When scientist Dr Jim Bowler discovered ancient Aboriginal remains in remote Lake Mungo he had no idea it would rewrite the history of human occupation in Australia. He also had no idea that taking these bones from the burial sites would cause great distress to the traditional owners of the land.
Professor Jim Bowler at Lake Mungo in 2014For the first thirty-five years of her life Lyn White never gave a thought to animal welfare. She does now.
Lyn White – animal welfare activistWe have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.
-Albert Einstein
Lyn had always been an animal lover—at least of companion animals. Beyond that, growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, wild animals and farming animals didn’t figure in her life much at all. This was about to change.Continue reading
Judy Courtin wasn’t the first to call for a Royal Commission to investigate sexual assault and the Catholic Church; victims of child sexual abuse, lawyers and advocates had been calling for one for years.
Judy Courtin – Lawyer and AdvocateNever see a need without doing something about it.
– Mary MacKillop
It was only in 2006, after her mid-life career change from being a chiropractor to becoming a human rights lawyer, that she learned a close family member had been abused at school by a Christian Brother. This inspired her to learn more about the difficulties faced by victims of child sexual abuse by Catholic religious. Her unique insights would bring a fresh look to an age-old problem. And she made sure her call for a Royal Commission was heard.
This is the story of how she did it.
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Florence Nightingale was one of the pioneers in the use of statistics and infographics in achieving social reform. Florence Nightingale – Infographics Pioneer is Part 3 of The Can-Do Wisdom of Florence Nightingale series and covers the period of her life after the end of the Crimean War up to her death in 1910. It was during this period that she left the legacy for generations to come by using her knowledge and influence to affect lasting change in army health, medical health in India, hospitals, medical statistics and nurse education.
Florence Nightingale – c.1890 [1]The Can-Do Wisdom of Florence Nightingale – Part 2 examines the brief period of Florence Nightingale’s public life covering her first nursing experience and then as Superintendent of female nurses at the Scutari Military Hospital in Constantinople during the Crimean War. This is where her knowledge and organizational skills, her observations, her leadership, her network of contacts, and her communications abilities were used to ‘get things done’ when others said it ‘couldn’t be done’.
Florence Nightingale Receiving the Wounded at Scutari[1]The story of Florence Nightingale’s life is relevant today for men and women who aspire to lead society into a better future. Having been born into wealth she could have followed her obvious destiny to lead a life of luxury and comfort in Victorian England. Instead she chose to use her considerable talents and resourcefulness to bring about lasting change in the world. In this way she is a model of an I Can, I Do leader who inspires We Can, We Do followers.
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) [1]
Vincent ‘Tommy’ Lingiari’s leadership of the Gurindji people at the time of the Wave Hill Station walk-off in 1966 was a major contribution to the Australian Aborigines struggle for justice and land rights.
There is now a need for wisdom in solving world problems like no other time in our history. Can-Do Wisdom is an easy to understand, holistic framework for changing yourself and for changing the world.Continue reading
Empathy and respect when dealing with criminals is not something the public would normally expect of a police officer. Hardly a week goes by with some public figure is claiming the government is “soft on crime” and demanding a get-tough response. And, spurred on by sections of the media, the majority of the public would seem to agree.
Today’s marketplace is not asking for just leadership. It is demanding change leadership—even more, transformational change leadership—a new breed of leader for a new breed of change.[1]
–Dean Anderson