Councillors Mick Morland, left, and Wayne Smith with paraphernalia from the 2000 Edwin Flack Games and 2000 Olympic torch relay.OATLANDS Ward councillor Mick Morland is asking community groups, businesses and residents to support a fundraiser to bring children from East Timor to compete in the 2006 Edwin Flack Games.
My view is that this is a great idea and is the Sister Cities peopletopeople movement working at its best.
Cr Morland said the effort would be launched at a dinner to be held in the civic centre on Friday, 18 November.
A similar fundraiser on a smaller scale was organised to bring two athletes from Casey’s friendship city Ioannina in Greece for the 2000 Edwin Flack Games.
He is working with River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith, who said he and Cr Morland would try to convince business people to support bringing a team from Ermera.
Cr Morland said the effort was a communitybased appeal and that if he or Cr Smith lost their seats at the 26 November election they would still be there to get the East Timor kids to Casey.
He said the council was supporting the fundraiser, but a community group was responsible for running the games.
“We are after pledges from people,” he said.
The councillors envisage business sponsorships, community group sausage sizzles, private donations and a fullscale community involvement in the whole games.
Cr Morland said he wanted the Ermera people to come to Casey well set up with costumes and equipment.
“We are the biggest city in Victoria and we should support the people of East Timor,” he said.
I also commend this idea because the East Timorese people paid a much higher price during the war when they protected Australian soldiers without question.
