Alumni and Supporters

Sunday, 05 December 2021

When Melvyn Gilbert moved from Kolkata, India, to Perth to complete a Master of Professional Accounting at ECU, he found himself feeling like many international students when they first move to a new country – unfamiliar, financially insecure, and alone.

He recalls how, to overcome boredom, he often visited Northbridge on Friday nights, but owing to a lack of money and friends would only wander around for a few hours before heading back home. It was one of those nights that turned out to shape his outlook on life.

“I sat down at a park giving rest to my feet when a middle-aged man walked up and offered me a slice of pizza. “Would you like to share?” he asked.

In response, Melvyn said, “Like any sensible person, I declined it straight away; but then he started talking about cricket and Bollywood, and before I knew it, we were having a heart-to-heart conversation.”

International students go through a lot of pain during their initial years, and it is true that they rarely find someone to share their feelings.

“This man was all ears listening to the challenges I was facing,” Melvyn recalls.

“Eventually, I did share his pizza but until then I had no idea who he was. The man had been homeless for four years.

There was a stark similarity between us – both of us were going through pain. Everyone in life goes through some pain and that’s when we need help,” Melvyn said.

Besides, the experience added a new perspective to Melvyn’s life – one where he was not at the giving end but at the receiving end, sharing food from a homeless man’s plate.

Growing up in India, Melvyn was aware of poverty, but he says the situation in Australia is equally dire.

“There is no race, no country, no religion – a poor man is a poor man wherever on earth you are and shutting our eyes to such reality is not an option,” explained Melvyn.

Instead of merely talking about change, Melvyn was committed to acting and helping those in need. Together with the support of his employer, they started Fortuna Foundation – a charity arm that reaches out to help vulnerable members of the community.

His sincerity and devotion to making a meaningful difference has seen him achieve professional success rapidly. Melvyn today, is Director and Partner of the award-winning Fortuna Advisory Group. Fortuna, with specialised divisions in Accounting & Tax, Legal Services, Financial Planning and Mortgage Broking is among the country’s most highly regarded public practices. With current presence in Perth and regional WA, the company aspires to become a top 100 accounting firm by 2022.

Asked how ECU made an impact on him, Melvyn smiled and answered, “It is at the heart of who I am.” In fact, Melvyn “hated” debits and credits until he met lecturers at ECU who translated how these make sense in real life. “I can’t believe when I say how much I just love Accounting; it’s all about the purpose and ECU set my founding stone.”

Fortuna Foundation recently launched a mobile laundry van. ‘Positive Spin’ aims to cover the welfare gap that currently exists by offering free laundry service to those in need. The van is fitted with washing machines, dryers, grey and white water tanks and a generator. It works as a support service in collaboration with other organisations in this space. The timings are communicated through various community groups, as well as flyers distributed among the homeless.

It is estimated nearly 10,000 people in WA experience homelessness every night, with over a thousand sleeping rough and another thousand or more under the age of 12.

Melvyn hopes to find like-minded people who can come together and stand as committed volunteers and supporters so that projects such as Positive Spin can achieve success.

Click here to learn more about the Positive Spin Van.