arch-peace news and articles

10.2.09

bushfires in Victoria: to our colleagues

(Message sent to our members in Melbourne, Victoria)


Dear colleagues and friends,

Our thoughts and condolences go to all those affected by the bushfires in Victoria. According to the government, this is the worst Australian natural disaster on record and we feel a deep sense of sadness for what has occurred.

Needs may vary from case to case and it is difficult at this stage to define what type of assistance can be offered through Architects for Peace. However, do please let us know if you feel that there is any way in which we can be of help. We have 150 members in Melbourne who we are confident will be happy to assist other colleagues and the larger community as they recover from the fires.


Best wishes,

Beatriz Maturana, Matthew Bond, Kalli Vakras,
Eleanor Chapman, Edith Wong, Anthony McInneny,
Peter Johns and the architectsforpeace team



About the bushfire emergency: ABC News
Donations and assistance: Australian Red Cross

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a landscape architect, I'd be happy to help with master planning/redesigns for areas affected by the bush fires as part of a
multi-disciplinary team.

Beatriz Maturana said...

Hi, last night our pro bono team met to coordinate our response to the bushfires. Our existing pro bono services will be steered toward assisting those in need (short and long term). We act as a bridge between service providers (youself) and the community.
We will be posting information in this website and relevant community organisations. We welcome your assistance in spreading this information among the professions, the general community and in offering your pro bono services. Please refer to our pro bono page for more information (coming up in the next few hours).Thanks
The pro bono team

Beatriz Maturana said...

The following are the expressions of condolence by the Government of East Timor (source: Friends of Baucau Newsletter)

Thoughts for Victoria's Bushfire victims from East Timor
From Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao:
'The people of Timor-Leste understand the deep pain and suffering in the struggle to re-build lives after devastation. During our time of need, we could always count on the sympathy and support of the Australian people. ''Now, on behalf of the IV Constitutional Government and the People of Timor-Leste, we wish to pass our condolences to the people of Australia, and in particular Victoria, who have suffered such a tragic loss of life."

Quote from Minister for Foreign Relations, Zacarias Albano da Costa: "I know I speak for all Timorese here. How could we be other than deeply sympathetic? How could we hold back? Every single one of us knows what it is to suffer, to count the dead, to look at smouldering ruins, and to wonder whether we will ever feel hope or smile again... "Beyond material things, I suspect our best gift is this: we can tell you from our personal and national experience that however dark it looks today, you can and will overcome the horror to have hope, to smile and to love and trust again... "We did it with your help, so we know you can do it too."

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