The Glencoe Foundation is now 6 years old!

We have had successes and we have had disappointments.

The times especially remembered:

Hung is unable to walk at more than a slow shuffle.  He enrolled in an electronics course at Thang Long Vocational School in Hanoi on a Glencoe Scholarship. The course was not suitable and it was decided to convert a motorbike to hand controls and build a tray on the back. Hung now earns $200 net a month delivering parcels in narrow Hanoi lanes. One day he gave a lift to a young lady – and now they are married with a 2 month old daughter. His brother has the same disability and Hung has now saved enough from his earnings to buy another motorbike. Their father is war veteran so they have possibly affected by agent orange.

Hung when I first met him	Taking delivery Mk 1	Photo taken 2 January 2008 Mk 11 with hood added.

Before visiting Bangladesh in November 2004 I had never seen an untreated cleft.  In 2005 The Glencoe Foundation formed Operation Cleft and then partnered with the Rotary Club of Boxhill Central to fund operations in developing countries to use local skilled surgeons to correct clefts. The program has grown rapidly and we recently funded our 2000th operation. I particularly remember Mimmie. I first met her on 12th February 2007.

Mimmie before	7 hours after operation	In her village 3 months ago.

She will be back to Queen Hospital Jessore on 5th February 2008 for further treatment.

I first met Sere when he was 12.  He was born on Thursday Island, and now lives in Tully. Sere was born with cerebral palsy. Together with the local community Glencoe funded the purchase of a ‘Pathfinder’ to help Sere communicate.

In October 2007 Sere and I visited Thursday Island for the unveiling of his grandfather’s grave. Afterwards we enjoyed a program of dancing and feasting.

Sere has enjoyed a holiday in Melbourne and later in 2008 will be visiting Vietnam, hosted by the Glencoe Vietnamese scholarship students.

At Sovereign Hill, Ballarat	At the footy! MCG.	With Colin at Torres Island.	Sere at his grandfather grave opening ceremony.

One of our first projects was contributing to the Computer Culture Program in Coen, North Queensland.  Stories and culture were told to the students of Coen Primary School by their relatives. They recorded the information on computers and visited significant areas to make movies of their history.

Margaret was a skilled basket maker in the community. Her story and craft was recorded by the students. Sadly shortly afterwards she died.

Margaret	The computer room	Lan, one of our Vietnamese Scholarship students with Noel Pearson at Coen.

Our most ambitious program: Funding teachers for Hanoi University at MIBT and Deakin University to complete their MA in Business Studies and IT. They then returned to teach at the new business school at Hanoi University where all courses are taught in English. Strong friendship and links in the community have been made between Vietnam and Australia through this program.

Melbourne 2004	With Sere	Hang's graduation	Hanoi January 2008

I first met Huy at Thanh Ba gifted school, Phu Tho Province, Vietnam in 2001. He was 11 years old, enrolled in our computer training course. He is now 18 years old and ready to sit the entrance examination to Hanoi University. He is gifted in languages and fluent in English. Over the years, we have been able to help him obtain coaching from IDP and the British Council in Hanoi.

Huy 2001	Huy 2008

My first involvement with Rotary was with ROMAC. Children with big medical problems are brought to Australia for treatment. Glencoe Foundation arranged for Maria from Alieu in East Timor to come to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne to have a heart condition corrected. When she arrived she was near death.

Maria before the operation	Just 7 days after operation	With Colin 2 years later.

I have been back to see her several times in East Timor.

The Glencoe Foundation joined with a donor in USA and UK to build a new pediatric ward and operating theatre at Lamb Hospital in Bangladesh during 2007. The facilities are now used for our cleft programs. They are also used to treat burns patients.

Opening Ceremony	Inside the ward	Burns children

There are disappointments too:

In Oecusse East Timor visited local schools and completed instructor training courses for computer skills training. From this we would have located bright motivated students to help further with their education. The local authorities were on side: everything was possitive. The computers were purchased and shipped to Dili. They sat on the wharf for 18 months. Communication right up the line with Mr Ramos Horta and then Prime Minister Alkatiri. Still they sat on the wharf.

Eventually they were released and moved to Oecusse, then the local authorities were unable to make the power available. As far as I know they are sitting in a building unused.

Local champion of Oecusse Bernie Millance with computers prior to shipping.

In Jessore Bangladesh was approached to help a micro-credit scheme. It sounded fine: purchase 6 cows. The calves from these cows are given to local women who repay cost from income on milk. The cows were duly purchased and I attended colorful ceremony. Three months later returned to find the original cattle had been sold. Recovered a small amount of money, but the rest was lost.

Cows ceremony