Kochies Idols

Meeting an ANZAC hero

May 05 |08:52

Just before ANZAC Day I met one hell of an inspirational couple. Keith Payne is a great Australian supported by an equally great Australian in his wife Flo.

Keith is our oldest living Victoria Cross recipient and a true ANZAC hero. Keith_Paine_VC-1

Joining up at the age of 19, Keith fought in Korea then Malaya before becoming a Sergeant-Major and serving in PNG.

In May 1969, during the Vietnam War, Keith was commander of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion near the town Ben Het in Vietnam. Keith’s unit was outnumbered and attacked by the North Vietnamese in a battle which lasted for days. Wounded in the attack and under the cover of darkness, Keith went out and rescued 40 injured or isolated mates and guided them to safety. All this while the battle was still being waged.

It’s a remarkable story of heroism, the Anzac spirit and mateship.

My Dad

My Dad, Dean, was a big guy… both physically and in presence.

6’3” (185cm) tall, he was an Aussie Rules ruckman, but when he walked in to a room he seemed to fill it… he commanded it. Always happy, always a word to everyone, an infectious personality… he had a real presence.

To a son he was always larger than life. A Dad all your friends loved to hang out with. But the thing which will stick with me forever was how he always seemed to have time for me, and my brother and sister.

Time. In today’s modern society nobody seems to have enough of it. It’s the bane of our lives.

Father Chris Riley

Youth Off the Streets

Father Chris Riley is a remarkable Australian and founder of Youth Off The Streets … an organization dedicated to helping young Australians in trouble.

Libby and I have become very involved in the organization on a number of different levels. For Libby it’s a way to channel her amazing talents as nurturer and mother to other kids who really need some love and attention. She is a YOTS ambassador and a director of the Overseas Relief Fund.

For me it’s a matter of supporting a great Australian and helping kids who have been dealt a tough hand. I believe everyone is a product of their family upbringing, it stays with them for life. There are a whole bunch of kids which have had horrific upbringings which will affect their entire life and often lead them astray.

Nelly

Hip Hop Artist

If you’ve never heard of hip hop/rap artist Nelly, talk to your teenage kids.

With a family of young adults I’ve learnt about the likes of Kanye West, 50 Cent, Alicia Keyes and Nelly almost by osmosis… and have actually got to like them.

But their music gets a bad rap by my generation in a similar way to what Alice Cooper and Skyhooks received from my parents.

Harry Triguboff

Property Tycoon, Meriton

If you live in Sydney or South-East Queensland a Meriton apartment block cannot be missed.

The man behind Meriton is Harry Triguboff who is one of that amazing breed of migrant who has built an empire where his net worth is estimated at over $3.7 billion.

Glenn Stevens

Reserve Bank Govenor

They say the culture of an organisation reflects the chief executive leading it. If that’s true then the RBA is in good hands because Stevens is the perfect type of person you want in that role.

The self proclaimed “most boring person in Australia”, he is the ultimate finance nerd. A man with immense intellect, he lives and breathes the job but is very conscious of the responsibility the role brings.