Tommy was no different to many successful business people.

He had done much, acquired

much, but didn't feel much. He had been raised in a good Christian family, been to all the
seminars and webinars, read all the pop psychology books, listened to all the tapes, CDs and
DVDs, had been motivated by the best, drove the nice cars, lived the penthouse and beach
condo lifestyle, but still wasn't quite satisfied. He wanted to make some kind of impact, leave
some kind of legacy but wasn't sure how to go about that, until he met a mentor who asked
some tough questions and got him to really look at his life, and to look for the lessons already
learned along the way. The Amazon bestseller “The Final Phoenix” was the result.

I am Tommy, aka Rod Hyatt – survivor of almost 73 circumnavigations of the sun since 28th
April 1946.

I wrote “The Final Phoenix” - The fascinating account of the environment, education and
evolution of a strange young boy called Tommy, who yearned to be a millionaire - and how
he built two fortunes - only to lose one and give the other one away. He learned how to build
business and life based on the 7 phases of growth; he learned how you don't have to be rich
and famous to be a philanthropist; and he learned that being a social entrepreneur is the
answer to changing the world for the better.

Since “retirement” in 2008, I have been involved in several charity/ not for profit
organisations addressing poverty housing and issues involving settlement of refugees and
asylum seekers. During the 2011 Brisbane floods, I was the Chairman of Habitat For
Humanity Queensland and was “boots and all” into rebuilding, refurbishing, remodeling and
removing flood affected houses. I have led volunteer teams to Vietnam to build homes with
poverty-stricken families. The most rewarding was the “Rainbow Village project – a 5 year
resettlement project that built 97 homes and rescued 120 families whose previous living had
been in humpies on a rubbish dump.

I have only recently become involved in the Men’s Shed organisation, although I have known
of it for quite some time. I am dedicated to seeing the Algester Community Men’s Shed
become a reality.