.jpg) Bill Hewett (Chair) |  Joy Irvine |  Paul Lougheed |
Chairman Bill Hewett began by reviewing the enormous contribution of Joy Irvine (deceased member), backed by funds from RCWE ($36,000 over 10 years), to the development of accredited training for Cambodian & other SE Asian nationals in the building and fitting of prosthetic limbs. This is a very necessary service given the proliferation of landmines left over from the Vietnam War. Paul Lougheed (pictured), CEO of Southern Way, has also developed an interest in the needs of youth in Cambodia, and sought to rebuild a rock climbing wall. RCWE contributed $500 to complete the $3000 needed, and will place a plaque honouring the work of Joy Irvine on the finished wall. | ||
The previous wall in Siem Reap, the second city of Cambodia, was demolished as the land was needed for housing development. It was a vital outlet for young people in the area, so when a different piece of land became available, steps were taken to build a new wall at the cost of $3000, which is where RCWE’s $500 came in. A tuk tuk driver, Kim, who is also an expert climber, uses the wall to teach young people to climb. Through COVID and continuing, times have been hard as there are no tourists.Known as the Angkor Boulder Wall, construction is nearing completion, mainly due to volunteers. The wall has many holes allowing the “grips” to be moved to create new challenges. We saw the agility of the climbers on a video shown by Paul – a couple of stills are opposite.
Once completed, there will be ongoing costs of $120/month to pay the rental on the land.
Paul directed his $25 to One Day Studio.
Both Chairman Bill and President Greg thanked Paul for his presentation