The not so abandoned school Today we met with the head of village and some members of the village council. We wanted to discuss with some ideas they had for projects within the village. They took us to one of the local primary schools and showed us the general state of disrepair that the buildings are in. The iron roof is rusting badly in a lot of places and leaking during rain. The school office was very ill equipped. The water supply was a small bore or well covered by a piece of corrugated iron. My initial thought was that they were showing us an abandoned school that was no longer in use, but some of the children and adults confirmed that this was indeed a working primary school. You can tell by the pictures that ... read more

Our local contact, Sai, plus a welcoming committee consisting of about six of his family members, met us at Vientiane airport at about 9pm. We were surprised to be met by so many curious people. After some brief introductions and a short discussion about our hunger and food preferences, we were bundled into a mini van. Our first stop was a street restaurant for some pho (noodle soup) and a few beers and more formal introductions. We asked Sai if he had booked us any accommodation as previously discussed in a guesthouse or hotel. He informed us that rather than book accommodation he had organised for us to stay at one of his Aunts homes in the village. He told us that the place was clean and tidy, and the room had “aircon and a nice ... read more

Lorenza and I are lucky to have many wonderful friends. When Mike and Hang asked us if we would take on the role of “Spiritual Parents” for their daughter Maya we were only too happy to accept. (It occurred to me later that a better description of our role may be the Pali term “kalyana mitta” which means spiritual friend.) As our first act of spiritual guidance we organised for Maya to be blessed by Sayadaw U Pannathami at the Panditarama Meditation Centre. Mike also explained that Maya had been named after the mother of Gautama the Buddha. Mike explained to Sayadaw that Hang and he had asked that we try and guide Maya in the right direction over the coming years, much like God-parents would. Sayadaw spent some time talking to them and getting an ... read more

Kimbriki public school opened its doors in 1869 and closed in 1972. Sometime in that period my mother was a student there until she left in year six to complete her education via correspondence school. On the weekend I drove my mother back to Kimbriki to attend a school reunion. I am told that the word Kimbriki in the local Aboriginal language means “water reed”. The area has a population of about 350 people. It was once a thriving dairy producing area. Now, most of the farms are devoted to cattle, horses or are hobby farms. Cedar Vale My mother grew up at a property called “Cedar Vale”; the original house is still standing, but the farm itself has now been sub-divided. My grandfather, Horace, logged all the timber for the house, had it milled and ... read more

The Australia Burma Community Development Network (ABCD Network), with the participation of the Sydney Burmese community held the Burma Food & Cultural Festival at Darling Harbour, in Sydney on Sunday 12th September 2010. The material promoting the event said … “It is also to bring the community together in a unified purpose and to show off the rich tradition, cultural and arts of the people. You will be able to tantalize your taste buds, be entertained with live performances and informed as well as picking up some nice souvenirs for yourself or your loved ones... and all this for a great cause! Organized by: The ABCD Network, with the participation of the Sydney Burmese community. Come join in the fun and show your support.” I met up with some friends to visit the festival and found ... read more