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About the Fatherhood Foundation:
Fatherhood
Foundation is a much needed initiative
of Warwick & Alison Marsh and the
board of Australian Heart Ministries.
Warwick & Alison have been working
in schools, jails, seminars, community
centres, Aboriginal communities
and churches across Australia, helping
people and families.
Together they established Australian
Heart Ministries as a charitable,
not for profit organization, 'to
relieve the spiritual, emotional
and physical poverty of children
and their mothers and fathers, both
in Australia and around the world'.
Over the past twelve years they
have seen fathers renewed, marriages
healed and families restored.
They have also been able to raise
financial and practical support
for Africa, Philippines, China and
other third world countries. Giving
to those who are disadvantaged is
a core value of the Fatherhood Foundation.
 As
Warwick & Alison Marsh have travelled
across Australia, talking to average
Australians, they have found much
grief and heartache in the families
of the nation.
Australia is facing difficult times:
the divorce rate for marriages is
approaching 50%, violent crime is
increasing, there is a spiralling
drug epidemic, the rape rate in
Australia is the highest in the
world, youth suicide in Australia
is also the highest in the world,
rampant pornography, abortion, child
poverty, incest and a myriad of
social problems that accompany these
national ills.
Australia's national birth rate
is falling below it's ability to
replace it's own population. This
will trigger enormous economic problems
over the next few decades.
 In
1998, Warwick & Alison were at Canberra's
Federal Parliament, attending the
National Prayer Breakfast where
many of these problems were discussed
and answers sought. After quite
some time an older aboriginal man,
Ps Ron Williams, stood and said:
"What Australia needs more than
anything else is fathers - both
natural and spiritual!"
Australia
needs husbands who will love their
wives, fathers who will love their
children and provide leadership
by a good example in the home.
Fathers who will take responsibility
for their reproductive organs.
Fathers who will model positive
fatherhood for the nation. Just
as our heavenly Father loves each
of us: black & white, good & bad.
Ps
Ron William's word of wisdom had
a deep impact on Warwick & Alison
and since then they have begun to
work towards establishing the Fatherhood
Foundation as a viable way of inspiring
and educating fathers to make a
difference in the nation.
Herbert Hoover said, "Children are
our most valuable natural resource".
Mike
& the Mechanics in their hit song,
'In the Living Years' sing, "Every
generation blames the one before.
All of their frustrations come beating
at the door".
The
Fatherhood Foundation aims to play
a part in breaking the current generational
cycle of mediocrity.
Warwick
& Alison Marsh with fellow Fatherhood
Foundation Board Members, Geoff
Moses, Michael Baker and Philip
Latz are determined to help the
children of Australia by empowering
Australian men to become better
fathers thus fulfilling the Fatherhood
Foundation goal.
Inspiration and education will help
fathers in Australia rise above
mediocrity to a greater level of
excellence to become the "best dads
in the world".
The
simple goal of the Fatherhood Foundation
is to change Australia for the better
- one father at a time.
About
Warwick Marsh:
 Warwick
Marsh is a family man who believes
that good relationships are the
key to a happy life.
He was born in Sydney in 1954. Friction
in the family caused him to spend
half of his early childhood away
from his father.
At age 10 he was almost put in a
protective institution because of
continual parental war at home.
At 17 years he left home with a
determination to make a difference
in the world and a dream that if
ever he got married he would strive
for harmony.
Warwick and his wife Alison, live
in Wollongong, NSW, Australia with
their five children. They celebrated
27 years of marriage in 2002. He
gives all the credit to his wife
for putting up with him for 27 years.
He received the FOL Award for Fatherhood
of the Year in Sydney at the NSW
State Parliament in 1998.
This award has delighted Warwick
as he believes families should have
priority in the work place.
Warwick Marsh has a strong background
in business having worked for himself
for most of his life. He has seen
both good and bad times in the building
construction industry.
At
one stage in the early eighties
his company, Warwick Marsh Family
Homes, was one of the largest, most
progressive homebuilders in Wollongong.
Warwick,
with his staff and dedicated sales
team, turned over millions of dollars
worth of projects each year.
