TLV Secretary visits Timor


TLVs secretary Joanne Pollard recently visited her daughter and former TLV Committee Member Louise Pollard, who is currently on assignment in Dili. Joanne shares her experiences .

Every day in Timor was amazing in so many ways. Experiencing it with Louise; the people, the country itself, Louise's friends and the family she is staying with, the feeling of community, and meeting such inspirational people, is something I will always remember.

While in Dili I was able to visit our scholarship students at their schools; and at a lunch organised by Louise and Analdo (TLV Scholarship Coordinator in Dili). It was wonderful to hear of their plans and dreams, and see how we have helped to make a difference for them.

Travelling 5 hours over roads riddled with pot holes brought me to Ainaro, where I was able to see how our involvement is assisting the development of several projects. I was able to see the boarding school and the community centre, which Padre Lito is planning on developing into an income generating facility for the community. I was also able to visit a Japanese tunnel from WWII which exists on the site. Although very overgrown, Fr Lito plans to preserve it for its historic value, which we hope will add even more interest to this project.

Meeting the students and seeing the projects really renewed my enthusiasm for our efforts here in Australia. It was such a memorable experience, and despite an attack of leaches, and being detained with my daughter by the Australian military for several hours, I loved every single day.