I write this as (hopefully) a more humble and aware individual than I was yesterday, having joined 98 other WA CEOs at the WACA last night in the first CEO Sleepout for the homeless, as organised by the Vinnies.
Where to start? Well I can report that the concrete floor underneath the Lillee-Marsh stand is cold at 3 in the morning (when I think I finally got off to a fitful sleep, such as it was), and I know that when I queue up for my pie and chips there in the future I will always gaze down at that corner where I slept last night (see picture left), and the experience will continue to prompt me to think about Australia's homeless people (105,000 a night, 14,000 in WA - a travesty for a wealthy country one might argue).
The pure experience of sleeping out with just a sleeping bag, piece of cardboard and pillow meant this was always going to mean more than just tipping money in for a good cause. You also lived it (at least for one night), and felt blessed that for the other 364 nights of the year you had a warm bed to sleep in. What we did was way easier than what the homeless face every night, for real, but it still made its mark.
Seeing others join you, sleeping in stairwells, down along the railings, under the chairs, and in 2 cases, actually braving the grass pitch itself (see pictures on right) added tremendously to the event. A camaraderie developed through the night, and warm smiles greeted you wherever you went as we all shared the experience. There was a diary room where you could say your thoughts to camera, a book to sign, pictures of homeless to gaze at. And being at the WACA - it was all so surreal.
At kickoff time (7pm last night), Vinnies organised a thought provoking 2 hours of presentations from homeless people who shared their stories, videos, government MPs donating $15,000, and the CEO of Burswood who raised the most ($34,000), all beautifully MC'd by Adrian Barich, who told his favourite Jako jokes. Twiggy Forrest of course stole the night with his appearance and a breathtaking $113,000 cheque from FMG and assorted groups and companies, which took the WA raising to over $420,000. $2.5 million raised nationally (so WA punched above its weight).
As dawn broke the soup kitchen, the roll, the coffee and the shared chatter were in force along with sore heads and bodies ambling around sharing rumours of rats and feral cats (didn't see any myself).
I'll not forget last night. It's startling that one in four homeless are under the age of 18, and most are females. It's a myth that the homelessness are mainly drunken old men on park benches. And hearing their stories, so lucidly put, you can see how the veneer of a seemingly 'normal' life and homelessness is quite thin, and how easy anyone could slip through and find themselves in what must be one of the worst situations to be in.
Altogether, it was poignant and meaningful. It raised our understanding of the issues for us all, and others. We must thank and acknowledge everyone involved in what was WA's first CEO Sleepout, all those that gave - there is still time to give more, and the CEO Sleepout web site is wonderfully well organised and easy to use.
YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CAUSE HERE - thank you. To see more follow the Twitter stream #ceosleepout or read my experiences at Twitter.com/chazgunningham.