Recently, I received an email from seventy seven year old Dennis Perry, who for over twenty years has been serving some of the most vulnerable people in Papua and New Guinea and feeding the poor who lived in appalling conditions. So I got to get him on the line. Hi Dennis, Hi robend Bill, how are you good? Thanks? Now, all this started when you're on a business trip to Papua New Guinea.
What year was that, Yeah, look going back to nineteen ninety eight.
In fact, it was in tom at that time, and just before I went to put.
New Guinea and I found a situation where I witnessed a community physically living on a garbage clump.
That inspired me.
When we went on to Palm, New Guinea, we found exactly the same situation and started down minister.
In Pam New Guinea.
So it really shocked you.
Look, being his shock was an understatement. I never expected to see poverty like my witnessed so close to Australia. I said to God, what are you doing about this? And he said to me, He said to me, Dennis, I am doing something about it.
That's why you're here.
And you started this ministry called Operation Life.
Yes, with my colleague David Woody.
And how bad is life on the ground for the poor in p.
Andng it It has got worse since COVID. There's a population of some eleven million people in New Guinea. Nearly half the population.
Live below the poverty line.
As soon as COVID A hit, as most countries experienced, the cost of living went up and that affected put New Guinea as it did our country inso much that those people who are living on the poverty line were now living below the poverty line. It's a disaster on Australia's footsteps, with very few know about now.
Over the years, you've had to rescue children from at risk situations. How bad have these been?
Oh?
Look, some of the children we have rescued come from a dramatic situations. We found children on streets that have been abused, they've been raped, they have been abandoned and are left to their own means. It's been undescribable. And we've been rescuing children for nearly ten years now.
And what projects have you in place to help the poor in PNG?
We are now feeding the poor on the streets in pat New Guinea regularly and.
That's about seven hundred people each time.
We have a childress sanctuary where we take the rescued children too, and that's our own premises, and we have an average of around forty children at any given time, and every week. One of these children have their own story. Some have burn, as I said, abused, some have been raped, some have been just.
Unloved and unwanted.
But we transform their lives at our sanctuary to give them love, to take them to school, we bring them home from still, take them to church, bring them home from church, and all their medical bills are covered.
Mate. Is the government they're doing enough?
No?
Not?
No? I would love to have the Prime Minister and his cabinet come out with us for just one day or a full day and help us plead the poor, help us serve those of his people that have got no dignity, no hope, and don't know how they're going to survive the next day.
I gather, though, I gather though you've got a couple of important patrons.
We're very blessed to have Philip Raddick MP as our Australian patron, and very blessed to have the Governor General of put New Guinea his name missus exercise Grand Chief, Sir Bob day Day our as our patron for Palm New Guinea.
Now, mate, you're seventy seven, right, and you're still serving full time?
Absolutely?
Yeah. What do you say to others of your age that are sitting at home listening to this?
The first thing I say, Abill is I will aspire to inspire before I expire.
I'm only warming up.
And Bill, I just I say to people, no matter what age you are, you're never too young or you're never too old to serve. My God can use you to be a blessing to others. God's given us two hands, one to help ourselves and one to help others. You do not have a university degree in thermodomics, serve well, I've got I have got a degree as a BA. I've been born again.
Now Operation Life which you run has a calling.
What is it? It is.
To be the hands and feet of Jesus, inspired by jesus teachings and his good Samaritan example, giving physical, spiritual, emotional and superior superior spiritual support to the poor, for gotten, the marginalized and forgotten, regardless of ethenticity. And our mandate is Matthew twenty five, thirty five, thirty six for us hungering. You fed me thirsty and gave me some to drink, naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and you came.
I was hungry and you fed me. And I was a stranger and invited me in. Bill. We're doing that twenty four segment every day of the week.
Now that you've just filmed an inspiring nine minute documentary on your work. So if anyone wants to watch it, or anyone wants to help, what do they do?
Look dot a documentary. It's easy to do.
Just type into your serve, your server, our story Operation Life on YouTube.
Our story Operation Life on YouTube.
And what about someone who wants to help?
Please go to our website.
It is called It's all in one word, Operation Food for Operationlife dot org dot are you? Operationlife dot org dot are you? And with your health and generosity conditions, there's so much more Bill to food and educate the poor, the disadvantage and breath the hands of food of Jesus.
I can understand why Rotary, you have given you the Paul Harris Award. God bless you, mate, and thanks so much for talking to us. Tonight.
Thank you Bill, thank you God bless thank you, Bye.