Close your eyes and imagine yourself on your honeymoon, eight days after your wedding… Now picture a loud and powerful wave towering over you as life flashes before your eyes and your loved one swept away from you forever. For Trisha Broadbridge, this is reality, in the 2004 Thailand Boxing Day tsunami.
Welcome Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull, parliamentary members, officials and distinguished guests. I am here today in honour to nominate an immensely brave and admirable individual for the highly regarded Australian of the Year Award. Trisha Broadbridge is a survivor of one of the worst tsunamis in history that tragically took the lives of 230 thousand people, including her newly wed husband, Troy whom she loved dearly. But despite this, Trisha …show more content…
Trisha Broadbridge holds many admirable qualities valued by Australians, and it is my honour to nominate Trisha Broadbridge as Australian of the Year for 2018.
Trisha Broadbridge was born in Melbourne, Victoria on the 19th of April 1981, and at the age of 15 she had joined the Reach Foundation as a volunteer to support young people to get the most out of life. On the 18th of December, 2004, Trisha married the love of her life, Melbourne football player, Troy Broadbridge. The two travelled to Thailand’s Phi Phi Island for their honeymoon. Early morning boxing day, they had booked in for a tour to walk from one side of the island to the other, although it was cancelled due to a booking shortage. They decided to go alone without a tour guide …show more content…
The tsunami took a large toll on her life, mourning her husband’s death and she states that she still has nightmares, and quite a few times she dreams about the actual tsunami, waking up feeling debris cutting into her body as though she was re-living the event. Although suffering through the trauma of the event, she urges to carry on for other victim’s sakes. She returned to Thailand and spoke to 1000 Bairnsdale school children about resilience for the Reach Foundation. A while after the tsunami, Trisha joined forces with the Reach foundation, which she had been involved with for nine years to establish the Broadbridge Foundation. On September 30, 2005, she raised enough funds to build a 240 thousand dollar education centre in memory of her husband Troy, with the help of 34 Melbourne football players in respect for their valued team mate Troy. The men worked a hard 3 days in 35 degree heat and extreme humidity in order to establish the centre. The education centre was built to assist young people affected by the tragedy and how to learn from it and overcome obstacles. Trisha states that the “tsunami opened my eyes to some of the world issues… I realised I was really sheltered”. Helping people was something that Troy always wanted to do and Trisha wanted to carry on his legacy. Establishing the centre made her feel the
Welcome Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull, parliamentary members, officials and distinguished guests. I am here today in honour to nominate an immensely brave and admirable individual for the highly regarded Australian of the Year Award. Trisha Broadbridge is a survivor of one of the worst tsunamis in history that tragically took the lives of 230 thousand people, including her newly wed husband, Troy whom she loved dearly. But despite this, Trisha …show more content…
Trisha Broadbridge holds many admirable qualities valued by Australians, and it is my honour to nominate Trisha Broadbridge as Australian of the Year for 2018.
Trisha Broadbridge was born in Melbourne, Victoria on the 19th of April 1981, and at the age of 15 she had joined the Reach Foundation as a volunteer to support young people to get the most out of life. On the 18th of December, 2004, Trisha married the love of her life, Melbourne football player, Troy Broadbridge. The two travelled to Thailand’s Phi Phi Island for their honeymoon. Early morning boxing day, they had booked in for a tour to walk from one side of the island to the other, although it was cancelled due to a booking shortage. They decided to go alone without a tour guide …show more content…
The tsunami took a large toll on her life, mourning her husband’s death and she states that she still has nightmares, and quite a few times she dreams about the actual tsunami, waking up feeling debris cutting into her body as though she was re-living the event. Although suffering through the trauma of the event, she urges to carry on for other victim’s sakes. She returned to Thailand and spoke to 1000 Bairnsdale school children about resilience for the Reach Foundation. A while after the tsunami, Trisha joined forces with the Reach foundation, which she had been involved with for nine years to establish the Broadbridge Foundation. On September 30, 2005, she raised enough funds to build a 240 thousand dollar education centre in memory of her husband Troy, with the help of 34 Melbourne football players in respect for their valued team mate Troy. The men worked a hard 3 days in 35 degree heat and extreme humidity in order to establish the centre. The education centre was built to assist young people affected by the tragedy and how to learn from it and overcome obstacles. Trisha states that the “tsunami opened my eyes to some of the world issues… I realised I was really sheltered”. Helping people was something that Troy always wanted to do and Trisha wanted to carry on his legacy. Establishing the centre made her feel the