Like any other sporting professional, Rafter has been subjected to a lot of criticism, not always about his serve or forehand, but about his pony tail and acting ability which I am sure you are all familiar with. I don't think I need to elaborate on his accomplishments as an actor. Just think 1800 REVERSE. The only other tennis related actor worse than Rafter would have to be Damir Dokic.
Anyway, in 2001, he was awarded "Australian of the Year", a prestigious award for being a good sport in all aspects of life. The award is presented on the eve of Australia Day by the Prime Minister and the recipient is determined by the Board of the National Australia Day Council based on nominations received from the public. The award is benchmarked that people, through their achievements, make a significant contribution to the wider community.
This evening I will be speaking about how Pat Rafter is a worthy winner of "Australian of the Year" for his individual success and our second speaker,………… , will then talk about how his presence effects Australian Society. …… will then follow.
For an Australian of the Year, in my opinion, you need to be , well Australian and someone who is charitable. Someone who has risen from nothing or very little to achieve, someone who has not let their achievements get to their head and someone who demonstrates an overall Australian attitude. In Pat Rafter, you've got a person with all those qualities.
Patrick Rafter is a great ambassador for Australia, he demonstrates good sportsmanship on and off the tennis court, he shows what a great sporting nation Australia is and uses colloquial phrases on the court. "Sorry, MATE" Though this may seem very insignificant, while playing the game he loves, Pat is unconsciously promoting Australia and it's spirit to the rest of the world.
Pat was born into an average Australian family, OK a large family. He was number seven out of nine. Pat grew up in a country mining town in Queensland, Mt Isa. He learnt to play from his father on cracked, weathered tennis courts. He was not given the opportunities of a city kid, but he persevered and showed tremendous courage to reach his goal.
Pat Rafter is a very sharing and charitable person. He set up his charity Cherish the Children in 1999 and gave away all his prize money from his 1998 US Open victory. Even just last year, Pat sat down and got his great head of hair shaved for charity-raising money for very special kids. He did the kids a favour, he did us all a favour.
Rafter also stands for issues which he believes in, such as environmental issues and children's charities. Pat is a role model for children and adults alike to stand for what they believe in, be charitable and aim for your goal no matter how high it is.
