Save The Date

The Wakou Australian Aid Association executive met on July 27, 2013.
The fundraising event has now been finalised.
Set aside this day right now!
Sunday, September 15
2:30pm
THE REGAL Cinema, Kensington Rd, Marryatville

Take your children to an enjoyable show of the movie Smurf 2

Children take your parents/grandparents to the movie and so help to build a well to provide water for a village in South Sudan.
What an enjoyable way to be helping a great cause!

Get your tickets at St Joseph's Church Tranmere.


The evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence.
But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world¹s greatest sorcerer.
It's up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her!
Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue?

Sorry, all 4 Children's Tickets have been won!
There are 3 days left to buy your tickets. Contact tranmereweb@gmail.com

A Petition

Bishops Geoffrey Robinson, Pat Power and Bill Morris are calling for a council of the whole Church including laypersons, to deal with the factors contributing to child sexual abuse and the response of the Church.

Catholic people all over the world are sick of the scandal, and this is a chance for them to speak up and join a collective voice that will be heard in Rome.
Change is possible.

Read more here and see the petition

The 'Common Good'

Australia’s Catholic bishops say:

Our democratic political process is one that we should value greatly.

We want to focus your attention on some key issues of vital concern to the Australian community.

We encourage Catholics to look beyond their own individual needs to apply a different test at the ballot box – the test of what we call the common good. The good of the individual and the good of society as a whole must be brought together in harmony. When they are, we have the common good.”

The principles of social teaching cross party political boundaries and Catholics may, in good conscience, form different opinions on the candidates and parties standing for election.

As Catholics, we need to take our democratic freedoms seriously and become involved in the political process.”

Read the statement or watch the video here

There is also a pamphlet that looks at election issues from the point of view of Catholic Social Teaching. It lists a set of questions that could be asked of politicians about specific serious issues.
Read it here.

There are some interesting websites that may be useful in separating the spin  & waffle from the facts in the political arena.
It is worth visiting the following sites that claim to be providing analysis of the accuracy of statements made by politicians - Truth-o-meters.
Have a look at these sights and see to what extent they agree on the 'truth'.

FactCheck;

Facts Fight Back;

GET FACT

PolitiFact Australia.

There is even talk of the ABC launching a fact checking website. If they do it would seem to suggest that  they are acknowledging that they are not currently behaving as an independent news source.

And that would be really sad.

It is important to realise that each of the above 'fact-checkers' has its own agenda & built in bias based on ownership.

Interesting times!

Wakou Aid AGM Report

Minutes of WAKOU AAA – AGM

SATURDAY 18 MAY 2013

Present:
Andrew Deng Yel,      Merridy Galton,      Sheila & Ron Hoogland,
Getano Gai,                Benjamin Kuol,        Anei Yel,
Joseph G Dut,             Santino Akok,         Bridgette Barrett,
Josie Kennett,             Dilol D,                   Deng Akol,
Kuan Kuan,                Abuk Macham,       Anne Dudzinski

Apologies:

Paul Halliwell,            Anne Bell,                   Lydia Somogyi,

George Dudzinski,     Richard & Margaret Duddy,            

Cheryl Reeve,             Joseph Mawian

3.      Welcome:
Chairperson Andrew welcomed everyone, thanked all for their attendance and support and, with Ron’s assistance, showed a Powerpoint of his trip home to Southern Sudan.
He highlighted the basic needs of clean drinking water and education for the people of his village, Nyanimeth.

He wants better things for the next generations of children, who are South Sudan’s future.

Election of Office Bearers:

Bridgette Barrett took the chair for the election of Office Bearers, as detailed below.

·         President: Andrew Deng Yel – moved Anne, seconded Sheila - elected

·         Vice-President: Joseph Mawian - moved Andrew, seconded Anne - elected

·         Treasurer: Bridgette Barrett - moved Anne, seconded Andrew

·         Secretary: Anne Dudzinski - moved Bridgette, seconded Josie

·         Publicity Officer: Anei Yel - moved Ron, seconded Sheila

·         Committee members: Merridy Galton,  Josie Kennett,  Sheila Hoogland,  Dilol D,  Deng Akol,  

Abuk Macham,  Richard Duddy,  Margaret Duddy,  Anne Bell

Reports:
President’s – in Powerpoint and all attendees were given a copy
Treasurer’s – in Powerpoint, all attendees given a copy and Joe Franco’s Audit Report was tabled.

General Business:
2013 Fund raising – Film Fundraiser suggested with a children’s film this time, possibly on Sunday 11 August.
Sub-committee formed - Andrew, Anei, Bridgette, Merridy, Sheila, Anne.
Anne thanked Ron for his IT and website guidance and support.

Next meeting: date to be advised

Afternoon Tea served in the small hall!

Wakou Aid AGM



 

Hallo supporters of the Wakou Aid Project
Click the logo to view the Report of the Annual General Meeting.
It will open on a new page.
We look forward to your continuing support of this great project.
New supporters are most welcome.
Contact us:
Use the 'Comments' option below -      or

Andrew Deng Yel
mob:   +610431026851      
email: atakdeng@hotmail.com

Anne Dudzinski
mob:            
email: anne.dudzinski@bigpond.com

Download the application form and email it to us
LINK

Tranmere Catholic Women's League

The Tranmere Catholic Women’s League held their Christmas gathering on Monday, November 19.

It is a wonderful group of women who do many good things and do them generously.

What a great gathering it was!

Superb food was shared and the meat was barbequed very tastily by Peter and Trevor.

Top class musical entertainment, including a warm up session of Christmas carols, was provided by Neale, Bob and Larry.

The special guests for the gathering were Abuk and Andrew De Yel with their two youngest children – Akut and Wol.

Abuk and Andrew met in Kenya after fleeing from war-ravaged Sudan.

They have an incredibly strong desire to help their extended families back in South Sudan, now a newly independent country.

They are seeking our help to make it possible to build a clean water well in their home territory of Wakou, the land where water from wells brings life.

The gathering raised over $200 for this project and the family also shared in the raffle prizes!

And Andrew sang a solo hymn beautifully!

How good is that?!
Thank you Josie and friends!

A few snapshots........

Other stories about Wakou Aid:

http://tranmereweb.blogspot.com.au/2012_10_01_archive.html

and 

http://www.waaa.org.au/

Africa United!

Many friends of the Wakou Australian Aid Association gathered at the Trak Cinema, Adelaide to watch ‘Africa United’; and a most interesting film it was.

It opened with an 11-year-old Ruandan AIDS orphan, Dudu, lecturing to his peers on condoms, safe sex and the importance of football in Africa. 

His younger sister, Beatrice, dreams of being a doctor. 

He fancies himself as the ‘manager’ of Fabrice, a skilled football junior from a relatively affluent background. 

The three of them decide to find their way to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, but of course things go wrong and right and wrong again.

They end up in war-torn Congo, escape from an orphanage with a tough but traumatised child soldier, Foreman George, and push on to South Africa for the opening match of the World Cup.

Along the way they are rescued and joined by, Celeste, a tough, young prostitute.

The affluent football junior throws his mobile phone into Lake Tanganyika to break away from his ambitious mother; the child soldier throws his gun into a river, rejecting violence as a solution to tribal conflicts; the young sister who dreams of being a doctor finds a school that will help her fulfil her dreams.

Along the way we are given glimpses of life in Africa, the extremes and the contrasts and the triumph of goodwill.

More information here: http://www.africaunitedmovie.com/

The film did not tell us anything specific about South Sudan, but all of us already knew what this was about.

Andrew’s extended family in South Sudan live in the village of Nyinameth.

There is no safe water.

After more than 20 years of war there are no resources to rebuild any kind of infrastructure.

Now that South Sudan has gained independence many refugees are returning, adding to the need for the most basic resources.

Clean water is the number 1 priority.

Andrew and the Wakou Association feel that desperate need very keenly.

We want to help them.

We are helping them.

Feel free to join in!

Oh I mustn’t forget......

• There were people attending who came from as far away as Poland!
• Mary won the raffle!
• The after-the-movie gathering was wonderful!