Blackboards carry message of friendship to Vemasse
For more than a decade, a hand of friendship has been extended from the heart of Monash to our neighbours across the Timor Sea. Recently, that hand carried with it a gift of education, expertly crafted in Glen Waverley.
Since 2009, a small group of Monash residents – Monash Friends of Vemasse - has been supporting the educational and community needs of Vemasse in Timor-Leste. Vemasse is a sub-district of the Baucau municipality (Timor-Leste’s second largest city) and is located 90km to the east of the nation’s capital, Dili. It consists of seven (7) villages and has a population of approximately 10,000.
While financial support is greatly needed – Timor-Leste is ranked one of the poorest nations on earth – the true value of the partnership rests with logistics and helping to provide pathways, connections and solutions that allow the developing nation to solve its own problems and build a lasting future for itself.
“It’s not us doing it, it’s them doing it,” Friends president Gillian Lang said. “We’re trying to build that capacity and help establish those connections. Especially in the beginning (after independence) there was little government structure and support. But we are noting on our yearly trips that the government is starting to get systems in place.”
Over the past 15 years, a strong relationship has developed between the leaders of the Vemasse district and the Monash Friends of Vemasse committee. In December 2008, Monash Council agreed to form a Friendship Agreement with the sub-district of Vemasse and this was signed by both parties in May 2009.
Recently, in 2023, the small community of Uaigae – located in the mountains outside of Vemasse – began work on building its own community kindergarten and, throwing its support behind the project, Monash Friends of Vemasse has provided furniture and a playground set.
With thoughts of sustainable preschool equipment front and centre in the planning, it was felt that small hand-held blackboards would be a good option for student lessons as chalk is easy to obtain in Vemasse and less costly than paper and pencil.
Unfortunately, in Monash, small blackboards are not so easy to come by and, looking for assistance in sourcing a supply, the call went out for help.
The Glen Waverley-based Waverley Woodworkers answered that call in April 2024. After learning a bit more about Timor-Leste and the Uaigae community establishing its own preschool, the Woodworkers went to work.
Over the next few months, the group put its heads, and considerably talented woodworking hands, together and came up with 50 attractive, hand-held blackboards for individual use. The Waverley Woodworkers didn’t stop at just producing blackboards for the young students, then turning their ample talents to the creation of some colourful wooden toys to be used in the kindergarten as well.
In May 2024, the Waverley Woodworkers’ workshop in the Artisans Hub in Glen Waverley played host to an official handing-over of the blackboards, cartons of chalk, and toys to a Monash Friends of Vemasse delegation. A Timorese Tai, handwoven traditional textile, was presented to the Waverley Woodworkers as a token of appreciation from the Monash Friends of Vemasse and the Uaigae community.
MONASH FRIENDS OF VEMASSE – MAKING A DIFFERENCE
There are many reasons why a large number of Australians have become personally involved in Timor-Leste’s struggle to become a thriving independent nation. But, perhaps, two overriding factors are that Timor-Leste is our nearest neighbour and one of the poorest nations in the world.
Many Australians would like to stretch out a hand of friendship and support.
To provide a framework for this friendship to exist, the idea of Friendship Groups was formulated. An agreement of friendship and support was signed between Monash Council and the Vemasse Belun (local committee) in 2009, and this has recently been renewed.
The primary focus of the Monash Friends of Vemasse has been the support of education, with partnerships assisting junior and senior students.
Over the past 15 years, the Monash Friends of Vemasse has supported the Senior High School by helping with payment of volunteer staff, scholarships for students, reconditioned computers, and other essential items. Rotary Donations In Kind graciously help ship these goods for the group.
With support from the Friends, the Senior Secondary School, previously a Community School, has become a branch of the Baucau Secondary School and one of the top-ranking secondary schools in the country.
“(Previously) if students wanted to do (the equivalent of our) Years 10, 11 and 12, they had to board in Baucau. The elders of the community decided they wanted to set up a senior school so that kids didn’t have to leave,” Gillian said. “We’ve been supporting voluntary teachers since 2008, particularly in subjects that were lacking in teachers, like chemistry for example.”
In collaboration with the Lions Club of Wheelers Hill, the Monash Friends have also funded scholarships that have supported promising students, who wouldn’t have the means otherwise, to get to Senior High School. All of the students have gone on to university and study, among other subjects, engineering.
As important as financial support is, friendship is considered to be the top priority. As such, Monash members have visited Vemasse annually and have become firm friends with local teachers. During this time of friendship, the Friends have witnessed an improvement in the wellbeing of the people of Vemasse, which is incredibly heartening.
Travelling over every year also helps the Friends keep abreast of the changes in government policy and systems, which can prove challenging.
Monash Friends of Vemasse is always keen to welcome new members and is happy to offer guest speakers to interested groups.
For more information about the group, contact Gillian Lang (president) on 9802 7766 or Heather Spurling (secretary) on 9807 2714 or visit www.monash.vic.gov.au/friends-of-vemasse
WAVERLEY WOODWORKERS
Open seven days a week, Waverley Woodworkers is a thriving community club with more than 100 active members. It provides a safe place where the local community can gather and create woodcraft items.
The group is well-equipped with a range of high-quality machines at the Artisans Hub situated at the rear of the grandstand at Central Reserve in Glen Waverley.
Waverley Woodworkers is a welcoming community of woodworkers, from all walks of life, that regularly contributes to community events and projects that benefit local and international communities - such as the kindergarten project held in conjunction with the Monash Friends of Vemasse.
As well as general woodworking, Waverley Woodworkers also hosts special interest groups including a box makers group, a turners club and a toy makers group. Club Nights are also held monthly, where the venue is open to the public and anyone who is interested in joining is encouraged to come along and see what the group gets up to.
Waverley Woodworkers
Phone: 9807 9648
Email: info@waverleywoodworkers.com
Website: www.waverleywoodworkers.com
Location: (rear of the grandstand) Central Reserve, enter from the southern entrance on Springvale Road. Follow the road until you get to the carpark at the rear of the grandstand.