austraLasia 1498
Container for Fiji sports gear, but not for Peter's enthusiasm
(A 'Toward #1500' entry from Fiji. Cf #1492 for details)
SUVA: 22nd March 2006 -- A shipping container full of sports gear: new, second-hand, unloved, dearly loved but donated, arrived in the Fiji capital's port yesterday, and with a bit of luck and yet-to-be-fulfilled promises of various Fiji officials, it will be off-loaded at minimal cost and made available to a civilian mission by Salesian past pupil Peter Cole, a 23 year old from Melbourne whose enthusiasm is somewhat uncontainable. He is one of those who has dreams, convinces people of their value and then makes them happen.
Peter set to work three months ago to organise the venture, after two visits to Fiji over the past five years that have left some permanent memories with him: "I've visited schools in Fiji in the past five years" Peter said to media back in Melbourne: "What struck me was how meagre is the playground equipment over there". He is correct of course, at least once you are outside the city limits. Fijian kids are sports mad (which kids aren't?) and consider themselves world masters of Rugby Sevens, for example - but you rarely see a rugby ball. It's enough to have a coke bottle or a school shirt bundled with string; it's usually too hot and too muddy to bother much about sports tops anyway.
So Peter decided to do something about the balls and the bats at least. He has collected $120,000 worth of them with some sports shoes thrown in for good measure - not that they'll be much use - Fijian kids don't need boots for feet as tough as leather anyway. He has some experienced teachers with him, and is using the Don Bosco House, Nakasi complex as a distribution point. In the meantime, and with some local help he has been able to make contact with Fiji Government, Australian High Commission and Suva Catholic Education authorities both to smooth the import and distribution processes and also to ensure some sort of fair distribution. There are 70 Catholic schools throughout the Fiji Islands but some of them take days to reach in small boats. Peter would be hard pressed to reach those islands even if he had time, and he rarely has much of that. And some of the schools on the main island have no vehicle access - it's boat, then horse, then 'shanks pony'. Let's hope he has included some saddles and kept some of the boots for himself!
It would seem that Peter has had an excellent response from ordinary Australians, ready to give a Pacific neighbour a helping hand. They cannot but be moved by his obvious motivation. "It's no good sitting at home watching TV", he says, "You get nothing out of that". But he does get a kick out of helping people.
GLOSSARY
shanks pony: a reference to legs - walking, in other words.
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
Container for Fiji sports gear, but not for Peter's enthusiasm
(A 'Toward #1500' entry from Fiji. Cf #1492 for details)
SUVA: 22nd March 2006 -- A shipping container full of sports gear: new, second-hand, unloved, dearly loved but donated, arrived in the Fiji capital's port yesterday, and with a bit of luck and yet-to-be-fulfilled promises of various Fiji officials, it will be off-loaded at minimal cost and made available to a civilian mission by Salesian past pupil Peter Cole, a 23 year old from Melbourne whose enthusiasm is somewhat uncontainable. He is one of those who has dreams, convinces people of their value and then makes them happen.
Peter set to work three months ago to organise the venture, after two visits to Fiji over the past five years that have left some permanent memories with him: "I've visited schools in Fiji in the past five years" Peter said to media back in Melbourne: "What struck me was how meagre is the playground equipment over there". He is correct of course, at least once you are outside the city limits. Fijian kids are sports mad (which kids aren't?) and consider themselves world masters of Rugby Sevens, for example - but you rarely see a rugby ball. It's enough to have a coke bottle or a school shirt bundled with string; it's usually too hot and too muddy to bother much about sports tops anyway.
So Peter decided to do something about the balls and the bats at least. He has collected $120,000 worth of them with some sports shoes thrown in for good measure - not that they'll be much use - Fijian kids don't need boots for feet as tough as leather anyway. He has some experienced teachers with him, and is using the Don Bosco House, Nakasi complex as a distribution point. In the meantime, and with some local help he has been able to make contact with Fiji Government, Australian High Commission and Suva Catholic Education authorities both to smooth the import and distribution processes and also to ensure some sort of fair distribution. There are 70 Catholic schools throughout the Fiji Islands but some of them take days to reach in small boats. Peter would be hard pressed to reach those islands even if he had time, and he rarely has much of that. And some of the schools on the main island have no vehicle access - it's boat, then horse, then 'shanks pony'. Let's hope he has included some saddles and kept some of the boots for himself!
It would seem that Peter has had an excellent response from ordinary Australians, ready to give a Pacific neighbour a helping hand. They cannot but be moved by his obvious motivation. "It's no good sitting at home watching TV", he says, "You get nothing out of that". But he does get a kick out of helping people.
GLOSSARY
shanks pony: a reference to legs - walking, in other words.
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
