As far as I am aware, I am the only one from the yachting fraternity that has come out in open support of rendering assistance to the victims of the recent horific and devastating bush fires that have been part of the biggest peacetime disaster in Australia's history.
I seek no comfort in that fact. In fact I am disappointed that maybe the ARYA have done nothing to even acknowledge that this disaster has occurred. But that does not surprise me. Disgust me, YES, surprise me, NO.
Below I have an extract of what has appeared on my own website.
News Editorial Comment
Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal
12 February 2009
My condolences go out to all who have lost family, friends, pets and possessions in what has been described as Australia's greatest peacetime tragedy, ever.
Disasters have happened in the past, all over the world including Australia, that have affected me, but I have never been more moved to tears, nor has my heart ever gone out with such tenderness and compassion for the plight of those affected, than has happened these last few days.
The destruction wrought by nature has been of such ferocity, and with such a wide ranging impact to all levels of our society, that the events of this last weekend and the ongoing dangers, that many communities still face, cannot help but have jolted anyone who thought they were safe, into a new sense of awareness to the challenges that this land of ours can present us with.
This is not a time for laying blame. But it is a time to display compassion and kindness and supporting our fellow man.
My heartfelt compassion and thoughts go out to all the souls that have perished, those that have survived, and to those brave souls that have come across the remains of those that have perished so cruelly. I cannot even in my worst nightmares even begin to contemplate the horrific effects that friends, families, neighbours, the CFA Firemen, the Police, and the others who have been the ones to discover the bodies of those who perished, will have to deal with.
Some will recover from their traumas. Others never will. But one thing is certain. None will ever forget.
And I am not ashamed, that I have, and still do, shed tears, and grieve, in support, for those who have suffered loss in these terrible fires.
I have contributed to the Red Cross Appeal for these souls, and I encourage others to do the same. The physical reconstruction of communities and homes will not be an easy task, and in some cases the destruction will have been so complete that some communities, may never be rebuilt. But hopefully in others, the donations you make, or have already made, will help these folks start the long task of rebuilding their lives, not only in a physical sense, but also in providing support to all those affected, with the means to cope, one way or another, with the mental scars that this disaster will have inflicted.
Whatever form your God takes, may your God stand by your side.
Don Leitis
__________________
Maverick Model Yachting - The Only Way To Go! Secret Alias - Don Leitis
