CETOP Newsletter 19 - June 2015

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

June 2015

Issue 19

Newsletter

PAGE 5

Junior School

Photo Exhibition

PAGE 6

Senior School

Fundraising

PAGE 6

Year 10

Commerce Market Day

PAGE 7

The

Workout Club

PAGE 8

Junior School

Report

PAGE 12

Membership

[email protected]

DHANYABAD Thank you from CETOP

Y our immediate and overwhelming response to CETOP’s emergency

relief effort in Nepal has been tremendous! Your contribution towards

the $90,000+ raised to date goes towards immediate shelter relief.

Some two weeks after the initial earthquake a small group (Mario Hughes an ICU nurse, Matthew Swait

of World Horizons and I) travelled to Nepal on 9 May. Our aim was to bring your donations directly to

the villagers by providing bundles of corrugated iron roof sheeting for immediate shelter.

Each bundle = 8 sheets = shelter for approx. 6 people.

On arrival we toured Kathmandu amazed at what was still standing and shaken by what was lost. The tender sadness

was palpable yet the people seemed to move forward- somehow.

Page 2 Page 2 CETOP Newsletter #19

Travelling through the regional

areas to Rasuwa we found houses

in crumbled, twisted heaps while

villagers waited desperately for

food supplies. We did, however,

find the Jeremy Madin Kalchitt

School building standing. It is

structurally sound with only minor

cracking of the non structural infill

walls. The other buildings sustained

damage and are unsafe for

occupation.

The status of all the schools that

we have supported over the years

is poor. The majority of buildings

are unsafe. With schools now

closed and no immediate

assistance available - where the

children will go to school -

becomes an unanswered question.

Our assistance post monsoon,

could aim at continuing the

children’s education.

Thousands of families in Raswua

District, one of 13 districts to be

declared by the Government of

Nepal as a “priority affected

district” have unsafe houses, now

marked with red paint indicating

the unsafe assessment provided by

local engineers.

Our partner Balaram Neupane from

Rasuwa Treks, consulted with the

villagers of Rasuwa District. They

identified a clear need for

immediate shelter. With the onset

of monsoon rains a few weeks

away the need for shelter for

families, crops and animals was

given the highest priority. Your

donation has now provided

immediate protection from the

harsh summer sun and the

monsoon rains for some 5,500

people. Further, in conjunction with

three other partners, secured by

Balaram, the effort has now

expanded to cover the whole of

the Bhorle and Dhaibung VDCs

(Village Development Committees)

sheltering a total of around 11,500

people.

The corrugated iron sheeting is

being used now, in the immediate

relief phase. Once the monsoon

recedes the sheets can be recycled

and used in the rebuilding of

permanent houses in the recovery

phase. CETOP hopes to return at

this time to assist with the

rebuilding.

Along with the overwhelming

monetary donations, CETOP

received some hundreds of kilos of

medical supplies arriving at the

Cranbrook Senior School office.

Using our extra weight allowance

to its maximum we filled every

corner of our bags and pleaded

with the airline to let us through.

Once in Kathmandu international

pressure had slackened quarantine

at the Kathmandu airport so we

sailed through customs. An

enormous thanks goes out to all of

you who contributed to the

medical supplies, especially to the

Rastogi and Serafim families. The

medical supplies were greatly

appreciated at the Chitti and Jhib

Jhibe medical outposts. Resources

are extremely limited and in many

cases non-existent at the medical

outposts. There is no medical

support, no equipment and no

specialists. With such limited

resources the doctors and nurses

jobs are very difficult. Mario’s

experience working in a Pokhara

hospital was invaluable. He spent

his days working at the health

outposts with the local staff

treating patients. The very severe

cases had already been sent off to

Kathmandu whenever possible.

While in Kathmandu, CETOP

decided to fund the transport of

supplies for the “Students of

Bengal in solidarity with Nepal”

from Kathmandu to Rasuwa. A

group of university students in

Calcutta, India had banded

together with other university

students in India to raise funds for

the people of Nepal. They travelled

from Calcutta to Kathmandu with

supplies of rice, blankets, sleeping

mats and other items but had no

way of getting their supplies to the

villagers in need. When we heard

of their long committed journey

CETOP happily agreed to pay the

transport cost and travelled with

the group of students to Rasuwa

where they distributed the

supplies. Well done, students!

