Samoa Story Synopsis

Gold Coast Rotarians Building Communities Bridging Continents.

19 Rotarians and friends from the rotary clubs of Surfers Sunrise, Lane Cove and Ashmore/Coomera River travelled to Samoa late August to carry out a pre-school building project. It all began many months ago with a new member briefing evening which inspired a new Rotarian to be a silent donor for a request which had been made to the Surfers Sunrise Wheelchair Foundation.

The village of Matafaa in Samoa had been badly impacted by the September 9, 2009 tsunami and were one of many villages in need. A Sunrise member surveyed the village during a cruise which included Samoa and plans were made to pre-build a 12m x 6 metre school room and other items.

The building was built at the Arundel wheelchair workshop then partly dismantled to fit into a 12 metre shipping container together with all the needed tools, desks, chairs books, wheelchairs toilet and shower fittings, pipes, electrical needs and a large playgym.

The plan was for a small advance team to go a week ahead and start the work with the main team attending for the second week. When Heather and I arrived they had the school room basically erected but had worked most days in therain on red volcanic soil which was being brought in to reclaim the land from the sea. Everything they touched was red and so much extra painting of the prepainted work had also to be carried out. Once both teams were active attention was paid to converting the 12 metre shipping container into an ablution block with male and female showers and toilets and storage. After a further 500mm of fill was brought in and levelled by the village chief and the Reverend and some younger men the playgym was built and also partly repainted due to the red mud. A shadecover was attached to the school and an adjoining building and a new tank stand was built for 2 new water tanks.

Everything was connected to the spring water supply and electricity supply. Drainage was easy into the ocean and there was a septic system in place. During this week 15 members at some stage were taken out with a bug which emptied each completely! Only our doctor, pharmacist and 2 others avoided the dreaded *! A typical day was breakfast at Aggie Gray's Hotel Apia at 5.45am in the vans at 6.45am, arrive on site about 8am and leave the site about dark for dinner at Aggies about 8pm, bed and so on. The village families took turns to feed the team each lunch time.

Heather and I we met by the Swiss Consul General and hosted one day. He is a Past President of Apia Rotary Club and we attended the meeting which turned out to be the DG visit. After the meeting we met the Australian High Commissioner for an hour and managed to agree he should attend the grand opening thus we were able to attract the local TV crew of one person with a cute little camera.

Such trips are partly about the project but they are also about relations and sharing and we did a good deal of that including Heather meeting the wife of the Judge at a child refuge. Heather also encouraged the Rotaract members to start an Interact Club and that is now under way.

As usual it was a fantastic trip with wonderful people amidst a lovely gentle culture and is yet another experience Heather and I feel privileged to have experienced. The pictures below speak for themselves.

Best wishes
Heather and Ian Yarker