Tsunami concert will raise hopes

By Rebecca Fraser
A BERWICK group has banded together to give hope to the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Operation Hope, formerly called the Australian Sri Lankan Christian Guild, will stage a Tsunami Relief Concert tomorrow night in Berwick and hopes to raise more than $2000 for children orphaned by the natural disaster.
Organisation director Fiona Grech said their main cause was to raise funds for tsunami victims and help build new orphanages in devastated parts of Sri Lanka.
Members of the Sri Lankan community living in the Berwick and Narre Warren area mostly run the independent organisation.
Ms Grech said prior to the tsunami, Operation Hope members often visited Sri Lanka and offered support to those experiencing difficulty by providing clothing, school supplies, bedding and other items. The Berwick resident said the organisation mainly assisted a small minority of Sri Lankan people, known as Burghers.
Ms Grech said this minority lived in a Tamil area of Sri Lanka where outbreaks of civil war were common.
She said it was very difficult for aid to reach the remote villages and many people were still surrounded by the ravages of the tsunami more than a year after it struck.
“When we last went to visit, they were still living in tents that were falling apart.
“There were five families living in the one school classroom.
“There was no privacy, it was just terrible,” she said.
Ms Grech said they had since heard that the Bhurger people had moved on and were now living in small huts, just five square metres in size.
“There are no floors and no beds. Even old people and children are sleeping on the bare floor. If a monsoon comes, they all get wet,” she said.
Ms Grech said the funds would help build a new orphanage, as well as providing beds for about 200 families.
Operation Hope is trying to sell at least 300 tickets to the performance and many local entertainers are set to take to the stage.
These include country and western singer Kerrigan LaBrooy, hip-hop group Basic, soul group Soulace and Endeavour Hills singers Danielle Foenander and Mareshah Lawton.
Jazz group Jerusha, the Chatelier Family Group and concert pianist Winston Morrison will also perform.
Casey Council, the Casey Pastor’s Network, the Berwick Church of Christ and Winepress Berwick have also lent their support and provided sponsorship.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, children under five are free, and families of four or more are $25.
The concert starts at 7.30pm at the Berwick Church of Christ, located at 432-446 Centre Road, Berwick. For tickets, call Fiona Grech on 9704 1023.
Further donations can be made to Operation Hope Inc Commonwealth Bank account number 3619 1039 5826.