Steve in the Community
It is an old adage but it is true “giving is more rewarding than receiving. In May the Rotary Club of Laurieton sent a team of volunteers to Tanna Island in Vanuatu to help rebuild a school and connect a water supply for a needy community. Steve Roberts and his brother in law Mark Wyllie provided the construction know how, Rotarian Martin Shanny led the team and Steve’s wife Fiona gained painting skills and all agree it was trip of a life time.
During Steve’s first visits in 2006 he assisted in repairing existing plumbing, handwashing equipment, helped improve sterilization practices, installed new guttering, and repaired the island’s only humid crib( Steve says this is the most satisfying job he has ever done), and in the second visit that year replaced roves at the hospital compound.
Rotary volunteers work along side, young local apprentices who are shown skills and techniques of sustainable building practices. He fell in love with the people and the place so much that he took his new wife Fiona to Tanna for their honeymoon in December that year.
Many people in the Camden Valley appreciate how lucky we are and how our quality of life is so good, so when life has been very good to you it is important to give back to others. Steve runs Able2C Plumbing at Bonny Hills and has received Federal government thanks for his voluntary work which has assisted one South Pacific Island (Tanna) in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.
This recognition system began in 1998 when the Australian Government decided to express gratitude to returned overseas volunteers, through the award of official certificates of appreciation. This one is signed by the then at the time Prime Minister John Howard, the Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, and the Deputy Prime Minister and local member Mark Vaile. The certificate reads “Australian volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the aid program, not least because of the way in which they give of themselves. The success of our aid program owes much to the character and temperament of those who implement it.”
Rotary District 9650 volunteers will continue working with Tafea Province Department of Education installing tanks for clean water rebuilding and painting classrooms in schools across Tanna Island until the summer. Steve is working on ideas for installing sustainable sewerage systems for the schools which have any number of pit toilets, these could contaminate ground water. Steve’s brother-in-law Mark is the Environmental Services Supervisor at Thredbo and has plenty of experience in protecting fragile natural eco systems. They both look forward to getting back to Tanna and helping introduce these essential sewerage changes.
