world vegan day...

november is world vegan month, and to celebrate world vegan day melbourne's event was held yesterday, sunday 6th, in the beautiful building and grounds of the magnificent abbotsford convent... and i finally made it this year!!!!

i'd asked a close friend, brann, to come along too so we were up early to 'hit the road'... well, you don't so much 'hit the road' when you're a public transport user in melbourne on a sunday... it's a slow, slow wait... that's if the transport mode arrives at all!!! how many times we watched the screens at southern cross station to see the train line we needed just disappear off the list without any announcement - it was frustrating to say the least... we gave up on the train after a while and found a tram that would get us close to the venue - i'm a tram person, why didn't we do that to start with? hmmm, that's what i get for believing someone who thinks train travel is quicker - might be, but the trains have to arrive first!!!!

it was heartening to see such a turnout... and interesting to see the number and diversity of animal activist groups - although sad on another level that so many exist due to so much cruelty...

i located the cruelty free shop stall where i found the munchie bars i've been wanting to try for ages... i bought vegan versions of bounty, snickers and mars bars, and some hard-to-come-by vegan marshmallows - those i intend making some vegan rocky road with this week - yummmmm....

a bit more wandering around, reading pamphlets and a few more purchases later and it was time to head towards the speakers area... i really wanted to hear philip wollen speak... 

 

and just who is philip wollen i can hear you ask.... the short answer is he's a man who turned his back on the privileges and lifestyle he experienced as a very, very wealthy merchant banker... he's been described as a 'humanitarian philanthropist' - but that description doesn't tell you of his commitment to animal welfare, of his activism, of his commitment to the earth... it doesn't tell you that at age 40 he decided a vegan lifestyle was the only compassionate way to live... this interview gives a wee insight into who he is and what he believes... 

he is a recipient of...

• the medal of the order of australia ""For service to international humanitarian relief and to animal welfare, particularly through the establishment of the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust”, 

• the australian humanitarian award - "The Australian Humanitarian Award  dismantles the narrow belief that humanitarianism is the exclusive domain of health care professionals,volunteers, carers and charities. The Australian Altruism Foundation sees humanitarianism as an inspiring and uniting value that we can all adopt and display in our every contact with other living beings."

• australian of the year victoria 2007 ... the following excerpt comes from the national australia day council... "Philip Wollen OAM, Philanthropic humanitarian. Through his kindness and generosity, Philip Wollen brings crucial help to many charitable causes and inspires others to share his humanitarian values and ideals. His achievements in the business world mark him as a man of action and he channels this energy into practical outcomes for the causes he champions through the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust. Philip promotes kindness towards all other living beings and strives to enshrine this as a recognisable trait in the Australian character and culture. The measure of his support can be seen in the extraordinary list of organisations the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust supports, benefiting children, animals, the ill, the environment and aspiring youth. Essentially a private man, he seeks no personal publicity but is not afraid to step into the limelight for a just cause..."

he is without a doubt one of the most fascinating, passionate, articulate people i have ever had the pleasure of listening to - a believer in the universal rights of other species, he made one statement yesterday which expressed a belief i've long held - "animal rights is the greatest moral issue facing humanity today"...

it was good to come away feeling less isolated and alone in my beliefs, that they had been validated, that there were others who thought like me, that my frustration and anger at humankind is shared - and justifiable... it was encouraging when brann said he'd go home and finally watch 'earthlings'-- i've been trying to encourage him (and others) to watch this for ages, but after listening to philip wollen he was possibly a little inspired by his very persuasive arguments...

i came across this article this morning while reading a bit more about the man - and his has definitely been an interesting journey and makes fascinating reading... "radical kindness: the banker who gave it all away" by katherine kizilos... you might also like to check out the winsome constance kindness trust - named for his mother and grandmother, it's an initiative founded by him, and actively supported by his life partner and political ally trix...