“Ran S”, I asked, “so, what is your full name?” Ran would have answered this question thousands of times. Yes, ‘S’ is his official surname, and he has a passport to prove it!Both he as well as his wife Linda were born and raised in Singapore, so were their children. In 2007, they were granted a Skilled Immigration Visa to bring the entire family to Australia and consequently moved directly to the Gold Coast.
Here is a multi-talented person: he was a professional Financial Futures Floor Trader on the Singapore Exchange, but he also holds a formal qualification in Landscaping and Horticulture (Howzat for a combination!). Linda works at one of the local Ozcare Centres as a person-to-person care assistant.
Being of Indian extraction, Ran is a practicing Hindu and visits his Temple regularly. Other hobbies include listening to 60 and 70’s music, and – guess what – gardening, where he practices his formally acquired skills.
And how did he find out about us? He saw the Australian of the Year Award ceremony on TV, where Brother Oliver Pickett, the co-founder of our “sister project” 'Wheelchairs for Kids' in Western Australia, was awarded the Senior Australian of the Year Award. Apply some googling skills and – here he is, helping us build ‘Rough Terrain’ wheelchairs. Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair project, Ran!