Missionbeat nurse makes ‘sydney’ magazine’s influence list

Mission Australia’s Paul Esplin, who as works with our Missionbeat team to give medical care to Sydney’s rough sleepers, has been named as one of the city’s most influential people.

Making the top 100 list in The Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘sydney’ magazine tops off a big year for Paul, who also took out the HESTA Nurse of the Year Award in May.

As Michael Project Nurse, Paul is co-employed by St Vincent's Hospital and Mission Australia to provide frontline medical care for the many men and women who sleep rough in the city's streets.

Since 2008 he has been working alongside Missionbeat's Community Service Workers to help meet the medical, social, mental health and housing needs of homeless people - some who have been living on the streets for decades.

Paul featured in the ‘Altruists’ category of the ‘sydney’ magazine’s list, coming in at number 23 in the company of Thomas Keneally, Vicki Treble, Malcolm Stephens and Shane Phillips.

The ‘sydney’ magazine article says “Paul Esplin refers to Sydney's rough-sleepers as ‘gentlemen’ and he treats them as such, hitting the streets to make sure they get the best care possible.

"Our own St Mary MacKillop said, 'Never see a need without doing something about it," says Paul. "If we aim for this, we can't go wrong."
Paul has described his job as helping rough sleepers to “reach a healthier place”.

“Some clients have been homeless for up to 40 years,” he said earlier this year. “They don’t have the right forms or may be illiterate. Mental illness, drugs and alcohol play a huge part, but the common thread is poverty and a lack of opportunities.”

The Michael Project provided valuable insights into homelessness. It aimed to improve the social inclusion of homeless men through intensive case management and wrap-around support from 11 specialist services, including dental, podiatry, psychology, drug and alcohol counselling and literacy support.

Also featured on the list philanthropist Peter Hunt, who through his work on corporate boards became involved with fundraising for Mission Australia's Campbell House (now the Mission Australia Centre in Surry Hills) in the late 1990s.

"I once explained the problem of homelessness to the chief of an investment bank," he says in today’s ‘sydney’ magazine. "The next morning he rang and said, 'For the first time I've seen six homeless people on the walk to work that I've never seen before.' His eyes were opened."

In 2010 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the philanthropic sector, including serving as chairman of the AMP Foundation and Grameen Foundation Australia, trustee of the Anindilyakwa Indigenous Mining Trust, on the advisory council of Mission Australia, and co-founder of Women's Community Shelters.

Congratulations to both Paul and Peter on being recognised as influential Sydneysiders. Well deserved!

For more information

To read more, pick up a copy of the ‘sydney’ magazine with today’s Sydney Morning Herald.

You can also learn more about how Missionbeat reaches out people living on Sydney’s streets by viewing Pearls - a short documentary by Central Coast film-maker and Tropfest NY 2008, Jason van Genderen.