This web site provides a record of the University of Notre Dame Australia East Timor Project managed by the Edmund Rice Centre. The Edmund Rice Centre is now independent of the University of Notre Dame and this project is no longer collecting donations. For current information see the Bakhita Project.

It was difficult to comprehend that some of the children living in the village of Viqueque had never visited, nor swam in the ocean, being situated only 20 kilometres from the Timor Sea. This never occurred to us, students from the Port City of Fremantle, being only a step away from the white sands of either Port or South Beach. Nevertheless, after an extremely energy zapping week of teaching, a day of rest was in order, what better place to get away with the children than to the beach.

In order to ferry the entire population of the orphanage to the beach required breaking the passenger limit of our tray-back truck and extending it to 36 (possibly an all time record for Oz standards, but for Timor it appeared to be below average). The tray was laden with squatting children snuggled in between the hampers of rice, beef and fruit. The big people filled the outer perimeter clinging to the sides in the expectation of many bumps over the rough terrain. Although the road was a sealed road, constructed by the Indonesian army to infiltrate the mountains with their large arsenal, many years of poor maintenance have left the roads generally in a state of disrepair. This leaves an almighty task for both the current administration and the people of East Timor.

Singing loudly and melodically, the children enchanted us with their never-ending songs, failing to be disrupted by the continual bumps and discomfort. The enthusiasm in their voices expressed the excitement in the air to be venturing off to a place that was for many of them unknown, yet much awaited.

We touched the sand of the tropical coast under the shade of an over hanging coconut palm next to an Acacia tree, no sooner had we stopped for one minute and the smooth undisturbed sand was littered with a sea of tiny footprints. It was hard to imagine how the children could still summon enough energy to play, with smiles that shone from their gleeful faces burning enough kilowatts to power a small city.

They approached the water with curiosity following it in and out as the little waves lapped onto the sand. Once tested by one of the braver kids they all ventured to touch the water. They ran, leaped and chased waves. Little by little, they became wet. First the feet, then to the knees, oops! to the waist. Eventually they were all saturated. In and out of the water, they jumped, huddled and played tag. The laughter was joyous, together with screams of excitement, the children were free, and the once peaceful beach filled with little voices as it nurtured these children and their sea.

This moment was one of simplicity. It was not a moment of endurance, hardship or stress, just an enjoyable moment on the beach where we could have been on any beach in the world and the sight could have been the same. It was contenting to see so many children with different stories of loss and hardship to tell, all playing together with not a worry in the world, just being kids like any other.

Nicholas Michael

 

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