The Burfitts are known for their kindness and charity work for sick children across Sunraysia. Through the charity CHAILIS (Children Having An Illness Living In Sunraysia), they’ve helped ease the financial burden for more than 30 families in the past four years. Ashlee Falvo sat down with the couple to discuss their life, how their faith keeps them grounded and what life in Sunraysia means to them. Pictures: Ben Gross
STEPPING into the Red Cliffs home of John and Helen Burfitt, one thing is immediately evident – they love each and every one of the seriously ill children they’ve helped over the years.
Photos of the kids adorn the walls, while cards expressing gratitude and eternal thanks from grateful families are scattered throughout the home.
But the generosity of the Burfitts doesn’t stop with CHAILIS – John also volunteers at the Salvation Army weekly, can often be seen picking up rubbish around town to keep the streets of Red Cliffs clean and tidy or standing at the front of Banjo’s Bakery on the corner of Ninth Street rattling a tin to raise funds for those in need – with his trademark rainbow coloured wig.
“The kids call me ‘the clown’ because of the wig,” John laughed. “People ask me about it all the time – to me, it’s a symbol of hope.”
While John is the self-proclaimed “ideas man,” when it comes to fundraising efforts, he’s quick to point out that Helen is a big part of the operation.
“She does a massive amount of work behind the scenes,” he says. “Helen handles so much of the admin work, the computer work … those things are hugely important when it comes to things running along smoothly.”
The couple have called Red Cliffs home for more than 21 years and now live a “very quiet” life together, but their personal life hasn’t always been so blissful.
After the loss of their first child, who was stillborn, 35 years ago, the couple welcomed their only child together, Rebecca, two years later, while John also has two children from a previous relationship.
“I think we’re both very blessed to class the CHAILIS families as our extended family,” John says. “That’s also one of the things we love most about living in Red Cliffs – it’s got a real ‘family’ feel to it and a real sense of community.
“When our grandkids were visiting us not long ago, we took them for a walk down to the fire station and they had a personal tour of the station, they got to sit in the trucks and blow the horn; things that would probably only happen in a small town. I really don’t see us living anywhere else, to be honest.”
John and Helen have built their life in the very town where they first fell in love after sitting near each other in a church service.
“I sat behind Helen one Sunday night in a service, and I thought to myself, ‘I wouldn’t mind going out with that girl’,” John laughs.
“But she had a wedding ring on her left hand, so I thought she was off the market, which I wasn’t too happy about.
“On the way out of the service, Helen’s friend asked me why I looked so glum, so I told her. She said to me, ‘Helen isn’t married, she just wears her grandmother’s wedding ring on that hand’, and that’s how I knew she was available.”
To woo Helen, John began doing odd jobs around her mother’s house.
“I suppose I was trying to get in her good books,” John says. “I’d go round there and mow the lawns, or do little things around the house pretty regularly.”
His plan worked – within seven months of meeting, the pair were married and began their life in Red Cliffs together, where their faith became a big part of their lives.
“I’ve got a pretty strong faith in God; it’s all very good for people to say that to someone else, but I believe your actions have to be your faith, in a way,” John says.
“If things get tough, you don’t just walk away – through CHAILIS, I’ve seen some amazing things happen. If someone says to me, ‘it can’t be done’, you might as well wave a red flag in front of me.
“But at the end of the day, none of the fundraising I do is about me – it’s about making a difference in people’s lives.”