In
1985 Warwick's business was wiped
out in the recession 'we had to
have', and he started all over again
in commercial construction.
In
1990 Warwick left a good career
in the commercial construction industry
to develop Australian Heart Music,
an independent record label dedicated
to supporting talented Aussie artists
neglected by the majors.
Warwick
has a love for music that spans
thirty years. He has been able to
share that love with his musical
family. His family all play music
and the elder boys write and produce
their own music which has been heard
on radio and TV.
In
1997 Warwick's two eldest sons who
played in a band called 'Unusual
Addiction' had national airplay
on Triple J.
Warwick has supported his sons in
their musical expression.
Currently,
the two eldest sons play in a rap
core band called 'Bent'.
Warwick's family band called 'The
Marshes' has also been on commercial
TV/radio in 1993 and 1995.
'The Marshes' line up is Warwick:
guitar and vocals, Alison: keyboards
and vocals, Nathaniel 21 yrs: drums
and vocals, Jonathan 19 yrs: bass
guitar and vocals, Levi 17 yrs:
saxophone, tin whistle and didgeridoo,
Israel 15yrs: guitar and Melodie
9 yrs: vocals and flute.
'The Marshes' have conducted musical
tours all over Australia over the
last ten years and also many countries
around the world including USA,
United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya,
Uganda, Fiji, Singapore, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, China and the
Philippines.
Warwick represented Australian Heart
Music at POPKOM, Germany in 1998
as a member of the Australian Independent
Record Association.
From 1996 - 1998 Warwick Marsh was
one of the key organisers for the
Praise Corroboree at Parliament
House in Canberra, the nation's
capital. The Praise Corroboree is
an important part of the grass roots
reconciliation movement formed in
the late nineties. Warwick, along
with other Aboriginal leaders, met
with the Prime Minister, John Howard,
the Governor General, Sir William
Dean and other key national leaders.
.
Last
year Warwick, along with other Wollongong
music industry people, formed 'Musoz',
a non-profit association to help
unemployed people and the local
and national music industry take
their music to the world. 'Musoz'
has a ten-year plan to create jobs,
give hope to young people and create
a strong Wollongong music industry
support base.
Warwick has a dream to raise aid
support for Africa through 'Blues
for Africa'.
In 1999 Warwick and his family visited
the child they had sponsored in
Uganda for ten years through World
Vision. Currently the family sponsors
children in Kenya and Uganda through
'Compassion Australia'. Over the
last 12 months Warwick and his friends
have given over a dozen guitars
and other instruments to penniless
African musicians. Warwick believes
this trickle of instruments could
become a flood and ultimately 'Blues
for Africa' could raise millions
of dollars in extra aid and training
for Christian leadership of Africa's
poor.
Australian Heart Music, Blues for
Africa and Fathersonline.org are
part of a non-profit Christian association
called 'Australian Heart Ministries'
with an independent Board of Directors.
Australian Heart Ministries was
founded by Warwick & Alison Marsh
to make a difference in this world
for good through music, TV, media,
teaching, training and giving practical
support.
Warwick has written well over 50
songs, produced over a dozen albums,
written music for films, produced
several TV programmes and is currently
finishing production on a 13 week,
½ hour series called 'Australian
Heart with the Marshes' which is
a musical journey across Australia
for international TV.
Warwick is also known as a speaker
in churches, business seminars,
government institutions and community
based events. Whenever he speaks,
Warwick shares stories from his
own life experience. Warwick's approach
is open and upfront. His stories
are laced with hope and humour.
Warwick is no stranger to the cut
and thrust of life and believes
that having a positive outlook,
value driven goals and a strong
love for God are important keys
for success in the new millennium.
Warwick has been greatly inspired
by Mother Theresa's practical example
of God's love for a hurting world.
Warwick believes that through love
we can build good relationships,
enjoy a happy life and make a positive
difference in the world.
Fatherhood Foundation
Alison Marsh: 0401 257 372
Warwick Marsh: 0418 22 5 212
PO Box 542
Unanderra
NSW 2526
02 4272 6677
info@fathersonline.org
www.fatherhood.org.au
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