Australian couple's top award for Crossroads Foundation
Malcolm and Sally Begbie's charity work in international aid gets prestigious award
When Malcolm and Sally Begbie first started out helping NGOs, they simply wanted to make some small difference.
Now their work has been recognised with a top honour from their home country, Australia.
The couple are founders of the Hong Kong charity, Crossroads Foundation. They were appointed Officers of the Order of Australia by Paul Tighe, Australia's consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, last week in a ceremony witnessed by family and friends. Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also attended.
"It's not something we consciously targeted, but it is a huge honour and an encouragement to keep doing this work," Sally said.
Tighe said the awards "recognise Malcolm and Sally not only as Australians, but also as outstanding global citizens".
Originally from Sydney, the couple came to Hong Kong in 1986. Malcolm, 69, an accountant, and Sally, 61, a public relations consultant, had called on their professional skills to help non-governmental organisations involved in international aid since 1975, but never intended to start their own charity here.