Viqueque, Timor-Leste, Deb Singleton

Christian College’s Deb Singleton has made 20 trips to East Timor since 2005. We met with her and visitor Samuel to find out why. ‘Howard Williams, Chairman of the Christian College board, organised a mob of dairy cows to go to Fuiloro Agricultural College, quite far from Viqueque. However, a little later, Viqueque was designated the official twin town for Geelong. In 2003 a group from Geelong visited this village in war-torn Timor-Leste (East Timor).

Deb

Continue reading “Viqueque, Timor-Leste, Deb Singleton”

Meet passion. Meet commitment. Meet Gabriel Slaven.

Gabe, a Geelong teenager, has recently been accepted into an elite ballet school in Bulgaria to study full time. No stranger to hard work and dedication, he currently spends four hours each day commuting to Melbourne to dance at the Russian Choreographic Academy in Camberwell. There he is trained by Australia’s own Susan Thomson and outstanding ballet teachers she contracts from Russia. His day begins at 7am and he gets home to Geelong at 8:30pm each night. He does this six days a week, now that’s passion!

gabe crop - Copy

Continue reading “Meet passion. Meet commitment. Meet Gabriel Slaven.”

Hearts to Harmony. Cambodia, Cassie

(2/2) ‘One day two of our Sister Srey Café staff members sat us down and began telling us about a family they had met a few months back. It consisted of a grandmother battling cancer doing all she could to care for her five grandchildren, whose parents passed away a year earlier. She was too old to work, the children were still so young, and every day was a constant battle to provide for them with no government assistance. They were living under a small tarp between two trees.

Hearts to Harmony

Continue reading “Hearts to Harmony. Cambodia, Cassie”

Hearts to Harmony, Cambodia, Cassie

(1/2) ‘From the moment our feet hit the dry and dusty red Cambodian dirt our hearts and our heads knew this place would change our path forever.’ We are talking to Cassie, Co-Founder for Hearts to Harmony, Siem Reap, Cambodia. ‘In March 2012 my sister Lauren and I left home thinking a two year adventure would certainly cure our wanderlust, but like most things in life, our plans didn’t quite turn out the way we had expected.’

Cassie and Lauren Hearts to Harmony

Continue reading “Hearts to Harmony, Cambodia, Cassie”

The Samaritan House, Adam from Tribe.

‘I often think “How would I feel if I was without a home? Without the love and support of my wonderful wife and kids? Without my mates? Without my job?”Volunteering is good for me! It reminds me how lucky I am, how lucky we all are really.’ We are talking to Adam, a volunteer at Samaritan House that offers a bed to up to 13 homeless men in Geelong each night.

Adam Tribe

Continue reading “The Samaritan House, Adam from Tribe.”

Lyn Toll of Rangers Soccer Club

‘When my husband was diagnosed with cancer 22 years ago I offered to go back to work. But he said ‘No, stick with your passion.’ I did and I’ve now been volunteering at Geelong Rangers Soccer Club for 40 years. I still feel sad about my husband not meeting his grandchildren.’ We are talking to Lyn Toll.
‘I help seven kids from the club who arrived here as refugees. I transport them to training and games.

Lyn Rangers

Continue reading “Lyn Toll of Rangers Soccer Club”

The Happy Heart Project

‘It’s their chance to shine.’ We hear from Bellarine Times photo-journalist Rebecca Adam who created The Happy Heart Project to give kids and teens with special needs the chance to shine. ‘As a photographer I have taken lots of photos of children and just felt that kids with special needs missed out a bit in this department so I created this project for them, so they could have the chance to be the centre of attention and shine.

happyheart PIGFB

Continue reading “The Happy Heart Project”