That’s despite the fact Clary has been in a fight against poverty and disadvantage for years, and has a swag of awards under his belt and an OAM after his name.

In true Aussie spirit, he goes in to bat for the battlers.

The battlers in his case are the children of Indian quarry workers in Bangalore. 

Kids who were destined to work in those quarries, some from as young as four, in conditions Clary described to the people of Ashford on Tuesday morning as being right out of an Indiana Jones movie.

As a young man he chose India to backpack through and said he was slapped in the face by the differences in life he found there that left him deeply committed to the rights of India’s underprivileged citizens to receive an education. 

Clary is another high achieving Australian working overseas, and there are enough of those about, including actors, sports people, scientists and business executives, and a quick Google search of his name is sure to astound. 

Over the last decade his 40K Foundation has built an eco-friendly orphanage and school and educated more than 1000 children, with a focus on the development of the English language.

His visit to Inverell this year and Wellington last year as an Australia Day ambassador went a little way to telling his remarkable story, but left one wondering why it, and so many others, are not more widely known. 

Some quarters have called for Australia Day to be revamped, to change the date, its emphasis, or to even change its name. Should any of that happen, naturally, we should think carefully about what would follow.

Perhaps one good alternative celebration would be a day entirely devoted to those like Clary. Those of us who contribute to Australia every day by just walking out the door to go to work.

And we’re not talking about politicians here either because they regularly do that for themselves.