- Dr Colin Benjamin OAM
CleanScene’s Innovation Product or Service Award breakfast will be addressed by community health campaigner and the heartbeat behind ‘Life. Be in it.’ character Norm, Dr Colin Benjamin OAM. The breakfast will be held at Sydney Showground Hub on Tuesday 23 October.
‘Dr Benjamin has spent most of his career campaigning to change Australians’ attitudes towards obesity and chronic disease, and is renowned as the current voice of Norm – the iconic Australian anti-hero brought to life in the 1975 Victorian Government-funded ‘Life. Be in it.’ campaign,’ stated the press release.
‘Highly successful in its time, the campaign was adopted by the Federal Government in 1978 and was instrumental in changing Aussie’s attitudes to exercise and healthy eating in the late 70s.
‘When the Commonwealth Government withdrew funding for the project in 1983, Dr Benjamin maintained the self-funded community company Life. Be in it.Australia, and established it as a charity in 2007 to ‘support’ Norm and continue the important health messages of the campaign.’
“Since 1978, our main aim has been to develop and deliver healthy active lifestyles, leisure and recreational activities that promote the prevention and control of chronic disease and thereby improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of all Australians,” says Dr Benjamin.
More than 12 months ago Dr Benjamin approached the Cleaning and Hygiene Council of Australia (CHCA) to develop a program to introduce cleaning training to disadvantaged Australians.
Since meeting with the CHCA Chairman Terry Fraser, Life. Be in it. and the CHCA training sub-committee headed by Lennox Institute’s CEO Elaine Torode, have developed a pilot program that has been endorsed by Simon Crean’s Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and the Arts.