After years of personal struggle and heartbreak, Thornlie resident Brett Robert has found a new sense of purpose helping others who feel forgotten.
For more than six years, Brett has called Thornlie home.
It is the longest he has ever lived in one place, and with that stability came a vision to give back. Three years ago, after losing his best mate Andrew ‘Frank’ Downs, Brett started a charity in his friend’s honour.
The name, ‘Let’s Be Frank’, pays tribute to a man he describes as “extremely selfless,” while also sending a distinct message about getting real with the tough issues society often avoids.
Brett said, “I thought, what better way to honour his memory than to start a charity in his name.”
What began as a personal project has since grown into something much bigger.
Brett’s work touches on complex and often overlapping struggles, including mental health and recovery, homelessness and suicide prevention
Though the initiative started broadly, his first homelessness project marked a turning point.
“Once I did my first homelessness project, my audience started to grow quickly and I realised that’s where I needed to focus the majority of my attention,” he said.
His motivation comes not just from compassion but lived experience.
Brett has faced many of the same battles himself, including mental health challenges, parental alienation, and starting over from rock bottom.
That empathy shows in everything he does.
He has slept rough in Perth’s CBD to raise awareness, handed out blankets across the suburbs, and delivered food hampers to families in need.
He has helped a traveller find accommodation for eight months and inspired people on the streets to enter rehab.
At Christmas, he collected and delivered presents to underprivileged families. He has also featured in a music video highlighting the pain of parents alienated from their children.
“I’ve been the reason people struggling with recovery on the street have handed themselves in to rehab to turn their lives around,” he said.
According to him, the impact has been so profound that strangers have begun recognising him in public.
“To be recognised in public by what little I’ve already achieved is mind blowing and still takes some getting used to,” he said.
“But it definitely keeps the fire burning inside to continue on this path.”
While Brett still operates from home, with no official premises and limited space, he hopes to register ‘Let’s Be Frank’ as a not-for-profit incorporation by the end of the year.
His dream is to secure a van and a small storefront where donations can be stored and services coordinated more efficiently.
Despite having no formal training in the field, Brett remains committed to growing. He and his wife plan to complete mental health courses to further expand the charity’s reach and better serve those in crisis.
He is also planning to collaborate with other local charities to broaden their collective impact.
Above all, Brett believes the community must come together to tackle issues often hidden in plain sight.
“From my own experience and stats doing each project on the streets over the last few years, families now outweigh addicts on the street and it’s only getting worse by the day,” he said.
“So please be kind and keep an open mind. If you can help, please do so because the world needs more compassion.”
Supporters can find ‘Let’s Be Frank’ on TikTok and Facebook at @letsbefrank2022.
Brett is currently calling for donations of camping supplies like sleeping bags, tents, swags, hammocks, jigsaw mats and more.
“I never thought in a million years this is where my life would’ve taken me,” Brett said. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
