Melbourne to Vanuatu - Wishing Well

by John Curnow on 23 Apr 2010 Yes. She certainly is a human Trevi Fountain. Sue Clinnick and her daughters, Kate and Lauren, have amassed a sizeable little collection to go in the container for the Vanuatu Humanitarian Aid project.

Her husband, Greg, drives the Sydney 38, Audacious, who are the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's current Happiest Crew on the Water holders.

However, the other Team Audacious Skipper has brought onboard not only her daughters, but their school (Kilvington), Uni (Swinburne) and family to her own crew. By the way, Audacious is not even going to Vanuatu, so that goes some way to showing the amount of this family's compassion.

In Sue's initial batch were 40 tennis balls and six used but still very good racquets that her Sister-in–Law, Joanne O'Donoghue, a tennis coach in Canterbury in Melbourne's inner Eastern suburbs, had arranged.

More of her students are checking the cupboards at home too... The brand new items included six soccer balls, six Rugby balls, six Netballs, two ball pumps, since she thought they'd take up less space as deflated balls (good thinking), two referee whistles, two sets of netball team apron/vests, and one Teen/adult bike with wide tyres. Rebel Sport even lobbed in by giving them Staff Discount – thank you.

Also in there were two rolls of drawing paper, a bulk box of HB pencils, 150 ball point pens, six erasers, six sets of coloured pencils, file cards, box of chalk, three large sets of felt tip pens, three sets of water colour paints, 20 markers, 10 highlighters, some drawing pins and paper clips, four poster markers, two pairs of scissors and 10 lined A4 pads.

Two or three school kits will be made out of some of this. There are plenty of smaller schools further afield where a donation like this would be gobbled up. Two of the schools in line for this are an hour's walk from the beach - straight up. The plan is to get the supplies into backpacks for the trek uphill and just leave everything behind. As Sue said, ‘Greg seems to get a new backpack every race series as a prize, so that's that problem sorted!'

Not content with all that, she has also just gathered the next tranche of brand new equipment. In it were three sets of art brushes, more pencils, three large boxes of crayons, three reels of fishing line and mixed boxes of hooks, three science magnifying glasses, some staplers and staples and five children's' games, such as Uno and Dominoes.

So you see, one small effort can make such a huge difference. You may ask what are you doing? Well, there's many ways. Sue and the gang got staff discount at certain stores to get the equipment at a better price. They locked onto surplus gear that just sits in someone's corner and they asked the question of all persons they could find. Don't forget dear old Aldi and the $2 shops. Put it on your next grocery bill and you won't even see it, but the folks in Vanuatu sure will. Just look above to see that your inspiration can literally come from anywhere.

Now there's also sorting and packing on Tuesdays and Thursday throughout May. We need a few volunteers to assist packing student kits at the Rotary Warehouse on Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of May. If you are able to help out on either of those days - anytime between 9am and 3pm, please ring Robyn on 8601 5882.

There's even help with transport to the venue and in collecting the stuff you gather up too! A working bee is on Saturday 22nd May and the plan is to pack the container on 29th. Phone now.

Where are we at, in addition to this lot, then? There are already the computers from APC Logistics, our ‘Star' donations from anonymous and Rotary have accumulated enough goods to make up 50 student packs. We can certainly use more, however! A backpack with school supplies for one child, for one year would be an awesome donation and we could probably fit 2,000 of them into the container.

Please use your contacts, so we can make wishes come true. The list includes, but is not restricted to:

• A4 paper
• Drawing paper
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Crayons
• Coloured pencils
• Alphabet charts
• Numbering charts
• Manilla cards
• Chalk
• Ball point pens
• Felt tip pens
• Water colours
• Sports balls
• Computers
• Markers
• Poster markers
• Highlighters
• Tennis balls
• Tennis rackets
• Laptops
• Drawing pins
• Chalk
• Staplers
• Staples
• Poster markers
• Paper clips
• Lined A4 pads
• Wheelbarrows
• Video screen
• DVD player
• Portable CD players
• Soccer balls
• Rugby balls
• Bush knives
• Spades
• Shovels
• Wheel barrows
• Bush bikes
• Soccer uniforms
• Rubbish Bins
• 2010 Diaries

The container will be loaded and shipped at the end of June; therefore all donations need to reach the warehouse by June 10, so as to allow time for sorting and packaging.

The warehouse address is as listed, and please remember to use this information on your label. The warehouse is open Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9am and 3pm - other times and days on request (Contact Bill on 0425 741 045). If you are unable to get your donations to the warehouse, please let Robyn know, by calling 03 8601 5882.

Vanuatu School Project
Rotary DIK Warehouse
Rear of Woolshed 40 (enter gate 1)
400 Somerville Road
(between Paramount & Geelong Rds)
West Footscray, Victoria, 3012
And a list of contents!

If you have any questions please contact:
Richard Potter of the Rotary Club of Brighton North, on 9592 3431 and 0419 303 545
Robyn Brooke of the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, on 8601 5882 and 0438 303 321

There is more information at orcv.org.au, if you would like to read about the race or the country. Thank you to all who have dug deep with time, donations or other. May we exceed the tremendous results of the 2006 Melbourne to Vanuatu race!