Everald Compton is an eighty-four-year-old Australian who was born and bred in bush country. Since his schooldays, he has been a passionate follower of John Flynn. Everalds first career as an international fundraising consultant lasted over forty years. In that time, he organised more than one thousand campaigns in twenty-six nations. Since selling his fundraising company, he has embarked on a second career as a director of several infrastructure-related companies and several community institutions concerned with ageing. He has no plans to retire. In addition to these pursuits, Everald is a long-standing elder of the Uniting Church and the author of several books on fundraising and family history. In formal recognition of his service to the community, Everald became a member of the Order of Australia in 1992 and was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001. Everald lives in Brisbane with his wife, Helen. They have four children and eight grandchildren.