Stories of #GoodChange
Interviews with Our Good Neighbours
Sponsor Feature: Kago Australia
Even though it was a small act from me, it made me glad to know that it was a big thing for the children. As a business, we were able to maintain a favourable profit for a long time—which is a gift, really—and I felt responsible to share what we got.
Kago Australia is the latest #GoodNeighbour and second corporate partner to be featured as part of our Interview with Our Good Neighbours. This segment is dedicated to sharing the unique stories of those involved at Good Neighbours Australia.
As a freight forwarding company, Kago Australia has been with us since the very beginning, where they have helped us with logistics such as arranging transportation and storage spaces when conducting our charity campaigns. Kago Australia also intends to spread the gift of giving by choosing to sponsor 9 children in Vietnam, under the employees’ names.
Coming from a world of non-stop moving, the CEO of Kago Australia, David Cho, lets us in on how both he and the company are determined to stay on their heels working for the humanitarian good.
It was a perfect, sunny summer afternoon the day we met David Cho – it almost felt like an anticipation for the interview to come. That’s when we knocked on the door to Kago Australia’s office.
GN: Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about Kago Australia?
DC: I am the sole director of the company, and have been working in the freight industry since 2007…so that’s around 13-14 years. Kago Australia is a licensed customs agent, which means we deal with a lot of vehicles and exporters and help them arrange their shipments to and from Australia. We also do other related works including clearance, transportation, and freight forwarding, in addition to other things like that. That’s what we do, and that’s what I’ve been doing since 1997. I’ve basically been doing this all my life. And that’s what I’ll be doing for the next ten years, at least.
GN: How would you describe yourself?
DC: I try to live my life happy and right. I’m married and a father of two children, so I feel that I have to be very responsible and influential because my actions can affect my family—and my children especially. Also, as I am the head of this company, I similarly feel a huge sense of responsibility to my staff. I feel accountable for their wellbeing because my decisions will in turn affect their [work] lives. In that sense, this means that I can influence them a lot. Even though it is impossible to always be positive, I am constantly trying to be a good role model for them. I just do my best to make everybody happy and give them a happy life to the degree that I can. To put all that shortly…I guess that essentially as long as it’s within my capacity, I do my best to make both mine and the others’ lives happy. It sounds simple, but in reality it’s very hard to do.
GN: How did you get involved with Good Neighbors Australia and what attracted you to the cause?
DC: Our previous office was at the WOTSO workspace in North Strathfield and we’d been tenants there for a long time. We were actually one of the oldest tenants as we were there for around five years or so. My staff and I came to know Sylvia and Millie after we said hello at WOTSO. We were curious about what they did and were surprised to find out that they were a charity, so we kind of kept in touch and had the occasional lunch together. After that, we became interested in their cause and started helping out.
We gave a grin upon hearing that the WOTSO building, the co-working space where Good Neighbours Australia is located, was the reason why we kept our connections.
GN: Do you have a personal philosophy that drives you?
GN: What made you want to sponsor 9 children?
DC: Firstly, it’s a good thing to do. I also felt good sponsoring the children. Even though it was a small act from me, it made me glad to know that it was a big thing for the children. As a business, we were able to maintain a favourable profit for a long time—which is a gift, really—and I felt responsible to share what we got. Rather than keeping the money to ourselves, we thought that we could share our wealth with the people who need it even more than us. In that sense, I thought that was a good thing to do. I’m sure that the other staff as well as the sponsored children overseas will be happy too. They are happy, we are happy! We hope we can sponsor more in the future.
His face lit up as soon as the children were mentioned and David’s gestures became increasingly animated, like he couldn’t bear to contain his joy any longer. Sponsoring and supporting children monthly must have made a huge impact on his life as well, even though he said it was just “a little thing” to him.
DC: Like I said earlier, I believe that you should do good things and be happy in life. I think that there’s nothing more than that in life. We all live for happiness, but what exactly does happiness mean? You can try earning as much as possible, but I don’t believe that we gain anything from that—especially when it comes to attaining ultimate happiness. I think happiness originates from sharing true love between human beings. It is not only about the money. I just do what I believe, and that’s what makes me happy.
GN: What achievement are you most proud of?
DC: My staff. I believe that they are relatively happy working for this business. On top of that, I also believe that my family, including my wife and children, are reasonably happy and leading a happy life. I am very proud of that. I may not be able to spoil them with luxuries, but as I said, doing the right thing and showing your love is enough. There’s nothing more to life than that. What’s the point of having a fancy house if you are unhappy?
GN: Does anyone in your life play a role in supporting your involvement?
DC: Now that I’m in my fifties, there are not many people I can go to. I enjoy my time by myself, and I’m fortunate enough to still have my both parents—and my in-laws as well. If I need anything I go to them, as they are older, wiser and more experienced. I also believe in God and the Bible, so I believe that all the answers are in there. That’s how I seek the answers to my life and that’s how I’m going to try to continue living the rest of my life.
GN: If you could change the world, what would you do?
DC: Get rid of the internet, maybe. I might be showing my age, but I feel like…it’s both good and bad. I personally don’t use it other than for work. I really appreciate the old-school ways of actually connecting with people face-to-face. Meeting people, going out together…those were the days.
GN: Do you have a message to share?
DC: I have a very strong belief of loving oneself. If you can’t love yourself, you can’t love other people. I think people should strive to make themselves happy first before trying to make others happy. If you’re not happy, then people will see that and possibly mirror it. Do what you do to make yourself happy!
Once he said this, with a kind smile brightening his features, the interview ended with David Cho and Kago Australia.
Thank you Kago Australia, we could not have helped as many local Aussies in the community without you!
Interested in finding out more about who works behind-the-scenes at Good Neighbours Australia? From translation volunteers to corporate partners, we definitely have a diverse team coming from all sorts of backgrounds—all united together by the feeling of wanting to help others.
Are you a business owner feeling inspired by Kago Australia?
Helping the community is always appreciated, but it can sometimes be hard to do this as a business. That’s why you can give back to the community with ‘gifts in kind’. Good Neighbors Australia welcomes all ‘gifts in kind’ donations, which include educational material, electronics, medicines and more. See below for a basic overview of our ‘gifts in kind’ donation process. For more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – we are happy to answer any questions!
ABOUT
Kago Australia
Kago Australia is a transport and freight forwarding agent from Sydney. They have been an avid supporter of Good Neighbours Australia’s child sponsorship and humanitarian campaigns.
