No home truths

By Bridget Brady
A PIECE of cardboard and a sleeping bag will be Mark Cockayane’s bed when he takes part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Melbourne next month.
Mr Cockayane, the chief executive of South East Palliative Care in Cranbourne, will join other chief executives and business leaders to gain a first-hand experience of what it would be like to be homeless when they sleep out at Etihad Stadium on 17 June.
Servicing the Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia regions through his job, Mr Cockayane said he was well aware that homelessness was present in those areas and looked forward to giving up the comfort of his bed to support the St Vincent de Paul Society initiative.
“It’s a broad spectrum of people really trying to highlight the issue of homelessness. It’s a really good thing,” he said.
Mr Cockayane said his awareness of homelessness was heightened after he spent about six months volunteering in India and through his involvement in the Williamson Community Leadership Program.
And the community-minded 44-year-old is not afraid to roll up his sleeves, volunteering to wash dishes among other tasks at the Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda.
While Mr Cockayane is looking forward to the sleep out, he has a board meting at 8.30am the next morning and joked he was sure to be in “tremendous condition” for it.
St Vincent de Paul Society Victorian president Tony Tome said it was important that business leaders came together to support the state’s most disadvantaged people.
“Many have a very skewed perception of homelessness. People lose their jobs because of workplace cutbacks, women and children may be victims of domestic violence or a family member may fall ill.
“There are so many reasons out of people’s control and we urgently need funds to help meet the growing demand for support,” Mr Tome said.
To sponsor a CEO go to www.ceosleepout.org.au.