A NEW POOR COUNTRY

Tonight I am going on an adventure, or a mission, a journey that I instigated but that you, my listeners on radio and readers and listeners on the Internet, generously brought to fruition.

When I get off air on 3AW today I will fly to Darwin. And then fly to Dili in East Timor. And then take a five-hour car journey to the most remote parts of the world’s newest, and probably poorest, country.

And it is all because of a four-letter word: Rice.

It started last month. I went on 3AW and made some observations about a struggling new country that Australian soldiers helped establish.

I said:

Nearly a year ago the United Nations made a sad but prescient observation about East Timor.

The international agency predicted: “People from East Timor may be forced to eat rats, cats and dogs unless they receive food aid within six months”.

Some aid did get through. Australians generously helped with food and tools and cows. And more cows are on their way this week from the Kiwanis.

We had helped even more when Australian troops led the peacekeeping force that forged the independence of East Timor and separated it from the oppression of Indonesia.

Australia and East Timor have been in brave lockstep for decades. In December, 1941 Australia sent troops there to block the Japanese. We were bravely supported but we eventually betrayed the Timorese.

We did it again, in my mind, in 1975 when we let the Indonesians rape and pillage a vulnerable, even helpless. people.

We redeemed ourselves in 1999. We went in too late – after the Indonesians again were guilty of rape and pillage in East Timor—but at least Australia led the rebuilding as East Timor clawed its way to independence.

Last month they held an Independence Day Benefit Ball to raise funds to feed hungry kids in East Timor. And I said…. we are going to help. You are going to help. Because there is an urgent need to help malnourished children in East Timorese schools.

At the Independence Day Ball, at which I was the MC, we asked guests to take along a bag of rice. We are also asked guests to sticky tape a two-dollar coin to the rice pack to pay for cost of shipping it to East Timor.

It was a great concept. And when I heard about it I thought we should go one step further. I urged listeners to go out and buy a bag of rice. Stick a two-dollar coin to it and dump it at 3AW.

I asked for a rice mountain in South Melbourne. Bank it up in Bank Street to feed thousands of East Timorese kids. And it would cost you bugger all.

And people responded. Did you ever. In a couple of days we had ten tonnes of rice donated. SunRice donated as well. And we also raised nearly $60,000.

That is why I am off to East Timor to make sure the people you donated the rice to actually get it.

And I know I will have hungry kids saying to me – to pass on to you – “thank you”.

Our soldiers went in to help the people of East Timor in 1999. In 2004 you have helped as much.

Friday, June 11, 2004

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2004