District 1280 - Jacqui Crompton Plate

·         District 1280 - Jacqui Crompton Plate

During the presidential year 2004/05, under the admirable stewardship of Al Thompson, I was privileged as Vice President to see a project delivered that has had a major impact upon our Club. 

There have been several press articles since.

As always, something of real significance starts out so innocuously but perhaps the most important thing to impact upon our Club has been a real understanding of the fourth object of Rotary; that is, the advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. 

Trevor Barton, our Foundation Chairman, lives next door to Gnanaka Jayasinghe.  Gnanaka, more affectionately known as Jay, is a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo Central. Both of them are Paul Harris Fellows.  For the past seven years Jay has been seconded from a Marks and Spencer group of companies to Sri Lanka to run a large organisation that distributes fashion wear.  He comes home about four times a year and Trevor only realised about four years ago that Jay was in Rotary. 

Jay was home last Christmas and like Trevor, watched the dreadful ramifications of the Tsunami disaster.  The following day Trevor and Jay discussed the impact of the Tsunami on the southern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka.  At first their thoughts turned to bandages and then water and then sanitation and during the course of that week, they realised that the big non-governmental organisations had already swung into action and were fulfilling some of these more obvious needs.

Jay went back to Colombo and reported to his Club and Trevor started to inform our Club of the various ways that we might be able to help.  It transpired that the effects of the disaster were vast.  Many people lost their lives and it even claimed the life of one of the Colombo Club’s members, Wickum Hewapathirana.

One of our members also a Paul Harris Fellow and past President is Gordon Burrows.  Gordon had been stationed in the Trincomalee area which used to be a naval base. Gordon has real fond memories of the Country.

Regular communication took place between Jay and Trevor on behalf of both Clubs and it transpired that one of the worst affected areas was in fact Trincomalee.  The disaster had really adversely impacted on one of the poorest areas in the country.  The majority Tamil population in that area rely on the sea for their basic income.  It was immediately clear that the boats had been flung from the beaches where they were moored, either inland or out to sea.  The boats that were not damaged could not set sail because virtually all of the engines had been damaged or were waterlogged.

It was quickly decided that, in order to create some degree of normality, we should fund the repair of the boat engines in the Trincomalee area at approximately £70 each.  In English terms it would probably have cost ten times that amount to effect the repairs, but, a workshop involving eight people was quickly set up and the repairs commenced.

Ultimately, the Club paid in £3,500 which allowed 53 engines to be repaired and of course 53 boats to return to the sea and thereby kick-start the local economy. 

By using practical help, there was no stigma of handouts and the community retained its dignity.

What we don’t realise in England is that in Sri Lanka there is no such thing as unemployment benefit, housing benefit or conventional schools and if the fishermen don’t work, then there is no money for food or education.

The Vivekanantha Fisherman’s Association acts as a union, a collective, a school and a mutual self-help organisation and it was through them that the Rotary Club of Colombo Central ensured that the repairs were carried out and that proper records were kept in relation to expenditure, etc. which was sent for our information.

What also became clear was that there needed to be an Association boat that could be used by members when their boats were not available. 

We discovered that for the unbelievable price of £1,650 we could buy a brand new 18 foot boat, together with an outboard engine and a complete set of fishing gear.  This we authorised.

At the time we were also thinking of contributing £2,000 for the psychiatric wing of a local hospital.  This project has stalled due to local government problems, but what has come to the fore is that, as the tuna fishing season came on line, there was a real need to buy special tuna fishing hooks at about £200 per set.

All the hooks had been lost as the boats had been upturned, but our collective view was that by buying ten of the fifty needed, the Association would start to use the new hooks to start funding the next sets and this has turned out to be so.

The e-mails were really flying – some samples are appended.  Over a hundred have shuttled back and forth – the project could not have been completed so quickly by phone or letter.

As the project continued, a local athletics club had had the £750 it had raised at a charity event refused by one of the large charities as their target for the Tsunami relief had been reached.  Through articles in the press (see below) they were put in our direction and they contributed the £750 to us and onwards to Colombo, remarking how good it was that they knew it had gone right to the heart of where it mattered.

We have also been able to make presentations to other Rotary Clubs in our area but the main effect was on ourselves.  Every single Committee Chairman decided that their section would raise some money and that Ken Bates would act as the co-ordinator to reach the various targets we had set ourselves.  The £7,500 that we needed was very quickly pledged and raised and the fund raising efforts have acted as a real catalyst for Club activity and has really taken us out of ourselves.

In April 2005, Trevor’s neighbour came to the Club, showed us some pictures and gave a first hand account as to how the relief work was going.  Our members listened in stunned silence followed by a deluge of questions and you could sense the palpable feeling of wanting to help.

Gordon Burrows, now 70 years of age and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, who really loves Sri Lanka, four weeks ago completed a 15,000 foot tandem parachute jump.  He travelled there with another Past President Frank Hayes on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Philip Patterson held a special barbecue.  We have had a fund raising dance and a race night and all sorts of different fund raising efforts where the fun and fellowship were evident, but the determination to help others as there and just under the surface. Personal donations flew in and the Income Tax is having to part with even more money.

It was mooted by our colleagues in Colombo, who were already twinned with a Japanese Club that we should twin with them as well.  This was carefully discussed in council and the necessary documentation was put together by President Al and his team.  The suggestion was unanimously approved.

At the end Trevor, together with a relatively new member, Tony Roberts, managed to get their companies to sponsor them and they went out to Sri Lanka on 9^th June and returned on the 16^th.  Parts of the trip were enjoyable but other parts left an indelible impression upon them both.  Jay was part of the welcoming party.  They had a hectic week and two very delicate stomachs. Three Colombo Rotarians spent an amazing amount of time with them. Italian George, Raj and Sri (who attended the Chicago convention) took them amongst other places to Trinco and Tony recorded about five hours of video.  Some of it is amusing but a lot of it is quite shocking. We have been treated to a video presentation of their trip and it had an incredible impact upon the Club and their wives and friends.

Whilst out there, Trevor and Tony signed on our behalf the twinning agreement between ourselves and the Rotary Club of Colombo.

They also discovered that there was an orphanage in the area with 88 children from 3½ years to 18 living in pretty dismal conditions.  It was a friend of Rotarian Sri that was running the orphanage without recompense. We have immediately sent out £1,000 to help with some of their renovation work and during the course of my year will be looking at ways to supplement the project by sending out educational and sporting goods.

There is no real end to a project like this, but we have certainly reached the end of the first phase.

The project has resulted in new people to Rotary seeing what the movement can do.  It has allowed non-Rotarians to get involved with us and because of heir help,  Trevor and Tony took out loads of cricket gear for the children - there is still much more to do.  We are making enquiries with container shipping companies to see if we can get some more gear out to them.

When the disaster struck the British people and the British Government were magnificent in raising unprecedented amounts of money.  The only slight niggle in charity donations is when people read stories of money being siphoned off or unnecessary administrative expenses, etc.  This inter-Rotary Club project has ensured that every penny raised has gone right to the people that it was raised for.  It has made us realise how lucky we are, but more importantly, we have seen first hand what Rotary can really do given the right challenge.