Big-Hearted Steve – Wow!

Steve Waugh is considered as one of the most successful Test captains in the history of cricket. Born in New South Wales on 2^nd June 1965. He played 168 Test matches and 325 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1985 and 2004. He was named Australian of the Year in 2004 and included into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010. This is the story of his philanthropic journey.

Meeting with Mother Teresa:

It was during the 1996 cricket world cup when Steve Waugh met with Mother Teresa in Kolkata. He left the hotel at early dawn to arrive at the home of Missionaries of Charity. The gentle sunlight of early morning brought the sense of belonging at the congregation’s spiritual home.
Finally, the moment had arrived. Mother gave him a business card. The message was ‘The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service’.
Waugh said, “Her impact on so many people around the world… it is pretty incredible,”.

2nd Test- Australia Vs India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata:

The Australian team reached Kolkata to play the second Test match in March 1998. They already lost the first Test match by 179 runs in Chennai. Australia won the toss and decided to bat first and scored 233 runs. Steve Waugh was the top run scorer. He scored 80 before he got run out. Srinath, Ganguly, Kumble all took 3 wickets each. While replying, India posted a massive 633/5d in the first innings. Azhar played a scintillating innings of 163*. Australia bundled out cheaply in the second innings at 181. Kumble took 5 wickets. India won by an innings and 219 runs.

Journey with Udayan:

Embed from Getty Images

As the match was over in four days with a day to spare, Steve decided to visit the Udayan, the NGO that works for leprosy. Steve said he was moved to see the struggle of young girls and decided to set up the girls’ wing – Nivedita Bhavan at Udayan. He is responsible for the education and training of 60 girls and continuing supporting them since 1998. He would visit often and perform many activities with the underprivileged kids.

Steve Waugh Foundation:

Embed from Getty Images

Steve established the ‘Steve Waugh Foundation’ after retiring from international cricket. The foundation is helping children who have diseases that don’t meet the set criteria of other charitable organizations. There is a dedicated team to help the quality of life for children and young people living with rare diseases. Steve says rare disease patients are the “orphans of the health system … often without diagnosis, without treatment, without research and often without hope”. Steve Waugh Foundation helps them tirelessly.

It’s been one hell of a journey. He sets an example for everyone. We salute the legend.

References: