ANOTHER WELCOMED VISIT
FROM DOWN UNDER

Your gift is immeasurable. The tsunami-affected 30 families of the 100m zone of Seenigama warmly welcome the Lord Mayor of the Perth City Council, Dr. Peter Nattrass, with heartfelt gratitude," a sign read, outside one of the recently constructed Perth City Council homes

On 11th May, the Lord Mayor of the Perth City Council, Dr. Peter Nattrass, along with his daughter, Lavinia, and Frank Crawley, the Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Perth made a special visit to Sri Lanka to view the fruits of their efforts and to meet the resettled tsunami-affected residents of Seenigama. Accompanying them on their trip was the Australian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Dr. Greg French, who has long supported the Foundation of Goodness.

Under the initiative taken by the Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass of the City of Perth, Western Australia, the Perth City Council, via its 'Adopt-a-Village' program, decided to focus their resources on assisting the reconstruction of the Seenigama Village. It has done so by working with the Foundation of Goodness as its delivery agent and working together towards achieving its objective of 'contributing to the redevelopment of the tsunami-affected village of Seenigama and building friendship and bilateral relationships between the two communities'.

As the first step in this direction, the City of Perth funded the construction of 30 houses. These 30 houses, combined with additional donor support, have helped to relocate families in Seenigama who were affected by the '100 m regulation' which prevented the construction of houses 100 m from the coastline. Thus, these 30 homes were provided to village families who had previously lived in the 100 metre zone and were left destitute after the tsunami.

Of the 30 houses, nine of these were constructed just beyond the 100 metre zone in a property that the Foundation purchased to showcase a complex equipped with modern amenities, (including an Internet Cafe, Childrens Library, Communications Centre, Barber Shop/Salon, Grocery Store and a well-equipped Community Centre), funded by the AVIVA/Norwich Union bank. This modern housing park accommodates 19 homes altogether, including the nine Perth City Council houses, and we propose to build a Green Park adjoining this property within the 100 metre zone. The other 21 houses are located beyond the 100 MT zone on their own lands. All of these homes were complete by early 2006. To the recipients, these homes are their absolute pride and joy and something which they have never witnessed before. Residents have beautified each home according to their own personal tastes and skills as a sign of their utmost appreciation of this gift.

The day was a wonderful success and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The Lord Mayor and company first visited the nine homes that the Perth City Council funded, unveiling the new plaque, planting a tree in memory of the occasion and speaking to home owners regarding their new lifestyles and improved opportunities. Following this were some heartfelt speeches and votes of thanks in the AVIVA Community Hall, including a touching speech by one resident praising the Foundation of Goodness and its donors for all the generous assistance they have received. The visit concluded with a magnificent lunch put on by the village residents in their usual hospitable fashion.

Most recently, the Lord Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund (LMDRF) provided the Foundation with an unexpected gift of AUD $11,122.27. This is acknowledged with tremendous gratitude and will no doubt reimburse the many additional costs that our Foundation incurred particularly during construction.

The Perth City Council plans to continue its fundraising efforts towards the Seenigama rebuilding effort and its longer term development. On behalf of the forever grateful recipients and the Foundation of Goodness, we wish to thank the Perth City Council and all those involved in completing this landmark housing project. We look forward to continuing our relations with the our sister City of Perth in times to come.

To view photographs of the nine-house cluster housing complex, please click here.

To view photographs of the 21 individual homes provided, please click here.