Founding Partner
A message from our founding partner
It is 45 years since a small group of gay and lesbian people had a street parade down Oxford Street. The reaction was brutal.
It’s 40 years since Dr Ron Penny diagnosed and treated the first AIDS patient at St Vincent’s Hospital, and it is 40 years since Professor David Cooper established one of Australia’s first HIV cohort studies. The reaction to HIV/AIDS in Australia was equally brutal.
But people like David Cooper and the nuns at St Vincent’s Hospital ignored that public and institutional pressure and gave a lesson in humanity to the world. I heard St Vincent’s CEO Anthony Schembri share his memories of caring for his first HIV patient. The man’s family had refused to have anything to do with him. He was under the care of David Cooper. At a very emotional moment in the man’s care, David lent over and said, “We won’t let you die alone.”
It is an honour for Lachlan and me to be able to lay the financial foundations to realise David Cooper’s vision….a vision for a place to honour those impacted by HIV/AIDS and those who cared for and supported them.
A place that will tell the long history of battles fought for equality – for basic rights for the Queer community. A place to educate and to break down barriers of discrimination and ignorance. A safe place that will support people grappling with their identity. A place that will celebrate a rich history not yet fully told or appreciated. And a place that demonstrates that people can and should be judged by their humanity not their identity.
Our hope is that Qtopia Sydney will ensure that the dreadful crimes committed against the Queer community will never be forgotten and the stories of those who fought are told. Lachlan and I hope that our donation will encourage many more corporate entities, foundations and families, to invest in what will be an amazing institution – an institution that not only protects, respects and extends the equality of future Queer lives, but saves the lives of many young Australians.
That’s something we can all be proud of.
Qtopia Sydney has been a long time coming. It deserves the support of all Australians. And it is our privilege to be a part of the journey.
Sarah Murdoch
