling Tasmania home.
“It’s a great place to live. The people are really amazing and it’s such a beautiful city.”
Ty for being you, Charlton De Silva Quitoriano (dat name doe). You’re a legend.
Luke Byrne, CommBank’s Australian of the Day documenter/photographer, has been working harder than an abalone farmer, toughing it out on Bass Strait, to bring you the stories of these true-blue Aussies. www.australianoftheday.com.au is packed to the rafters with astonishing tales of good people doing good things – if you’ve got a minute, go check it out. Before you do though, read about the peeps below.
THE ART OF RUBBISH COLLECTING ISN’T HARD TO MASTER IF YOU’RE THIS GUY
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and Matthew Dell is shouting it from the rooftops like a bloody maniac. It’s even more of a treasure when it’s been found on the beach, all salty and such.
Since Matthew started running the South West Marine Debris Clean Up program, he’s collected over 250,000 pieces of rubbish with the aim of making Tasmania/the world a cleaner place, which is exactly why he’s CommBank’s Australian of the Day #176.
How can a person be so certain that he’s collected over 250,000 items? Well, Matthew’s itemised every piece he’s picked up (each to their own.)
“We’ve found a lot of strange things over the years – a fully rigged yacht mast, a US firefighters helmet, a life raft. We find lots of other crazy stuff – articles of clothing, lots of toys, bits of Leggo. We found an Easter egg a couple of years ago which was still intact, so that was pretty cool.”
The South West Marine Debris Clean Up program isn’t a regular debris clean up program, it’s a cool debris clean up program.
“In a nutshell, I coordinate rubbish clean up down on the isolated beaches in the Tasmanian wilderness World Heritage Area. They’re the most remote beaches in Australia – there’s no roads in there, you can only go there by boat, helicopter or a five to six day walk.”
Some of these beaches collect a surprising amount of rubbish due to Tasmania’s Southwest being located within a strong ocean current. This results in pieces washing up from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, hence the ~whacky~ things Matthew’s snatched up over the years.
Keep up the good work, m8.
MEET THE ANIMAL-SAVING BOSS WITH EVERYONE’S DREAM JOB
ERMERGARD, WERMBERTS.
They’re so frickin cute, GUH. We’re pretty envious that Petra Harris gets to work with adorable animals like this all day.
As you may have ascertained, Petra <3’s animals.
“I’ve been an animal nut since I could walk. As long as I can remember, I have had this need to help animals.”
She’s been involved with the RSPCA as a volunteer since she was 14. WHAT GOOD WERE YOU DOING FOR SOCIETY AT-LARGE WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, HUH?
Petra understood that helping wildlife was her noise after she’d been volunteering for a few years – prompting her to take a job at Bonorong Park. This wildlife sanctuary allows joe-blows to come view Tasmanian-specific wildlife. It has an emphasis on ~grassroots~ education and conducts guided/wonderfully informative tours. Equal parts animal lover and ambitious, Petra worked her way up to Sanctuary Manager by the time she was 23. #SLAY.
With a killer job with fuzzy, moving things and a terrific outlook on life, it’s no small wonder why Petra’s CommBank’s Australian of the Day #180.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
She also coordinates Tasmania’s only 24-hour wildlife rescue service – an organisation that took around 8,000 calls state-wide last year.
“There’s nothing in the world I care about more than helping save animals.”
Good hustle gal-pal.
Do yo’self a favour and go hit up www.australianoftheday.com.au for more stories of amazeballs people.
Images via Luke Byrne.
