On 13 May this year it was announced that Elizabeth Brennan, a valued member of the management Committee of the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association, had been presented with the WA Young Achiever Award for 2016.
Elizabeth has had a long association with the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association having first attended a Quiet Lion Tour as a junior in a group sponsored by the Wongan Hills RSL. Elizabeth maintained a strong interest in the work of the Association for some years and in 2015 became a member of the Management Committee.
A contributor to the West Australian newspaper on media strategic communications, Gemma Tognini, summed up some of Elizabeth’s attributes in an article titled “Unassuming young achievers put Gen-Y peers to shame” when she stated:
“Take 29-year old Elizabeth Brennan from Wongan Hills who was named WA’s Young Achiever of the Year. This articulate, passionate, intelligent young woman is, quite frankly, a force to be reckoned with. She is president of the Australian Women in Agriculture and a member of the World Farmers’ Organisation Committee. She volunteers with Meals on Wheels. She also lived in PNG for two years as a volunteer with AusAID”.
Gemma Tognini further commented at the conclusion of her article: “What I know (not from statistics) is that dozens of young men and women are bucking the Gen-Y trend and living courageous and generous lives. They understand the long game and are willing to play it.
They’re prepared to forgo short-term gratification for long-term reward. They are working hard to build businesses and careers, rolling up their sleeves, learning from those who have gone before them and doing so with boundless good humour and a thick skin. Many are doing volunteering, too.
These are the ones who aren’t demanding respect – they’re earning it. By doing real things, in the real world, with real outcomes. They’re fierce, and formidable and passionate about more than just themselves. They know that just because you shout about your passion and your drive does not prove anything other than you can shout. Talk, as they say, is so terribly cheap”.
It is as if Gemma Tognini was describing Elizabeth when penning those words.
Despite all of the interests Elizabeth pursues, she has found time to be actively involved in helping the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association achieve its objective in ensuring that the compelling story of the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association is not forgotten.
Congratulations Elizabeth.
Eric Wilson APM OAM
Chairman
Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association