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Celebrating 60 years of international volunteering > Elmarie Pareezer
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Celebrating 60 years of
international volunteering
From June 2011 to June 2012 AVI is celebrating 60 years of international volunteering
through a range of events and activities around the world. Hundreds of AVI volunteers,
overseas partners and supporters from Sydney to South Africa have joined us in
acknowledging the work of the communities we work with and the volunteers that work
alongside them. Check out the stories from our global celebrations:
Queensland – 19 May
At the stunning location of Government
House in Brisbane on 19 May, 150
Queenslanders celebrated with AVI at the
Queensland University of Technology, with
speeches from three generations of legal
volunteers; Hon Michal Kirby, Hon Cameron
Dick MP and Lyma Nguyen.
Above > The Hon Michael Kirby (centre) with the Hon
Prof Michael Lavarch (centre left) and QUT Law
Faculty colleague with special guest Nigerian lawyers.
Photo > Sam Boardman
Victoria – 15 June
On 15 June, over 250 friends of AVI returned
to the birthplace of Australia’s international
volunteer movement, the University of
Melbourne. On the evening we were
entertained with a talk by Jemma Purdey, the
author of the Herb Feith biography From
Vienna to Yogyakarta: The life of Herb Feith.
Returned Volunteer Roger Pryor talked about
lessons learned in cross-cultural
communication while in Samoa in the 1970s,
and Tamara Jolly confessed that chocolate
cake had been the catalyst for a memorable
time in Malawi, and continues to impact her
life back in Australia.
Above > (l-r) AVI CEO Dimity Fifer, Tamara Jolley,
Jemma Purdey, Roger Prior and AVI Board member
Jenny McGregor. Photo > Bree Manly/AVI
City to Surf (Sydney) – 14 August
Returned volunteers and AVI staff competed
under the team name, ‘The Herb Feith All
Stars’ in Sydney’s City2Surf on Sunday 14
August. Leading the team was AVI Board
Member and wheelchair athlete, Kurt Fearnley,
who won the elite wheelchair athlete event,
which was being staged in the City2Surf for
the fi rst time in 38 minutes and three
seconds. Kurt joined team mates and
returned volunteers after the race to
commemorate AVI’s 60th.
Above > AVI executive Bruce Campbell (centre)
addresses race participants and RVs.
Photo > Elmarie Pareezer/AVI
Kiribati – 17 August
On 17 August, at the Australian High
Commissioner’s residence, Kiribati’s
President Tong was our very special guest,
along with AVI’s development partners in
Kiribati, AusAID and DFAT representatives,
AVI staff and of course the wonderful
volunteers from AVI and other international
volunteer sending organisations.
Above > President Tong (centre) with Australian
and Japanese Volunteers.
Photo > Barbara Buckles/AVI
Northern Territory – 4 September
The Arafura Sea was the spectacular backdrop
of the NT celebrations on Sunday 4
September. Returned volunteer (RV) Tim Stats
refl ected on his volunteer journey as a Branch
Rehabilitation Architect in Timor-Leste and RV
George Butler shared tales from his role as
Communications Advisor in PNG.
Above > Tim Stats (left) and AVI executive Dave Jones.
Photo > Elmarie Pareezer/AVI
Cambodia – 7-8 September
AVI Country Manager - Cambodia, Eleanor
Loudon presented at The Cambodian Forum
on Volunteering, jointly supported by UNV and
AVI in which 300 people attended, including
Australian ambassador and representatives
from AusAID, the United Nations, government,
international and local NGOs, local and
international volunteers, academics and
Khmer University students. Eleanor presented
on AVI’s 60 year history and 27 years in
Cambodia, what it was like then and what we
are doing now.
Tour-de-Timor – 11-16 September
AVI returned volunteer Tim Stats, Melbournebased
Property Developer Michael Laing and
two Australian Volunteer Medical Service
Offi cers, David Natoli and Julie Souness,
currently working on AVI assignments in Timor,
competed in this gruelling 607km six-day
cycling event from 11 to 16 September. The
group competed under then name, ‘The Herb
Feith All Stars’ as a cycling tribute to 60 years
of AVI and the pioneering journey of AVI’s fi rst
volunteer, Herb Feith. The team also raised
funds for the AVI / ETWA Los Palos
Sustainability Centre Project (where Australian
Volunteer Deb Salvagno is working).