Supporting Timor-Leste

De La Salle College hosted a visit by some special guests from Timor-Leste in November last year. Accompanied by Old Collegian Paul Stewart (1978), Sr Anastasia and Sr Isoblele, from the ALMA order, were in Australia on a fundraising tour to support their Dili-based school for disabled and abandoned children.

During the visit, Principal Peter Houlihan presented the nuns with a cheque for $1,000 raised by the staff of the College, and an additional $2,500 will be donated to the ALMA nuns from funds raised by the College community through the recent Mission Action Day.

Mr Houlihan said he was privileged to witness the simplicity, humility and beauty of the nuns’ dedication and faith. “In conditions so basic, beyond the imagination of contemporary Melburnians and through a spirit of devotion, selflessness and generosity, the ALMA nuns care for disabled children, many of them orphans,” he said.

“This is a terrific story, and we were able to raise some much-needed donations to support their work in Dili. However, it was equally humbling to see the very real and incredibly positive reactions of our students.”

“I was enormously proud of the way the students engaged with Old Collegian, Paul Stewart and the nuns and demonstrated such genuine interest and care for their work and their circumstances. It was lovely to see their curiosity and listen to them craft and express their questions; signs of a wonderful educational environment.”

Sr Anastasia told Roll Call she was delighted to receive financial support from De La Salle College and thanked the staff and students for their generosity. “We are grateful to people in Australia who help us a lot,” she said.

Paul Stewart, who has visited Timor-Leste more than 30 times, has a long connection with the region. His brother Tony, was one of the five journalists, known as the Balibo five, killed in Timor-Leste in 1978. During his time as the lead singer for the Painters and Dockers and now currently a member of the Dili All Stars, Stewart continues to collaborate with the people of TimorLeste raising awareness for the plight of organisations like the ALMA nuns, who work tirelessly for the disabled poor of Timor-Leste.

His recent tell-all memoir, All the Rage, launched in November last year, is a much-anticipated story that transcends music and activism. The book is full of laugh-out-loud anecdotes of his encounters with international stars he encountered as a rock journalist and as a musician.

By Kerry Martin