April 2002 - Annette Culpan

The count down is on. In three days we fly to Bali to begin phase two of my World of Difference Assignment. This month has been full on. Amazing. Thank you Vodafone and the Foundation for supporting me in this. We at Bali Community Health Trust are making ground, building strategic alliances & bouncing forward.

The great news for the month is we have had a physiotherapist volunteer to spend a month in Bali working with us from May to June. Sue Cowie (currently at Starship) has offered to pay for her own flight to Denpasar if the Trust covers accommodation. Of course we jumped. I love my job. You get to meet the most incredible people.

Having a physio on board is a godsend for the Trust as they are in very short supply in Bali and are desperately needed not only for rehabilitation of Kuta bomb victims but all types of patients. One young girl who is a Trust patient had a car accident last year in which she lost her father, suffered head injuries leading to lost movement on the left side of her body and also impaired speech. She desperately requires physio attention and Sue will be WARMLY welcomed. It will be a busy month. Our Clinical Nurse Leader Julia is coming back up to Bali at the end of May for six months. She will be in her element and has been well missed over recent months.

I kicked off April on the talking circuit starting at Sunrise Rotary in Manukau. What a warm reception. I never realised Rotary Clubs had so much FUN. I’m not so sure about that 7am kick off, red eye to be sure, but the bacon made up for it. I have more talks scheduled for October when I return to NZ for Kuta Remembrance Week, which will commemorate the Kuta Bombings last year. While I’m up in Bali the Trust Manager will continue on the talking circuit & other NZ based volunteers will lend a hand with newsletter distribution etc. Over the last month there has been an awakening interest in the Trust’s work from Australia and in particular from a well-known Wollongong artist. Interest is popping up all over the show and it’s very heartening indeed.

I met with our Trustees this month (many thanks to the Claridges for hosting and especially to Barry for the cups of tea) and at some time around 10pm presented the Marketing and Fundraising Project Plan for the year (ever noticed how when you get a large group of people together how tough it is to stick to a meeting agenda). The Case Statement was also tabled for feedback and continues to evolve nicely. The ‘who, what, how and why’ of our Trust becomes clearer every day. As an output of the meeting some of the Trustees were motivated to make contact with our key contributors. These relationships are crucial. I also visited one of our top contributors Doreen who funded a desperately needed operation for a young Indonesian woman. It’s fantastic to meet all of these philanthropists who are truly focused on making a difference.

My Indonesian language lessons have been going great guns. I was sad to farewell my teacher (Guru) Vicianta Hedger last Sunday & have promised to write to her with regular updates from Bali – in Indonesian! Great practice. It’s a beautiful language, just so many words to learn. I’m going to set aside 30 minutes every night in Bali to focus purely on the language.

In terms of preparation I’ve had most of my shots, got my international driver’s license and picked up my Garuda tickets. That was a great afternoon and I finished it off by taking John out to Bali Restaurant in Mt Eden for dinner. Two very excited beans, only one problem – I don’t eat rice. Looks like Scrounger might be going on a diet in Indonesia.

After making contact with the NZ Indonesian Association some weeks ago (feels like a lifetime ago when I was on the hunt for a language teacher) our Trust was invited to a dinner to share our work in Bali. It was a brilliant evening and a really strong strategic alliance has been formed. We walked away with many stories of expats in Indonesia and a host of new friends and contacts all with one thing in common – a passion for Indonesia. The network grows. Now the search for a high profile patron begins, already seeds have been planted so it is simply a waiting game.

Earlier this week I created the basis for a media contacts database and drafted my very first press release, which went out last night. I’m hoping someone will pick up the story. Rest assured I am keeping a close watch on my mobile phone for prospective media calls. Surely someone out there wants to report the GOOD NEWS!!!

Last Friday I farewelled the family at Mum and Dad’s, then on Saturday the mates at Piha (and also said goodbye to John’s house which is right on the water behind Lion Rock and which we are both extremely sad to be farewelling … what a spot) and now today said goodbye to my old team from Vodafone. KIA KAHA guys the Scrounger will be back.

Annette

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