Canberra identity Tiny (Goran Srejic), who co-founded the iconic Green Shed, was regularly photographed in Canberra Daily with a giant cheque, donating a total of $1 million over 10 years to local charities.
In a “Where are they now” moment, we tracked down Tiny at his “weekender” in Serbia, which has become his permanent home. The philanthropy that he practised in Canberra continues, only this time it’s the residents of Kragujevac – a village about half the size of Canberra – who benefit.
Tiny is a self-described goal-setter, he has a list that he writes daily. There’s one stuck on his fridge now. He’s ticked off the $1 million to charity; two feature films are ticked off; an amusement park – tick. Tiny’s latest quest is to help a 48-year-old Serbian man to receive a kidney transplant.
“I’m on the biggest challenge of my life,” Tiny says, “for Dragan, a 48-year-old guy who needs a kidney. I basically promised him he’ll see his grandchildren. I’ll do everything in my power to do it.”
Tiny says trying to raise $155,000 in Serbia is “unbelievable”, given the country’s low wages.
“They heard about this guy from Australia who takes on the impossible. I won’t back down until this guy gets a new kidney. He also has a handicapped child and if he dies, his child will go into an institution.”
Meanwhile, Tiny’s operating the village’s amusement park, which he’s been working on for the past 10 years. Admission price is minimal and for those who can’t pay, Tiny offers a free day during the week. Despite construction challenges from building on an ancient sunflower and corn plantation (he waited six years to get electricity and water connected), Tiny never quits.
He says seeing the faces of the children light up was worth it.
“When people come in, they pay their ticket, they go through the restaurant and open the door to wonderland and I sit close to the door and I just watch the kids’ reaction. Their eyes light up, that’s what I’ve been waiting for, for 10 years.”
Tiny recently paid 2,300 euro so that kids from the local orphanage could travel 1,000 km to see the ocean for the first time. His ambition knows no bounds and his mantra is, “if you can, you should”. Apparently, “you live for 1,000 months, that’s it, so I don’t waste any”.
The current film Tiny is working on (his goal is to write, produce and direct 15 feature films) is called October 21, about the Kragujevac massacre, the mass murder of between 2,700 mostly Serb men and boys in Kragujevac by German soldiers on 21 October 1941.
“It’s a Schindler’s List type film but more intense,” Tiny explains. “I can only work on the script for two hours and then I need to take a break because it’s just so emotional, it is gut-wrenching.”
Tiny’s been goal-setting for 40 years, yet he still has many more ideas in his head and more room in his heart. Each day he writes his goals and reads them.
“New goals are to do more for the orphanage here, where I go and see the kids,” he says. “In this culture, knowing the owner of the amusement park is like knowing god. The kids sometimes ask me to drive them to school, and I say ‘yeah, sure’, even if it’s only 30 metres up the road. Being seen with the boss of the labyrinth, who’s dropping you off to school, they’re no longer just an orphan.”
Tiny still returns to Canberra every five months to visit family and friends. He makes just enough money for an airfare home, but most income from his theme park he gives away to charities.
If you would like to help Tiny raise money for Dragan’s kidney transplant, visit www.mycause.com.au/p/318254/help-dragan-live
