David and Ruth Collins are long-time supporters of g-oz who began donating in 2014 while their two daughters Grace and Bec were members of the Australian Girls Choir.
We spoke to David and Ruth to find out what led them to get involved and become g-oz ‘Innovators’.
David had had some exposure to g-oz, working as a photographer at the Melbourne AGC Annual Concerts at Hamer Hall in Melbourne.
This gave him the chance to be onstage and backstage with the AGC and it gave him the chance to observe the organisation from the inside out.
“I’m fortunate to be a photographer for the Melbourne [AGC] concerts and I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact the Travel Programs to Melbourne have made on the [g-oz] girls’ experiences and confidence. Standing in front of 2500 people on the Hamer Hall stage as a soloist or choir member is a big deal and life changing for anyone who does it.”
David and Ruth saw the extra benefits the AGC brought to their daughters.
Ruth says, “We’ve been lucky enough to give our daughters all the opportunities in the world. We know the value of the performing arts for children for empowering them in other aspects of their lives.
We wanted the chance to help give that to other children. Girls from Oz does that in a wonderful way, using staff who are trained well and have the same values and love of music our girls have gained from being in AGC through the years.”
Ruth and David Collins
“Standing in front of 2500 people on the Hamer Hall stage as a soloist or choir member is a big deal and life changing for anyone who does it.”
– David Collins
A pivotal moment spurred Ruth to be more heavily involved as a donor; “I was invited to a Girls from Oz event at one of the concerts when one of our girls (Bec) was still singing in the choir. Just meeting the girls in person, hearing the joy they had interacting with Bec – the lovely connection once they put together who we were and who Bec was (she had done her makeup with them), and then the stories from the Instructors and g-oz leaders of what these girls have and what they get from the experience.”
Thanks to this encounter, the Collins’ commitment evolved, with them donating more each year.
David says, “Having a daughter (Grace) that has gone to g-oz locations twice and hearing how the girls and Elders have responded to and engaged in their work has reinforced the value of the program for me.
g-oz Instructor Grace Collins (front) in Bidyadanga, October 2022
Empowerment of the girls, the chance for the girls to get up and present and the opportunity to engage in an environment they wouldn’t normally have, are all aspects of Girls from Oz’s mission that resonate with the Collins family. “It’s a great way of making them understand what they can do and gives girls a broader understanding of the world where they can engage and contribute.”
Bec Collins performing at the 2017 Melbourne Annual Concert, photo by David Collins
