Darwin agronomist, Robert Wesley- Smith,it seems, is always looking at ways to help the people of Timor Leste. Right now he is working on plans to construct a large water tank to provide an orphanage with water during the dry season. He noticed that a two storey building built for the Carmelite nuns has a large roof area with a massive run off in the wet , so started the grey cells working. He is off to Timor Leste in a week to try and put his plan into action. Roads in the area where he will be going have been damaged by heavy rain.For decades,Wes actively campaigned for the nation's freedom, gave free advice in his field of expertise , and even designed small stoves to reduce the amount of wood needed to cook meals .
Australia could support quality teacher training ,for which there is a big need. The Catholic training college at Baucau produces 50 graduates a year and is limited by lack of funds. Another college is being started at Welaluhu, near Natarbora, on the south coast. Australia, he says, does not target /identify its aid so that most people are not aware of it, unlike the Chinese who build large buildings , probably with Chinese workers, sometimes not well located in terms of town planning - but people can see them.
Poor ,but generous Cuba , he points out could set a lead for Australia. On September 28 in Sydney a special film evening will be held to celebrate the graduation of the first 18 East Timorese students through Cuba's medical training aid program, which began in East Timor in 2003. A report in Green Left said most of the students spent years studying at the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba before returning to the medical facility in East Timor to complete their studies. More than 400 East Timorese doctors will graduate in the next two years and more in years to come. Cuba also trains students from the Solomons,Vanuatu,Fiji,Tuvalu,Nauru and Tongo .