There are so many people to thank.

Many of you have contributed in

extraordinary ways. On the logistics

side Miranda, Anna, Bob, Jeffrey,

Brent (set up CETOP PayPal

account) Kerrie and Matthew made

Prayers Sarseu School—CETOP supported Bengali student supplies

Page 3 CETOP Newsletter #19

things happen. Bob Lock, one of

the founders of CETOP was invited

to appear on the Switzer Report on

Sky Business on 19 May. Bob gave

a concise overview of CETOP’s

activities in both Nepal and Ladakh

over the years. Please visit CETOP

on Facebook and find the link to

the program.

Taking their own initiative, groups

and individuals came up with some

wonderful ideas for fundraising.

'Namaste' was a gorgeous

photographic exhibition curated by

the most recent Junior School

group to Nepal. The exhibition in

the Junior School iCentre was

skilfully put together by Tanya,

Emily, Brent and Amanda

showcasing photographs by Junior

School art teacher Christian Bonett,

Year 1 coordinator Emma McNelley

and parent Lisa Droga's recent

Junior School trip to Nepal. The

exhibition raised just under

$10,000. A second exhibition was

held at ‘Contact Sheet | The

Photography Factory’, St. Leonards

on Thursday 28 May to raise

money for CETOP.

As a follow on with the art

exhibition Susan Hart and family in

London featured the exhibition in

A Magazine.

Sheena Polese, in training while on

trek in Nepal, completed the most

extraordinary RUN FOR NEPAL – a

grueling 100km run through the

rugged terrain of the Blue

Mountains raising over $10,000 in

sponsorship - an amazing effort!

Joe Browne jumped into action and

purchased a generator for use in

the village. Without power we

could not have continued the

connection back to Kathmandu to

organize materials. In future the

generator will be essential for

powering the dental camps.

Donna Hay and Perkins House

boys in the Senior School have

been baking cookies and cakes and

selling them. They hope to raise

over $5,000-fabulous! Indeed all of

the Senior School houses are

collecting funds and lending a

hand. David Berridge and the SRC

have donated the proceeds of

Mufti days totaling $7,500 to

CETOP-thank you once again for

your generous support.

Michael Parker, former Head of

Senior School, now at Oxley

College in the Southern Highlands,

spearheaded a huge fundraising

effort by boys and parents who

anticipate their first Nepal trip.

Their contribution of over $12,000

went a long way towards sheltering

a community that they have not yet

met. Thank you Michael and Oxley

College.

Ascham School, who have a long

association with Nepal, also came

on board raising over $3,000.

Every day the donations keep

flooding into the CETOP account.

We have received donations from

past and present members,

Cranbrook families, friends outside

of the Cranbrook community from

as far away as South Africa and a

number of very generous

anonymous donors - thank you for

supporting CETOP. In addition to

financial support we can also help

Nepal by choosing to visit again,

once the recovery phase begins.

It has been an extraordinary time

for CETOP, something we certainly

didn’t expect. Your contribution

shows a depth of care and concern

for other communities that have

touched hearts. I believe both our

community here and the Rasuwa

community, are richer for it.

Renate Carius | President

The Jeremy Madin School (right), collapsed house (behind) and typical shelter (foreground) Upper Jhibe Jhibe Jangalang School

Handover medical supplies

Semjong School-CETOP supported


CAPTIONS

1. Rasuwa villages receive CETOP

roof sheet donations

2. Handover to villagers ID check

3. Transporting corrugated iron

roof sheeting

4. Villagers transport CETOP

donated roof sheeting

5. Typical corrugated iron shelter

2

3 4 5

1


Nepal Fundraising Photo Exhibition | Cranbrook Junior School iCentre


SOCIAL

SERVICE Perkins House

P erkins has had an active and

progressive year involving

Social Service. I am proud to

be a part of Perkins as we

have taken a new mindset in helping

people. We have begun to habitually

raise money for Nepal and we are

also planning to raise money and help

some new worthwhile causes.

As we all know two devastating

earthquakes hit Nepal only recently.

These earthquakes devastated the

country killing thousands and

traumatizing the remaining survivors.

