A HUMBLE Harry O'Brien accepted his nomination as a People of Australia Ambassador from Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday, in an announcement made after Collingwood training.
Watch this afternoon's press conference with Harry O'Brien and Ms. Gillard on YouTube.
The Magpie defender is one of 40 people selected for the role - in recognition of their work in the community and ability to contribute in the future - as part of the Federal Government's multicutural policy, The People of Australia, announced last year.
O'Brien has been a tireless worker in support of the AFL's multicultural program and drew praise from the Prime Minister.
Watch CTV's Nick Hulett interview Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Harry O'Brien on YouTube.
"Harry has stepped forward already and involved himself in this work, reaching out to our multicultural communities informed by his own life experiences," Gillard said.
"He can be an incredibly powerful combination of sport and community; our sporting stars all working together using kids' natural love of sport (and) natural idolising of sporting stars to give them a helping hand and bring them into the life of our community."
On accepting the role, O'Brien recounted the challenges he encountered as a young boy moving to Australia as a three-year-old - being in an environment in Melbourne and Perth as a youngster where he felt different as the only boy of African descent in his class.
Keen to emphasise that under this program he was just one of 40 likeminded ambassadors who might be able to make a difference, O'Brien said he had decided as a teenager he would do his best to stop people from feeling the way he felt during those early years.
At Collingwood, he had learned the philosophy of always asking how he could make his teammates better. It was an attitude many people could adopt, said O'Brien, if they were willing to ask how they could make their neighbour a better person or make their life easier, communities would benefit.
While the platform his AFL career had created had given him the opportunity to have a voice, O'Brien sees himself as well and truly part of the community.
"I didn't even know the Prime Minister knew who I was," he said. "I'm grateful for this opportunity and have the desire to represent the people of the community as best I can."
He was also representing Collingwood, presenting the Prime Minister with a Collingwood jumper with her surname inscribed above the number eight. Gillard accepted the gesture in good grace, claiming the fact she - a noted Bulldogs supporter - was dressed in black and white was a mere coincidence.
In a possible attempt to quell the Collingwood tide, she joked that she wished O'Brien more success doing his work in the local community than when on a football field against the Bulldogs.
Such contests were far from O'Brien's mind as he said he hoped he could use his personal experiences and personal story to "help people understand they are not alone and you can get through."
The 2012 Ambassadors' term commences today and ends on December 30, 2012.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
