The Yarra Leaps and Bounds Festival is coming up in mid July … and I (Leanne) have been helping Friends of Baucau organise one of the events.

So … if you missed Womadelaide this year … you can still be cool and groovy in our ‘hood, and come along to see the Dili Allstars with Timor Oans at Collingwood Town Hall on Thursday 13 July from 6.30-9pm. Here is the link to find out more.

It is a free event (donations are welcome on the night as funds raised will go the supporting Friends of Baucau programs) with food and a bar … AND you can book tables of 10 people for $100 … if you’d like to sit down … ACC will book a couple, so if you’d like to be part of our table(s) please let us know here - it costs $10 per person.

I am roping my oldest daughter and niece in to help on the bar (and could do with additional volunteers if anyone is keen). And I’m making my soon-to-be 17 year old have her birthday there (be sure to say happy birthday 🎂 🎈 if you see her. I told her to invite her friends! It’s a perfect venue for a party right?!?).

So it’s a real community thing … and it would be super to have lots of people come along! I hope to see you there.

Our lovely local choir, the Alphingtones are having a concert. You might like to go along!

Hi Leanne here. On Monday we had our monthly committee meeting and so I got the chance to hear The Flukes, our uke group in action (they were meeting in the room next door).

They sounded super. I asked them if I could make a little video for social media. You can watch it (and listen) on Instagram here.

On Sunday night we helped Friends of Baucau cater the 3rd of 4 February concerts held down at the Fairfield amphitheatre. It was a lovely evening, relaxing music, super weather and … great food!

The Portuguese tarts sold like hot cakes, and we also sold out of the mains on offer.

The profits from the food will go towards supporting on the ground activities in Timor-Leste - which is fabulous. They do great things like helping women start town cooperatives and supporting young girls to train as teachers etc.

It really is lovely to be working in partnership with this local but international organisation full of committed and passionate community minded locals.

And … also, FYI we have a new stock of their coffee. Beans and ground. Pop past ACC or Juliette’s milkbar if you’ve been feeling deprived!

A few years ago now I (Leanne) had the opportunity to go to Timor-Leste to visit lots of women’s organisations and meet politicians, along with diplomats and all the big NGOs … it was amazing all round and particularly wonderful to meet local people working in their communities trying to improve lives and living standards and make a difference.

The trip was organised by Friends of Baucau, which is a long-standing organisation based in Darebin and Yarra Council areas (that works officially with Council ) to support both the community groups and administration of Baucau in Timor-Leste.

Anyway … they do wonderful things and build super partnerships … and I have been actively involved with them ever since.

And after a hiatus due to Covid the are hosting their first fundraising concert for a couple of years - that you might be interested in attending. The concert will happen in Kew (just over the river) on Sunday 4 December from 3.30pm. Tickets cost $50.

Timor-Leste is the poorest country in our region, and people live on less than $1 per day. This fundraiser will support the Friends of Baucau scholarship fund - enabling young women to undertake a Bachelor of Education at the local Teachers College and become a teacher.

Here are the details …

---

GABRIEL VARGAS

Guitarist Gabriel Vargas has headed up bands such as Gasoline Inc. and Veludo, which saw him supporting acts such as rock icons INXS, and his song Superstar was picked up by the AFL in 2010. As a solo musician he has supported and toured with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party), Jon Toogood (Shihad), and James Reid (The Feelers). As a songwriter, he aims to use music as a means to inspire, heal and connect.

DATE

Sunday 4 December 2022 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

LOCATION

Get directions

4 Redmond Street
Kew Victoria 3101

Tickets

Buy them here.

Friends of Baucau Inc (FoB) is an incorporated community organisation based in the municipalities of Darebin and Yarra in Victoria, Australia. Our aim is to promote friendship links between the people in these cities and the communities of the Baucau municipality in Timor-Leste, and in particular, to work closely with 11 villages in the Baucau Villa sub-district. Friends of Baucau is endorsed and supported by the Councils of Darebin and Yarra, the national government of Timor-Leste and the municipality of Baucau.

The Salustiano Freitas Scholarship Fund supports quality education in Timor-Leste by providing scholarships to young Timorese to undertake the Bachelor of Teaching at the Marist Brothers’ Teacher Training College in Baucau (ICFP). Each scholarship, for US$1000 per student per year, pays the tuition and living costs, and we continue this arrangement for the duration of their training.