Country Quintets & the power of rural communities  

Growing up in Toowoomba, my parents volunteered in the community. When I was a teenager, I helped at a horse-riding school for children with disabilities. Watching the difference that it made for those children really impacted me. I’ve certainly been on both sides of the fence, learning to give, plus help to raise funds, and I think this helps me to appreciate giving and receiving.

I feel ‘drive’ is not how I approach giving. It is a choice, and it is something I enjoy and choose to do.

When I was married, we lived on a rural property outside Monto and after 20 years we left the bush and moved to Brisbane. In 2000, when there was a devastating drought in Australia, Tim & I wanted to help rural communities in some way. We teamed up with two wonderful Melbourne families and self-funded the Rural Education Program, under the umbrella of the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). We were fortunate to visit many remote and rural places in the 7 States and Territory. 

We were embraced by the small communities, and it was rewarding to help with funding programs for music, sport and practical needs.   For example, shade cloths for playgrounds or Kindergartens in a remote town. Each grant could be $3,000 - $10,000, and that amount made a huge difference because many of the local organisations were not government funded.

I learnt a lot from the two families we collaborated with, and we worked together for eight years until the 3 families decided to create their own foundations. It was such an important learning curve for me.

I’ve always liked to volunteer, which I enjoy because it’s about contributing to the community to make a difference. When I moved to Brisbane, I did a Lifeline course, Meals on Wheels and for 8 years volunteered at the Royal Children's Hospital.  Involvement with our children’s schools, social events and fundraisers was also my way of giving.

In 2008, Tim and I set up the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation to support and create opportunities for rural communities in Queensland and the Nortthern Territory. There is a corpus in our PAF (Private Ancillary Fund) where we give away 5.2% every year. We have a wonderful and experienced team who run the engines of the Foundation. Tim and I are Trustees, with a Responsible Person, and our four daughters are Advisors. They come to the meetings and contribute.

There are now many ways now of giving through Community Foundations (Queensland Gives is a great example) Giving Circles; Giving Days with Double Giving incentives; Collective Giving.

Women are becoming so poised and secure, not just in philanthropy but in many other fields which is fantastic. The world has changed so much over the last few generations and now we have more women in prominent positions where they can influence others.

It's in our children’s DNA. I think they've learnt and watched by example, seeing how Tim and I, and the wider family, give. When they were young, I started doing Meals on Wheels in our country town and sometimes I’d take them with me. It was an important experience for them to see other houses and people living on their own, not being able to look after themselves.

It’s very important.  We like to have site visits to see if our support and funding is working. If it's not working, it means we can perhaps help them work to overcome problems. From the early days of the Foundation, much of our giving has been around capacity building, which is crucial for organisations. Organisations need to create an engine room and find good people to run it.  It is an area where the Foundation plays an important part to support.

I’ve found the organisations appreciate when we visit. There is a lot of joy in meeting the people we are able to help. We're proud of many things and supporting artists and musicians to visit country towns has been special.  It may be a musical quintet that will walk into a park in a country town and start playing, and people just gather around. It’s wonderful to watch people experience something that they may never travel to the city to see.

Building relationships and seeing the impact first-hand is an important part of our commitment.

Visiting organisations and listening to issues to find what works, and doesn’t work, can be helpful.   

It is very important to talk and become involved with like-minded people to share stories and experiences to help others realise the benefits of giving.

In Queensland we have “Queensland Gives” which is a Community Foundation that works hard to promote giving. They give Philanthropy Awards during Philanthropy Week in June each year.  Tim and I are honoured to be the Ambassadors.

Another lesson for me has been around courage and being positive. It takes a lot for me to feel confident in the philanthropy world. We've always tended to be private. With philanthropy we feel we must be transparent and that means I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone.

My ambition for our family, our grandchildren and future generations, is to face the many changes, learnings and challenges that lie ahead.

It is important to appreciate the privilege we have to help others, to listen and be kind.