Friends of Suai

palms on truck-desktop (download video 1.8MB)

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 of 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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