Australian food, wine, fashion, film, arts, lifestyle, trade and investment, indigenous culture and tourism, the best of Australia says G’day. Promoting awareness and commercial return for both Australian and American interests, Australia Week 2007 sets up camp this week in Los Angeles and New York.

Steve Irwin (killed last September from a sting ray barb to the chest while furthering awareness of Australian marine life), the Croc Hunter, will be missed but honoured, and will receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, while Russell Crowe will receive an honour for his film achievements. A Family Day Concert caters to the Australian appetite of curious families in LA & NY. Australia’s favourite daughter in-law and granddaughter, Terri and Bindi Irwin (Australia Zoo), take to the stage with the Crocmen, and The Wiggles! Bindi Irwin is fastly becoming the face of Australian tourism and what a great job that little Aussie girl is doing.

The Great Aussie Auction, boasting more than 50 Australian holiday experiences is open for you to bid on an Aussie family holiday NOW. With a range of specially designed, unique Australian vacation experience, priced for auction from only $1, get in now and make your dream of an outback Aussie holiday closer to reality that you may have once thought.

Australia Week: G’day LA and NY. Don’t miss out. Check out the program of events to find out which taste of Australia is coming to a place near you.

Some other famous Australians furthering the plight of abused children (please add their names and links in comments so that we have a full and comprehensive list):

Pat Rafter (Tennis): Cherish the Children Foundation

Nicole Kidman (Actress): UNICEF ambassodor.

Shane Warne (Cricket): The Shane Warne Foundation

Geoffrey Rush (Actor): Silent Emergencies Appeal, UNICEF

Ian Thorpe (Swimming): Fountain for Youth.


UPDATE 20.1.06: Bindi Irwin wins them over with her impassioned vow about following her Daddy's work as a Wildlife Warrior. See news story at Bindi, Terri Irwin charm reporters.

A colleague asked me to provide a list of famous and high profile people who are survivors of sexual abuse. The idea is to help remove the toxic shame that a group of Australian Indigenous young women are living with because of what a sexual perpetrator had done to them. By providing newsworthy people as examples, my colleague aims to lessen the isolation and empower her young clients to move on with their lives.

My list contained only a handful of several high profile women and no men:

Oprah Winfrey (the Queen herself).

Maya Angelou (poet extraordinaire).

Kelli McGillis (Top Gun, Witness).

Terry Hatcher (Desperate Housewives).

Debra Byrne (Australian Singer, Young Talent Time).

A Google search did little to assist. Do you know of anyone else? The secrecy and shame of sexual assault needs to be broken. Children are growing up thinking there is something wrong with them. There is no shame in being a survivor. There is, however, shame in being a sexual predator. The more we talk and share, the greater the light will shine on the amazing successes of people affected by sexual abuse and the greater the shadow cast on those who dare to use sex as a tactic of power and control.

If you know of any high profile men or women who have lived with rape or sexual abuse, please leave their name, and a link, so I can pass it to my colleague.