CHRISTMAS 1940 was a special time for Osborne Park resident Tom Fisher. Stationed on HMAS Sydney in Malta during World War II, Mr Fisher came back from Christmas Mass to hear about a dock worker's brother who was sick and couldn't feed his children.
He and a friend, whose father was in St Vincent de Paul, gathered some spare food to take to the sick man. "He had six children in a little two-room place," Mr Fisher said. "He cried when we gave it to him and said he'd pray for us to make it through the war. "Well, I made it through the war and I had it in the back of my mind that I should join St Vincent de Paul, but it was some time later that I did it."
Since joining in 1962, Mr Fisher has not looked back. And this week his efforts were publicly recognised when he received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday honours list. "A wise man, my uncle, once told me you should never compare yourself to people better off than you, because you will feel bad," he said. "Instead you should look at someone not as fortunate as yourself and you will see how lucky you are."
Mr Fisher said helping others gave him enormous self-satisfaction. He was State President of the charity organisation, among other roles over 40 years service. Now he is the Society's Archivist and President of the Osborne Park Conferance, along with volunteer roles in the RSL. Aged 81, Mr Fisher said he works about 20 voluntary hours each week. "The award came as a big surprise and I think I'm accepting it on behalf of all my local members of Saint Vincent in Osborne Park," he said. Mr Fisher said the support from his wife, Shirley, was invaluable.