The biggest single challenge facing the

people has now been shelter, food

and clean drinking water. People who

originally lived in homes are now on

the street, lucky to have something

over their heads.

Perkins and many other houses have

acted immediately in helping these

people. One event that we are

committed to do every Tuesday is to

do a bake sale that Perkins boys

prepare and sell to members of staff

in the common room. After only

three weeks of this routine, Perkins

has raised over $2000. One of our

goals was to be original in the way

that we raise money for this cause.

We came up with the idea of a Car

Wash. The idea is that Perkins would

wash all the teachers and Year 12

Cars over several lunchtimes with

the aim of raising a further significant

amount.

Although raising money is great,

providing a service is a more

satisfying activity, which we think will

benefit Perkins and the School

community as a whole. Once we have

raised our designated amount for

Nepal Perkins will continue to

support further charities closer to

home.

One in every 200 Australians are

homeless without a catastrophic

event occurring, yes over 100,000

Australians are without a regular

shelter. Perkins is attempting to

organize ways that we can help the

Australian homeless through the cold

winters. We plan to help by providing

food, donating clothing and other

ways, which we will develop once we

properly, understand and experience

this area of life. We are also keen to

support the Milk Crate Theatre

Company in Darlinghurst. This

company presents incredible theatre

that enables people on the street to

tell their stories in a powerful way.

Professional theatre practitioners

work with people that are homeless

and funds go directly to help them

mount valid and entertaining theatre.

We at Cranbrook are fortunate and

blessed to have all the basic needs

that others at home and around the

world do not have.

Michael Orfanos, Year 10

YEAR 10 COMMERCE

MARKET DAY

T his term, Year 10 Commerce studied a

unit of work that aimed to develop skills

and techniques as to how to run a

business, as well as how to create and

promote a product to sell. The aim of this project

was to develop a business plan that involved

marketing, operations, human resource

management and finance, giving the Year 10

Commerce group a taste of what it’s like to run a

business. The culmination of this unit was a Market

Day, where each group sold their product. This

event comprised of the students setting up stalls at

lunchtime to promote a range of businesses

including Red Hot Churros, The Macaroon Menu,

Sanger’s Snags, Dragon’s Den and Toasty Kings. The

day was a great successful, with all funds ($2108)

going towards CETOP to support the Nepal

Earthquake Relief, a worthwhile cause to help the

victims of the disaster.

Ben Langsam, Year 10

The Workout Club


SAVE THE DATE Our 10 Year Reunion

Friday 13 November 2015 | More details to follow

T he trainers at 'The Workout Club' in Darlinghurst have been generating support and donations

for the past three weeks for the people of Nepal who have been hit by a terrible natural disaster. They have been wearing red as it is Nepal's national colour, and it indicates the brave spirits of

the Nepalese people.

On June 12 'The Workout Club' hosted a charity auction which Bob Lock came to and spoke about CETOP; how the organisation began and how they are helping the Nepalese people rebuild after the

earthquake by providing corrugated sheet metal which first provides shelter during the monsoon season

and then recycled for more permanent structures.

The items which were auctioned included concert tickets and music packs donated by 'Frontier Touring',

a dinner voucher donated by 'Radio Cairo', a very nice bottle of red wine donated by 'Best Cellars'.

But what was also up grabs were the trainers of 'The Workout Club' who were put through their paces for a gruelling ten minute session by their clients who got a little payback, but it was all for a great cause

and they did it with a smile on their faces, they knew ten minutes of struggle would be able to help the

lives of many more people.

'The Workout Club' would like to thank those who donated the great items for the auction, and those

who came on the night and showed their support.

CAPTIONS

1. The Workout Club 2. Adrian Fong doing his 10 minute workout

3. Back Row: Adrian Fong Front: Bob Lock, Jace Kirk and James Newman

4. Full Group Photo 5. Jace Kirk being put through his paces 6. Jace Kirk, Peter Chorty and Bob Lock

1 2 4

6

5

3

Adrian Fong

CETOP wishes to thank ‘The Workout Club’ and their

supporters for their kind donation of $1500 to the

‘Roofs of Raswua’ Appeal


Junior School Report Nepal | April 2015

W atching the clouds surge over the mountains of Nepal like waves, you can easily imagine yourself alone with nature. So it is surprising that as night falls, the lights of hundreds

of campfires and home hearths light the hillsides, and you can hear singing and laughter echo through the valleys. As you walk around the spectacular hills of Nepal, through ancient rhododendron forests and green mountain terraces, it is hard to imagine that it is a country of 28 million people.

