Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Darin Browne is a man with barely a minute to spare, but that’s the way he likes it. His life has at least three very distinct busy parts but he links them all with a strong concern for the welfare of people who need it.

Darin sings in front of over 10,000 people in the rain, at Megalayah in North East India

DARIN is a qualified optometrist with his own practice in the main street of Palmwoods. But it’s a profession that funds his other interests and as he says, “they can’t sack me for not being at work”

His other interests are managing Lily House, a safe home environment for young pregnant girls on the Sunshine Coast. This widely admired social safety net is privately run with his wife and two other local families. And if that doesn’t occupy enough of Darin’s time he spends his weekends singing gospel songs all across the nation and throughout Asian countries.

“My wife and I used to foster street girls years ago when we were first married”, says Darin. “We would give them guidance and direction. But we had a broader vision, and in coming to the Sunshine Coast setting up Lily House was the next step.”

While many might censure young girls becoming pregnant, Darin Browne takes a softer line.

“It’s clear that babies don’t come with a manual. There’s often no-one to teach these girls how to look after their babies. Our idea is not just to help them out but to help them become great mothers. We’ve had a lot of success over the past two years.

“These girls could have taken the easy way out. They could have had an abortion and the child could have been lost forever. So I think these girls are heroes and they deserve our love and support. We only help those girls who want to change and want to make a go of their lives.”

Lily House has two residential homes which can care for up to 7-8 girls, and it seems that teenage pregnancies are skyrocketing. In Nambour alone more than 300 teenage births were recorded last year.

“Teenage pregnancies are almost out of control”, says Darin. “It’s due to a lack of father figures and the breakup of families. They are not bad girls but they are basically looking for love.”

Darin and his team receive referrals from government departments, churches and other social groups. Donations and money from a variety of fundraising activities keep the houses going. The girls are cared for until their babies are born in local hospitals. They can then go back to Lily House to receive mothering skills until they are ready to find their own home or move in with a partner. Darin and his wife are joined by volunteers, some of whom are competent in mid-wifery, budgeting and nutrition.

Darin’s core Christian beliefs led him to make a difference in setting up Lily House. They also led him to support Australian Christian evangelist, Bill Newman who travels the world proclaiming the gospel to vast audiences, particularly in Asia.

“As a young fellow I was always interested in singing”, says Darin. “When I taught myself to play the guitar I would stand in front of church singing the songs I had written, much to people’s dismay.”

Darin Browne is the gospel-singing support for Christian evangelist, Bill Newman

Darin clearly was not put off in childhood because he not only writes and composes his own gospel songs but he also records them in a small studio at his home. He has a small team of backing vocalists and his songs are put onto CDs and DVDs to be sold wherever he travels with Bill Newman.

“My music is middle of the road”, says Darin. “I am not screaming heavy metal and I’m not organ music. I suppose it’s easy listening rock music.

“When we travel Bill basically speaks and I sing”, says Darin with a smile. “We try to get all the churches together and sometimes there are tens of thousands of people who gather. We like to see ourselves as interdenominational,

bringing all the churches together on common grounds and beliefs. Asia is our stomping ground, although we have been to Africa, Europe and the US. “

Darin Browne performs in front of massive crowds that conventional pop stars would die for. But his work with vulnerable young people always brings him back to earth – quite an amazing life for a humble optometrist from Palmwoods.