WYE VALLEY TSUNAMI FUND

Spread a little happiness

The events of Boxing Day 2004 will live with both Sally and I for ever.

Since our first visit Sally and I hoped that one day in the future we could spend more time in Sri Lanka .

It is difficult for us to understand our emotions, to explain to others is difficult and impossible for them to understand what it was (and is) like.

The world has almost forgotten, we have not.

I am convinced we were meant to be in Sri Lanka at that time and meant to survive. Why us who knows? On our return home our friends almost without exception said, “thank God you were there, when are you going back?”

The days following the tsunami we did, ‘something meaningful’

The Wye Valley Tsunami Fund, set up by our friends in Wales was originally intended as a means for those people in our locality who wished to help, to make a donation and receive feed back as to how the money was spent when Sally and I returned in March 2005.

These original objectives were met, with the one exception that we did not manage to spend all the money donated given our commitment that it would be spent wisely.

To do this takes time.

We both wish to give our time to do this. We want nothing for ourselves. Seeing the results of what we can achieve are worth more than any money can buy. We are planning to return later in the year stay long term. Only if we do this can we be sure that the funds are being spent wisely and additionally we can provide regular feed back via this web site as to how things are improving. It is essential that donors know how there money is being spent and hopefully this will encourage people to keep on donating.

With this as our goal it is our desire that the fund remains active and generates additional funds in order for us to help.

So little goes such a long way, the cost of a Sunday paper would provide fresh food for a family for a week, a bottle of wine, food for a month, a good meal out for four would provide a shelter for a family. Donations however small will be used entirely to help rebuild people’s lives so cruelly affect on that fateful day. Could you not spare just 10p per day to help?

In March 2005 very little had been done to house the displaced people. This I believe is now about to change, 100’s of 1000’s are homeless, 10’s of 1000’s of houses need to be rebuilt.

This is something that I (we) want to be involved with, a job I would do with ease.

I have an Honours degree in Civil Engineering, am a Chartered Civil Engineer and gained Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1987. I have built our home in Whitebrook and have been involved at a senior level with projects up to £100 million. .

The early days of my career saw me working on motorway contracts in the UK . From this I progressed within the construction industry gaining experience in a wide range of projects including motorways, multi span viaducts, bridges, drainage schemes, costal protection works, industrial buildings, housing schemes and land reclamation schemes to name but a few.

I am convinced that I have reached the stage in my life that I need to do something different and that I should help in Sri Lanka . I have always ‘chased the buck’, aimed for bigger, better faster and higher. Somehow that doesn’t seem important anymore.

Sally and I have faced many challenges in our life together and perhaps this project will be the most challenging to date. Our lifestyle will change dramatically. We will leave many things behind all will be missed, some with sadness others with joy. This is something that we want to do, are totally committed to and know that we can succeed.

My son James who is studying at Oxford University told me to read ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Ablom, the following is taken from that book for this advice I thank him,

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life, they seem half asleep even when they are busy doing things that they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning”