Personal thanks a sign of a new stage in the friendship

January 18th, 2011 jen Posted in Thanks for new ute, Transport Comments Off on Personal thanks a sign of a new stage in the friendship

The Friends of Suai recently received a big thank you from Alberto de Jesus (Acting Co-ordinator Friends of Suai Community Centre in Suai) on behalf of the staff and commission of the Community of Cova Lima to the Friends of Suai and the residents of Port Phillip for the new utility 4 WD and equipment sent recently.  He reported the staff and community expressed surprise and delight when they drove in with the new car.  Alberto said: “People said ‘that this is the car from the Friends of Suai to help their friends in Cova Lima through the Community Centre.  Some said the car was sent from Australia because of the good governance of Francisco, Simao and Alberto.”

This is the first letter of its kind received from Suai. The Friends of Suai regularly receive reports about funded activities, materials and events as well as accounts since the Internet became readily available and appropriate training was achieved. A personal thank you of this kind in English is a sign of two big changes. The first is  the level of gratitude for such a useful gift, that really makes life much easier and adds a level of efficiency and convenience to the work that cannot be achieved without a car. It also reflects the fact that Alberto particularly, has achieved not only a high standard of English but an understanding of our culture.

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Community Centre Suai TL Dream

October 27th, 2010 jen Posted in Friends of Suai News, New UTE to Suai TL Comments Off on Community Centre Suai TL Dream

Community Centre’s dreams to have a new 4WD has come true. CoPP has donated a Hilux to the Centre in the 2010. The car arrived in Suai TL in September 2010. The car is very important to the Centre to run its projects, to transport people around the District, to monitor projects, to deliver and carry things to and from Dili.

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New 4WD car registered in Timor-Leste

September 28th, 2010 jen Posted in Cars given by Friends to Suai, Friends of Suai News, New 4WD Car registered, Transport Comments Off on New 4WD car registered in Timor-Leste

On the 21st September the Acting Co-ordinator of the Friends of Suai in Suai, Albert de Jesus Barros, advised the new ute has been registerd under TL law  and is able to travel anywhere.

This may seem basic but registering the last truck was impossible. The country was destroyed and in chaos when it arrived in August 2000.  We are waiting on a photograph.

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New Ute loading up for Suai 2010

March 21st, 2010 jen Posted in Cars given by Friends to Suai, Friends of Suai News, Important Changes, Transport Comments Off on New Ute loading up for Suai 2010

palms on truck-desktop (download video 1.8MB)fos-suai-truck-project-pic

The trusty four wheel drive ute that was the first gift of Port Phillip Council to the people of Suai has been retired. Left is a photograph of it doing its second task for the people of Suai. This photograph was taken when it was being used for the second time, when it was carrying palm fronds collected by locals to the grounds of Our Lady of Fatima School to provide shade for the First Anniversary of the Massacre in September 6, 2000. The first task was driving  a delegation of people from Dili to Suai following the Dili Congress in August 2000. And yours truly was on board with her first camera.  The photo below is next to Luna Park in March 2000 at the Launch of the Friends of Suai. The symbol of the friendship for ten years was mended and rehabilitated a couple Truck for Suaiof times over the past ten years at great cost, until last year when it became obvious it had reached its retirement age.In the meantime the Friends of Suai team have used motor bikes and have often been lent the Suai Youth Centre people carrier that was given to them by  Rotary with the help of the Friends of Suai in about 2001.

Now Port Phillip Council has rehabilitated another Ute to send to Suai and some of the members of the Friends of Suai Committee are trying to fill it with goodies.  No photo to hand yet. This is a rare opportunity to send physical items to Suai so the FOS Committee in Port Phillip have begun thinking about what to send. John Collins is filling up a few boxes for storage containers from the St Kilda Library. Bill has bought some tools for Graci who helps everybody with everything. He runs the radio station – you can see him helping install the solar panels and he was a star pupil in my video workshop too. I even saw the designs he did for extending the CC that he did in Excel!  Pat is looking for five office chairs for the Community Centre and she has written to Office Works to see if they will donate stationery . FOS are looking for exercise books, pens, writing and drawing pencils, as well as coloured pencils again. Sounds like 2000 all over again, but  the schools never have enough resources so if any Port Phillip friends can help ring Pat. FOS are also appealing for money to put together 8 kindergarten boxes.

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