Our new NSW Co-Chair for the future
Cameron has been involved with the Property Industry Foundation since the 2016 StreetSleep,
“I was zipped up in a sleeping bag, laying on nothing but a cardboard box,”
“Staring up at the stars from North Sydney Oval reflecting on how lucky I am, to have been handed such easy life and questioning to myself what more I can do to help those who have not had it so easy.”
said Cameron Gardiner, Assistant Development Manager, McDonald’s Australia.
Over the years, Cameron has been involved in other events such as poker nights, the PIF Ball and the Charity Pledge Night. He was welcomed to join the NSW Future Leaders Committee in 2020 and will now fulfil the role of Co-Chair for the state.
“I feel honoured to be asked to be the Co-Chair of the NSW Future Leaders Committee. It is made up of wonderful people, who are all dedicated to the Foundation’s mission and whom I consider friends in and outside of the industry.”
“With the committee’s creativity, enthusiasm, and connections, we will continue to assist the Foundation in creating engaging events for the industry and raise awareness and funds for homeless youth.”
“There are 44,000 young Australians who are considered homeless. Homelessness can vary from couch surfing, sleeping in the car, temporary housing or roughing it outdoors. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a homeless young Australian. One of the priorities of your day is to know where you will be sleeping and that you will be safe sleeping there. A lack of stability and routine with the added stress of uncertain accommodation makes it very difficult to carry out society’s expectations and therefore escaping homelessness.”
“Mental health plays a significant role in homelessness, so I have decided to focus my energy on these two topics. The houses the Property Industry Foundation builds, create the environments necessary to foster positive behaviours and wellbeing, allowing the young occupants to learn how to lead self-sustainable lives.”
“Transparency and tangible results are two things The Property Industry Foundation exceed in. I like being able to know how and where my donations and energy being used. Once you have stepped into one of the PIF Houses, you will quickly realise what a powerful impact you are making being associated with this charity.”
“You will be impressed when you see these houses. Quality and style. The perfect environment for a youthful person to be motivated and get back on their feet.”
*Living space for recent work on PIF House Parkview
When asked ‘what was the one thing not a lot of people know about him?’, Cameron said
“After finishing our last university exam, my friend and I decided grab a few different types of beers we had never tried and shared them between ourselves. It was then the Beer Appreciation Society (BAS) began, a society built from the foundations of hops, malted barley, water and friendship. Growing to 30 members from all around the world who share their weird and wonderful beers in beautiful places. It is estimated the BAS community has tried over 9,000 different beers with each member averaging 300 different beers (all in moderation). The strangest beer I have ever tried was a Lamb Souvlaki flavoured beer. Better than you’d expect.”
“Although the purpose is vastly different between the Property Industry Foundation and BAS, there are a lot of similarities. Community, passion for its purpose and organising engaging events.”
