Last Wednesday's speaker is, in my humble opinion, already a high achiever at his young age. Kenn Orbidalla, introduced by our member Fred Hamblen, is the very representation of a man who doesn't allow adversity to stop him from achieving. He is living testimony that proves that immigrants from so-called "developing countries" can become outstanding citizens of this great nation. They just go quietly about their business without much fanfare. Here are some of the major points:
His mother was has human trafficked to the Middle East before he was 10. His father was killed in a motorcycle crash when he was 16. He became the defacto mother and father for his two younger siblings - the three of them orphans in SE Asia.
He and his sister had experiences that defy description. Domestic violence was the order of the day. He lived in a car yard. Jobs in child care ensued (as he already had 4 years experience doing this). Despite all this, he studied hard, gained a Certificate (and worked in that field for 4 years) in Childcare. Now, he's enrolled at the University of Technology in Brisbane to study for a degree in Civil Engineering.
In the words of the famous Australian poet C J Dennis: "I dips me lid". Extraordinary. You can download a PDF of Kenn's PowerPoint with lots of photos - see Download files.