As we trekked through villages, the Cranbrook boys played soccer with the local boys (opinion be divided on who won, but the locals were certainly quick!), shared small gifts, haggled with the street vendors, and danced as part of elaborate welcoming ceremonies at schools and villages.

...Brent Jackson


I n the April school holidays, seven Year 6 boys, parents,

and teachers, Emma McNelley and Christian Bonnet were

lucky to be able to spend a few short weeks with the

wonderful people of Nepal as part of the CETOP

experience.

In Term 1, the Nepal team (consisting of Year 6 boys, their

parents and the teachers going on the trip) raised over

$10,000. Several duffle bags of clothing, knitted toys and

dental supplies were collected with the collaborative

efforts and support of the Junior School staff and the

Cranbook community. This $10,000 target was achieved

through many different fundraising events that were

organised and coordinated by both the boys and their

parents. Each boy who was part of the trip this year was a

passionate and enthusiastic fundraiser and should be

congratulated on the effort they put in to raising these

much needed funds.

Amidst the extraordinary cultural experiences, the boys

came to Nepal with a purpose, and that purpose was to

provide assistance to the communities we visited during

our time in Nepal and help CETOP continue the wonderful

and inspiring work that they do. During our time, we

visited three schools and provided them with much

needed supplies. We were so overwhelmed by the

generosity and hospitality of the people at each school

location. They provided us with entertainment and gifts as

a token of their appreciation.

Each school we visited had basic infrastructure, eager

students, and passionate teachers, but clearly needed the

textbooks, world maps and globes, sports gear and

supplies that we were able to bring thanks to the

generosity of the Cranbrook community. It was wonderful

to see so many of the young school children there

wearing their knits from previous years. Thanks to the

hard work of Margaret Wilson and the knitting team we

were able to provide more wonderful knitted toys and

clothes to the Nepalese students again this year.

Elephant bathing in Chitwan National Park Trekking

Trekking out of our final camp in Jhib Jhibe


One of the proudest days on our trip was the day we

visited the CETOP sponsored Dental Camp in Jhib Jhibe.

Through funds raised prior to our trip, the Dental Camp,

comprised of three highly-skilled dentists, was able to

provide over 600 dental packs and treat up to 130

people a day!

The earthquakes that shook Nepal so soon after our

departure affected us all immensely. Homes we had

visited had been destroyed, wonderful world heritage

sites condemned, and people we know and who

welcomed us so warmly were shaken or injured. We

were very glad to hear that our Nepalese team and

those we had met along the way were ok, but how do

you replace the homes that people have lived in for 30

years or more…?

We also understood how hard it would be for aid to

reach people. The area we spent the majority of our

trip in was approximately 80km for Kathmandu yet it

took several hours to get there on our bus due to the

condition of the roads and the terrain.

When we heard of the devastation in Nepal following

the earthquakes, we knew that we had to do something

to raise funds to help the beautiful people of Nepal. The

entire team sprang into action and in a short space of

time put together Namaste: A Photographic Exhibition.

Comprising of photographs taken on our trip, Namaste:

A Photographic Exhibition featured both online and on

display in the Cranbrook Junior School iCentre. Each

photograph was for sale and all proceeds were to

benefit CETOP and their efforts post-earthquake. The

exhibition raised over $10,000 to provide much-needed

building supplies to rebuild homes and other

devastated buildings in the Rasuwa district.

The Nepal trip gave our students and their parents the

opportunity to explore and reflect in an authentic,

challenging and supported way. Each boy, upon his

return, has commented on how the trip has changed

him and changed his perspective on the world that he

lives in.

Handing out knitting and school supplies to Lokil Primary School Students at Kalchit Primary School

Kalchit Primary School The glorious mountains of Nepal Lokil Primary School welcome

Emma McNelly


“I really enjoyed playing volleyball with the local school kids and getting to know my own classmates better”.

-Jack Jackson

“The warm smiles of the local people will remain my favourite memory of

Nepal”.

