Spend It Well

10 September 2008

Meeting Simon

I am in Melbourne to promote the release of my latest book. Which sounds much more glamorous than it is – it actually means doing radio interviews for stations nobody but insomniacs listen to and trudging around book stores trying to convince book stores to let you sign some of the copies of your book. No great signs in book store windows announcing my arrival or queues for my signature stretching out the door….

So I was pretty happy to be done and to head to the bar where I’d arranged to meet Simon. I was surprised at how young he looked for someone who I knew was a really important advisor to the Prime Minister of a country. We chatted and I told him that we were interested in finding a simple school project – something that could be built in a few months in the region of US$20,000. I was also surprised when he said that he’d have a chat to Kirsty Sword Gusmao, the Prime Minister’s wife about our idea and see if she could suggest a project we could be involved with. The fact that someone like him is interested in what we are suggesting, makes me think we are on the right track.

Early night, early morning interview with some sports radio station tomorrow – a little odd given my book has nothing to do with sport. But so be it…

project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR

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08 August 2008

Spend it Well is Born

Graham, Stephen and I sat tonight in the French summer evening and decided that too many years had passed with our vague promises that “we must do something “ in terms of funding some charitable projects which we really believed in. Stephen and I and our girls are renting a house in Burgundy and Graham arrived this morning for a short visit, bringing his usual aura of energy and excitement. Over a bottle of good French wine, we figured out the things that mattered most to us – seeing the progress of a project we believe in and knowing that all of our money went directly to make that happen. We decided it was time to stop talking and to actually make something happen. Graham talked about East Timor, where he’d gone to visit Simon Fenby, a good friend of his working as one of Xanana Gusmao’s close advisors. We decided that Graham would talk to Simon and see if he thought there was something we could do and we’d go from there.

project: OSTICO EAST TIMOR