Australia Day Ambassador Liz Deep-Jones travelled to Armidale with her mother, and from the stage introduced her to about 120 people attending the Australia Day celebrations in the Town Hall on Sunday.
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Liz explained her mum liked to travel with her for Australia Day because she was from a rural area of Lebanon. She had an affinity with country people, and liked to see some of the different rural areas of Australia.
During this interview, a fresh bottle of water seemed to appear magically at Liz's elbow. A very proud mum looked after her daughter.
Liz Deep-Jones' life seems to have always been wrapped firmly within the warmth of family.
"A lot of how I feel and what I observe, and what I've taken in, it all comes from my mother and father who were very compassionate," she said.
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"My father has passed away, but they always expressed and showed us how they treated people as they like to be treated, and they always treated everyone with respect.
"They were very community orientated as well, even though we lived in the city. My father always did what he could to help people out.
"We had people in our area who were living in poverty. My father would just give them boxes of food and didn't think anything of it."
Liz said her compassion and respect for others came from growing up around her dad, and her love for people and their stories was what led her into journalism.
"I like to find out what makes people tick. What motivates them and what gets them up out of bed," she said.
"I've met some of the most amazing people on the planet, but I love the stories of all of us, of all Australians.
"Every year I ask to be sent to a rural area, because I want to learn about our farming, our agriculture and all those industries."
Her considerable achievements, a long career with SBS television, two books, work as a UNICEF Australia Ambassador and running writing workshops for school students no doubt originated from her warm, outgoing, quick-witted personality.
On stage, Liz easily let Sunday's audience into a small part of her family life, and left it in no doubt that she was the perfect ambassador for any community in multicultural Australia.
"We're very fortunate in my family. I have four siblings," she said.
"I'm married to an Irishman, my siblings have partners from Ghana, China, Chile and Greece. So, all the kids are mixed, and that is Australia.
"We're all from different backgrounds, we all come from elsewhere, except for our First Nation people."
Liz said Australia Day was about everyone having a story.
"My story, quickly, is in regards to my multi-cultural upbringing and that I was very fortunate to work as a journalist, travel all around the world met some of the most amazing people on the planet," she said.
"I was a young girl who came from a fruit and vegetable store; my parents couldn't speak English when they came out here, and look what I have done in Australia.
"I was so fortunate."
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