Geraldine Cox
Geraldine Cox AM | |
|---|---|
| Born | Geraldine Dorothea Cox 1945 (age 78–79) Adelaide, Australia |
| Occupation | Orphanage operator |
| Website | www |
Geraldine Dorothea Cox AM (born 1945) is president and operator of Sunrise Cambodia, a charity that was originally founded as an orphanage in the province of Kandal, in Cambodia and now extends it's services to sustainable development and family support in several provinces of the country. She is the only Australian to have been granted Cambodian citizenship by a royal decree from King Norodom Sihanouk.
Born in Adelaide, Geraldine Cox had two older sisters and described herself the "problem child" of the family.[1] She left school at 14 for a job in an office, before moving to Coober Pedy to work as a miner.[1]
Cox joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1969 and was posted to Phnom Penh in 1970.[1] The country was in turmoil at the time, with the Vietnam war at the border and American B52s dropping bombs.[2] Her fiancé had just broken off their engagement, after learning that Cox was infertile due to blocked fallopian tubes.[3]
For the eight years to 1993, Cox worked for the Chase Manhattan Bank, in Washington and Sydney.[4] While in Australia in 1993, Cox helped found the Australia Cambodia Foundation, which operates Sunrise Cambodia. She moved to Cambodia permanently in 1996, to live with the orphaned children.[5] In the orphanage she is known as "Madai Tom" (meaning Big Mum).[6]
Cox is the author of the book Home is Where the Heart Is, an account of her life and the lives of some of the children she has cared for.[7] Fifteen thousand copies have been printed and sold, and they are no longer available in book shops, only online on the websites shop page.[citation needed] Cox is also the subject of the documentary My Khmer Heart, made by Australian filmmakers Janine Hosking and Leonie Lowe.[8]
Awards
In January 2001 Cox has made a Member of the Order of Australia "For service to the welfare of children through the establishment, financing and administration of an orphanage in Cambodia."[9] She has also received the Centenary Medal, "For service to the welfare of children in Cambodia".[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Talking Heads with Peter Thompson: Geraldine Cox". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "'Big Mum'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015.
- ^ Grasswill, Helen (17 August 2015). "Geraldine Cox: 'Big Mum' on search for heir to Cambodian orphanage, welfare empire". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015.
- ^ Halliday, Claire (9 November 2003). "Mamma Khmer". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008.
- ^ Geraldine Cox, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 19 November 2003
- ^ Geraldine's orphanage, Yahoo!7 Australia & NZ Pty Ltd, 27 February 2008, archived from the original on 18 July 2011
- ^ Cox, Geraldine (August 2000). Home Is Where The Heart Is. Pan MacMillan. ISBN 9 780 7329 1034 1.
- ^ My Khmer Heart, Special Broadcasting Service, archived from the original on 6 October 2009
- ^ "Search Australian Honours - Simple Search, Name: COX, Geraldine Dorothea, Award: Member of the Order of Australia", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 2 February 2014
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Search Australian Honours - Simple Search, Name: COX, Geraldine Dorothea, Award: Centenary Medal", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 2 February 2014
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
External links
- Sunrise Cambodia official website
- Yellow Pages Cambodia: Sunrise Children's Village
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