Ambon Service Project with RC Wendouree Breakfast
From Tues 22nd April to 1st May 2025, 6 club members, (included partners) recently made a visit to the Indonesian island of Ambon, along with 13members from RC Wendouree breakfast. The purpose of the visit was to look at how money donated to various organisations was being spent, identify future needs and how best we could help, visit children personally sponsored by club members, and for some hands on work such as concreting and painting. The trip was a great experience, and an insight into how privileged we are, and how resourceful and positive the local Ambonese are.
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Wendouree Breakfast have had a long association with the island of Ambon and have made many trips to the island and donated much money, goods and time to the Ambonese. The connection began during the Second World War an Australian army battalion was send to Ambon, called Gull Force, to help protect the island with the Dutch against the Japanese. The battalion fought bravely but were overrun and remained in Japanese captivity on island for the duration of the war. Many perished in captivity; many more would have perished had not the local population risked their lives to assist the Australians. After the war the surviving Australians formed an association, called the Gull Force Association to help Ambon where they could and developed many contacts on the island. Gull Force Association still makes regular visits to the island, and personal connections between the association and Wendouree Breakfast started the involvement of the Rotary Club. The driving force behind these connections was Rob McDougall; Robs father was a Gull Force survivor and Rob was a Past President of Wendouree Breakfast and organised many of the visits to Ambon. Tragically Rob passed away just before the trip, but the trip took place in his honour and will continue to support Ambon as his legacy.
Ambon is an island in the Indonesian Archipelago with an area of 761 sq km. Originally settled by the Portuguese, then the Dutch the island was one of the spice islands, and produced cloves and other spices. After the war it became part of Indonesia, and unlike some other Indonesian islands has few natural resources, is not a tourism hot spot so remains relatively undeveloped and poor.
Activities and organisations visited or supported by Wendouree/Kardinia Rotary Clubs:
- Tawiri soccer club, donations of footballs, playing kit, and other equipment to encourage girls to participate
- Junior schools 2 and 4, we support a school milk program and donated various educational items and stationery.
- Working Bee at Oma’s house. Oma is the grandmother of a child a member is sponsoring through school, and the working bee rebuilt the front porch, and plastered some of the walls.
- Caleb House, an orphanage we support. We donated items for the children, reviewed progress on some of the improvements such as a reliable water supply, painted both girls and boys bedrooms with the assistance of the children, and donated new furniture such as beds and wardrobes.
- Visit to Pelita Kasih orphanage. This is a potential new project, the orphanage is very overcrowded, in poor condition and the main benefactor has recently passed away.
- Food sharing at Seilale village, members served a meal to locals, which also gave an opportunity for health checks
- Planted trees at Nusinawe village, as way of making the village more sustainable.
- Visit to Airlouw Kindergarten; we have donated tables and chairs and an opportunity to see what future support is appropriate.
- Visit to Kabarezsy soccer club, donate balls, kit, and other items.