A Most Significant Step Forward...
Cookhouses n Tanks a Lot becomes a program of Catherine McAuley Services (CSML) Ltd, a not-for-profit charitable company registered for tax-exemption in Australia and Papua New Guinea! We are the second program of the company, the first being its university theology program in PNG. The odd couple! Well not quite, as both meet in assisting the women of Papua New Guinea to use their innate abilities and giftedness wherever they be. The membership of the Board of the Company is currently three women of Papua New Guinea and three Australians. They are Sr Gabrielle Gresz, Ms Fiona Hukula, Sr Mariska Kua, Sr Maureen Sexton (Chair), Sr Beverley Strong (Company Secretary), Ms Diane Unagi.
The members of the Cookhouses sub-committee of the Board are:
- Sr Beverley Strong (Chair)
- Sr Theresia Tina (PNG Local Co-ordinator)
- Ms Helen Wane (Lecturer, DWU University, Mt Hagen)
- Ms Anna Collin, (Teacher, Kuruk Primary School, Mt Hagen)
- Ms Enza Angelucci (Hon Consultant Architect and RMIT lecturer)
- Ms Sandra Young (Associated Country Women of the World)
- Sr Margaret Ryan (CTAL Manager)
L-R Top Theresia, Bev, Enza and Margaret. L-R 2nd line Anna, Sandra and Helen.
We are pausing the masks project now as the last parcel leaves Australia this week for PNG.
The final count was just over 1800 masks made by 25 volunteer seamstresses from all over Australia and from college students to nonagenarians., most recently St Joseph’s College, Mildura. What a mar-vellous effort! It is just as the world total of Covid –19 cases passes 10 million. That there have been only 10 reported cases in Papua New Guinea is a miracle of good management. Let us hope that PNG, like most of Australia, continues to avoid the worst of the virus. Thanks to all our donors and mask contributors for the gift of your skill and time to help our neighbours in this crisis.
Our New CTAL Home! 617 Nicholson Street, Carlton North
Once the COVID restrictions can be lifted, our readers are very welcome to call into our new office, next door to the cottage that has been home for the past 5 years. A shop front on a busy tram track, with ample space for meetings and socials, what more could community development groups hope for! So the transformation into a vibrant community space shared with other groups is about to happen! What a challenge ahead!
* Next Issue: Our 9 point Cookhouses Plan for 2020-2022 and other developments **
