Bagi peselancar, termasuk seorang kolega saya, perairan pulau Nias adalah salah satu surganya dan dia masih tidak lupa akan kebaikan orang-orang di sana.
------------ Surfing operators use their own money to help islanders By Philip Cornford January 6, 2005 Australian surf safari operators in Sumatra have created their own tsunami relief effort, with five boatloads of food and medical supplies on the way to remote islands and three more to follow. The impetus came from Chris "Scuzz" Scurrah, 30, from Victoria, and his American partner, Christina Fowler, 36, who spent $50,000 - "every cent we've got" - to launch the program. So far they have been promised more than $1million by international surf wear companies. Three days ago, Mr Scurrah and his University of Sydney medical student sister, Alyssa, 26, delivered the first boatload of food to the island of Nias, 127 kilometres from Sumatra, where Surfaid International estimates 272 were killed and another 20,000 were victims of tsunami damage. Since then, four other boats financed by Australian charter operators have sailed from the Sumatran port of Padang, one carrying medical supplies, five doctors and a team of nurses, and three loaded with rice, vegetable oil and other food purchased by Ms Fowler. Yesterday, Ms Fowler loaded a cargo boat with 60 tonnes of diesel fuel, and two Australian-owned charter boats were standing by to transport a team of 15 doctors from Australia, New Zealand and the US dispatched by Surfaid International, which runs a medical relief project in the Mentawai islands. "We emptied our bank account, then we started buying on credit," said Ms Fowler, from Springfield, Illinois. "These people are our neighbours, we're looking after people we know and like. We're not worried about the money. We know it will all come back to us." The operation is run from the Hotel Batang Arau, leased by Mr Scurrah and Ms Fowler for seven years and headquarters for their charter operation, Sumatran Surfariis. "They're a remarkable couple who didn't sit around talking about it but got stuck in without waiting for anyone to back them," said Martin Daly, 47, originally from Pittwater, who has been in Padang for 20 years and runs the biggest surf charter operation, Indies Trader. Mr Daly and a former Bondi surfer, John McGroder, of Sumatra Surf Charters, both supplied boats free of charge. Quiksilver Australia has given $500,000, Quiksilver International $130,000 and Billabong $500,000. Ms Fowler said the Bali relief organisation Idep had promised $50,000. Mr Daly said the retired Gold Coast real estate magnate Brian White, 63, had pledged $100,000 from estate agents. He said the Australian boats would stay at Nias to support the medical teams. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Asia-Tsunami/Surfing-op\ erators-use-their-own-money-to-help-islanders/2005\ /01/05/1104832179304.html Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
