Causes I support
Paul donates all funds from the sale of his artworks equally amongst three charities. Buyers of Paul's artworks may if they wish, choose which charity benefits from their purchase.
​
The three charities are below, along with a short story about how Paul became involved and why he supports them.
David's Place
Miriam Rose Foundation
World Community for Christian Meditation
In the late 1990's Paul had a conversation with a friend of his, Sue Buckingham. She told him she was keen to start a hub or a small Community that would offer an opportunity for people at different sides of the socio-economic divide to meet and to share life experiences. Sue’s overarching vision is that a city like Sydney is only as healthy, in a spiritual sense, as the relationship that exist between those who live in comfort and those who don’t.
​
Sue had previously worked with marginalised people for many years and recognised their vulnerability opened up insights into the meaning of life that is not so available to those who live in circumstance of relative comfort. Paul was attracted to this idea and together they formed a Community called DAVID’S PLACE that has been meeting in the inner city ever since. It is a small Community of probably about 100 active participants but it has a wonderful spirit that touches all who visit there.
​
Money raised for this charity helps support people who sometimes have pressing need for help in finding accomodation; dental or medical treatment; food and clothing. We also regularly take people from the DAVID'S PLACE community on outings to places like Dangar Island where we have found the locals so happy to welcome and join in with those who come.
​
The DAVID’S PLACE Community meets several times a week at various places in the inner city. The current home is at the back of St. Canice’s Church, Kings Cross.
​
You can learn more about DAVID’S PLACE through the website which includes a delightful film that we made last year as part of the 20 year celebration.
​
It was several years ago that Paul came across Miriam Rose's teachings on an aboriginal way of meditation/ living called DADIRRI. As a meditator himself, he was delighted to learn of this practice that is thought to go back 40,000 years.
This beautiful youtube video explains this simple but profound gift that Miriam is offering to all Australians. It is a way of deep listening and for anyone who was lucky enough to see her receive her Senior Australian of the Year award in 2021, you will know that Miriam embodies the practice in everything she says or does.
This is the gift Australians need to begin to work on the great healing that is so necessary.
​
When Paul first met Miriam Rose in person at a conference in Alice Springs she explained that she had set up this foundation in response to a number of suicides that had taken the lives of young people in her community, including her own nephew. Miriam explained she had come to understand her young people needed a 2-way education: A white man’s education to help negotiate this modern high tech world but also, just as importantly; they need to deepen their knowledge and experience of their own tradition. To show how this all played out she invited those at the conference to come and visit her community in the Daly River, south of Darwin.
Paul and Judi, along with others took up this offer and have been going up to the Daly River Community which is called Nauiyu, for the last few years. The group has found it to be a very inspirational time, yarning with Miriam and others, visiting the art centre and exploring the very beautiful tropical place are just some of the things to do at Nauiyu, but most importantly it is a time to re-engage with simplicity and awareness of nature with all its offerings.
This Community is doing very well and has been described by one the aboriginal visitors who is a friend of Paul’s as the most healthy indigenous community in Australia but it still needs help to keep opening to outsiders and showing them the great hope that can emerge from a positive relationship with our aboriginal brothers and sisters.
​
Paul first recognised the need for meditation in his life when he was about 30. He noticed he was habitually stressed and had also come to the feeling - "is that all there is?". This was despite the fact that he had a good marriage, a good job and was materially in good shape. A friend of his introduced him to an eastern guru who taught him a simple method to find deep inner peace.
He found the practice of meditation to be a turning point in his life. Up until then he was an atheist and strongly believed happiness would be his if he got on in the way the world offered. The discovery of an inner dimension turned this all up side down and for the first time he began to believe in God and to wonder whether it was this inner dimension that all religions but Christianity in particular were pointing toward. This was back in the early 1980s but it wasn’t until the mid 90s that he came across the World Community of Christian Meditators and their teachings. He discovered that meditation as a way of connecting to the inner life was indeed practiced by Christians from the time of Christ to now.
Fr. John Main recovered this tradition in the 1970's by reading the writings of the early desert Christian monks who lived in Egypt, Palestine and Syria. In particular he read the writings of John Cassian which had a profound effect on him and encouraged him to teach the way of MANTRA as a form of Christian meditation. Fr. John passed away in 1982 and since that time his successor Fr. Laurence Freeman has lead this Community by teaching this very simple but very powerful way of prayer.
​
For Paul and his wife, Judi, this way of meditation has become their daily practice and they are very involved in helping others who may be interested. They organise retreats at their home on Dangar Island to give people the opportunity to deepen their practice and meet others who are on this journey.
Paul and Judi are also very involved in monthly Interfaith meditation and sharing of sacred scriptures from all the world’s wisdom traditions.
​