-Brent Jackson

“I landed on the rugged runway in Kathmandu. As we were driving on the bus through the city, I realised how much they needed our help.

When I think back to my time in Nepal, the experience that stands out in my mind the most is visiting the temples and the landscape. The temples were lit in bright colours, draped in flowers and prayer wheels. The landscape looked like a picture.

While I was in Nepal I felt rushed, all the streets were so busy. On the other hand, at night when we camped it felt so peaceful. The Nepalese people were so kind, even though we spoke different languages we were able to understand each other.

Since the earthquake there has been so much damage. Places we stood are no longer there, I hope to go back and volunteer again. I think I could help them like they helped us”.

-Nicolo Polese

Dental Camp opening in Jhib Jhibe

Jhib Jhibe

In June 2005, a group of Cranbrook parents and teachers joined with interested members of the Ladakhi community of North West India

to improve the educational, social and developmental opportunities for the children of the Ladakh region. CETOP (Cranbrook Explorers & Travellers Overseas Partnership) was born.

From this meeting emerged our first project – to fund the construction of a nursery school in the Shara district of Ladakh. As highlighted

from our new friends from SEWA (Shara Educational & Welfare Association), this school would address the lack of fundamental and basic educational services available to pre-school children of this area.

With a committed, willing and enthusiastic group of members, the funds to build the school were raised quickly and within 12 months,

the building work had begun. In October 2007, with many of the original CETOP trekkers in attendance, the official opening of the school took place. In March 2008, the school opened its doors to 40 pre-schoolers.

Today, the future of CETOP depends fully upon the generosity of its past and present members and trekkers. Our annual membership

fee has been waived in the hope that you may choose to direct a donation into one of the many ongoing projects as listed below.

As a CETOP member you are regularly updated via newsletter on our various activities and invited to attend various events.

Donations can be made directly into CETOP’s bank account: Westpac Rose Bay

BSB 032-058 | Account: 207190 | Swiftcode: WPACAU2S | Account Name: CETOP Please make note of particular project or general contribution in the Reference Box

OR Cheque made payable to:

CETOP C/- R. Lock | Cranbrook School

5 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023

If you are interested in becoming a member please email your contact details to:

Bob Lock: [email protected] or Anna George: [email protected]

2013 REED Nepal teacher training of 4 schools over 3 years in Rasuwa District Nepal. Free outreach dental camp for 3 villages at Shara, Ladakh.

Construction of Jeremy Madin/ Kalchitt Primary School, Rasuwa District, Nepal. 2014 Biannual teacher in-servicing at Shara Nursery School, Ladakh. Layout of playground at Shara Nursery School, Ladakh. 2015

Scholastic supplies and furniture donated to Lokil Primary School and Shree Gormu School, Rasuwa. Scholastic supplies donated to Jeremy Madin Kalchitt School. Financial donation to upgrade the chorten between Jhib Jhibe and Sarseu villages.

Funding and supplies for running dental camps at Jhib Jhibe and Apchur villages. Kniting and clothing donations to Lokil, Gormu and Kalchitt school communities. Nepal Earthquake relief.

Your donation goes a long way to assisting communities in need

2005 – 2007 Acquisition of land, building of pre-school, and purchase of school bus. 2007 Involvement with building of school community building in the Solomon Islands.

2008 Nepal - Two medical camps with supplies and team of doctors/nurses and helpers from Australia and Nepal. 2009 Refurbishment of hospital in Deurali, Nepal after Maoist insurgency.

2010 Chamsen women’s self-help group in Ladakh. Construction of factory for processing sea buckthorn juice with proceeds going back into health and education in the area. Shara pre-school compound wall and gates project, water bore and teacher

in-servicing. 2011 Support to three burns victims in Nepal covering operation and rehabilitation. Dental camp and school hand washing and electrical lighting project.

2012 Junior School dental camp covering eight schools in Nepal. Donation to Bittang monastery for Mandala painting, school infrastructure projects including hand washing and lighting projects. Teacher in-servicing at pre-school in Shara. Funding for rebuilding of twenty-five

houses in Hanu (NW Ladakh) destroyed in 2010. Funding for school bus shelter and kitchen upgrade.

Projects to date and beyond

Documents

CETOP Newsletter 19 - June 2015