By Bruce Madden, Financial Media Services.

With boundless energy and a zest for life, advice client Richard Harkham embodies the “live life on purpose” mission that underpins the Fitzpatricks approach to enriching the life experience for its clients and advisers.

A self-perpetuating dynamo, Richard (or Richie as friends and family know him) is an accomplished entrepreneur and can-do visionary. A 36 year-old who has achieved the type of success in his business and personal endeavours that many twice his age would struggle to attain.

The Pokolbin, Hunter Valley, NSW-based Richie manages the family-owned vineyard producing a rare and precious commodity: kosher wine. Which means natural processes to produce world-class reds and whites. Grapes are hand-harvested, naturally fermented and have zero chemical or preservative additives.

Winemaking is in the blood. Part holy mission, part honouring a Harkham legacy that stretches back to the family’s Israeli roots, and Richard’s winemaking grandmother Aziza, after whom the wines are named. Media has been drawn to the labour intensive passion behind the Harkham wines label, and for more about this story, read here.

Outside of his business interests, Richie is a passionate philanthropist and social development campaigner. He is a co-founder of the For Good Foundation. All of the funds donated to the charitable not-for-profit organisation go directly towards funding real world projects.

One of the foundation’s objectives is to build a school every year in Myanmar, Burma. In 2014 it raised funds to build a school in Myanmar. This year, 2016, the foundation has raised enough funds to build a second school and consequently, Richie will leave this week to start the building of the school. This will provide scholarships to ensure students are educated all the way to university.

Richie’s hectic life was sadly interrupted in 2014 due to a near-death accident on his motorcycle. Richie’s leg suffered a horrible injury which left his leg shattered and broken in many places.

But rather than slow him down, the experience has made Richie strive for greater heights, even defying medical odds to accelerate his recovery and explore world first treatment for his injuries.

“I just kept asking questions: what else is possible for me now? How can I turn my leg injury into a positive, and who out there could help me to get back on track?” he said. Undeterred by his suddenly impaired mobility, Richie made a promise to himself that he would find ways to personally reach one million people in his lifetime.

“I’m up to about 3,500,” Richie says with a laugh. “But there is plenty of time, plenty to do”.