Former teacher shares how she learnt the secret to happiness

A former teacher from Australia has shared the valuable lessons she learnt by helping people affected by some of the world’s most devastating natural and man-made disasters.

Alison Thompson, who was recently named the 2026 NSW Australian of the Year, established Third Wave Volunteers – a not-for-profit* organisation that provides disaster relief to communities damaged by war and natural disasters.

Her work has included helping those affected by some of the biggest disasters of the 21st century, including the attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11*, the 2004 tsunami* that devastated Indonesia and most recently, the hurricanes in Jamaica. Before this, Dr Thompson worked as a teacher at Cronulla High School in Sydney and as a nurse.

She later moved to the US to work across banking in Wall St*, cinematography* at New York University and as a nanny. She was in the US when two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, killing almost 3000 people.

“September 11 was my why,” she said, referencing a famous quote from writer Mark Twain, that points towards the importance of finding out your life’s purpose.

“I knew I had to stay down there and work. Nothing else made sense.”

Dr Thompson said she lost 62 friends during the attacks, many of whom she knew from her time working on Wall St. She recalls rollerblading through crowds to access the building and using her nursing skills to provide aid on the ground for the injured and the first responders.

“Everything changed, nothing made sense. Everyone who worked down at ground zero* just thought all their jobs and their life were very insignificant,” she said. “That just changed the direction of my life forever and I ended up becoming a full-time humanitarian*.”

After the attacks, Dr Thompson spent nine months working for the American Red Cross. Originally from Grays Point in South Sydney, Dr Thompson often visited developing countries as a child during her father’s work as a preacher.

“Service to others is the most important thing we can do in our lifetime,” she said. “That is the key to happiness.

“We always find a spot for people,” she said, explaining that everyone has a skill or service they can offer to help others.

Dr Thompson advocates that “there is a role for everyone to play in all of these disasters” and that people of any background can get involved and serve communities in need.

Recently, she accompanied a group of influencers to Jamaica as a way of showing how technology can help the cause of her organisation.

“It’s all social media and just getting the word and spreading the word,” she said.

“They would get thousands of hits and then it would just get the message out to more people, which is what we want.”

“Especially when I land and … everything’s chaos, I feel very calm in that.”

While Dr Thompson is kept very busy managing current disasters, she says she hopes to bring her efforts back home to Australia in the future.

“You’ve got to keep evolving and learning about world issues and what’s happening in Australia,” she said.

“Back home someone could just reshare the fundraiser or help with the website or keep spreading the message.”

Her work serves as an important reminder that as humans we are all connected and have a shared responsibility to help one another, regardless of cultural or religious differences.

“We’re all human, we all bleed the same, and we’ve got to get along. Humanity does not exist without love,” she said.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• not-for-profit: an organisation that serves a community-based or charitable cause where any profits are reinvested back into the organisation’s purpose or service
• September 11: a terrorist attack that happened in New York City on September 11, 2001 in which 19 terrorists from the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial planes. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers, which were skyscrapers built for international trade and finance and were seen as a symbol of American economic power. A third jet hit the southwest side of the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed to the ground after passengers attempted to overpower the terrorists that had hijacked it. Both skyscrapers eventually collapsed following the attacks. The attacks led to the deaths of almost 3000 people
• 2004 tsunami: a massive earthquake of 9.1 magnitude struck off the coast of the Indonesian Island Sumatra on Boxing Day in 2004 leading to a devastating tsunami with waves as high as 9m that spread out across the Indian Ocean. The tsunami was one of the largest natural disasters ever recorded and caused the deaths of about 228,000 people in 15 countries, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand seeing the worst damage. Indonesia alone had about 200,000 deaths as a result of the tsunami
• Wall St: a street in Manhattan, New York that is considered the heart of the US’s financial district
• cinematography: film
• ground zero: the place of maximum damage in a disaster zone
• humanitarian: someone who seeks to promote human welfare

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QUICK QUIZ
1. When did Dr Thompson figure out her life’s purpose?
2. What are some of the diverse things she has done for work?
3. What does she say is the most important thing in life and the key to happiness?
4. How was she involved in helping victims of the September 11 attacks?
5. What are some other disasters she helped people through?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What’s your role?
Dr Thompson believes that everybody has the skills to help in a disaster situation.

Work with a partner to make a list of all of the different roles you think there would be following a disaster. They could be large important tasks that take specialised skills and training, through to smaller (but still important) tasks that most people could manage.

With your partner, discuss the skills you have and the types of tasks children might be able to do safely. Circle all of the ways you could help.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Civics and Citizenship; Ethical Understanding

2. Extension
Print or copy and paste the news story, and highlight all of the quotes from Dr Thompson. Which of her quotes do you think holds the most wisdom? Write down the quote and explain in greater detail what you think she means and why you felt this was a wise statement.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Ethical Understanding

VCOP ACTIVITY
Vocabulary recycle
There is some vivid vocabulary being used in the article, and I am not just talking about the glossary words. Go through the article and highlight the high-level language that you are impressed by in yellow.

See if you can borrow two of these wow words to reuse in your own way.

Remember vocabulary is a great way to connect with the audience, but you need to think about who your audience is so you make great word choices.

Who will the audience be in your recycled sentences?