Most of you are surfers and nearly all of you have experienced the magic of the Mentawais aboard MV Addiction. Everybody would have heard about the earthquake and tsunami over the past week from the media reports but once the last western surfer has been found safe and well the story seems to disappear from the news. Unfortunately the situation in a lot of the villages, some of them right on our favourite surf spots is still dire. The following are 2 first hand reports from surf charter boats that are checking the villages and delivering aid where they can.
Addiction is currently out taking volunteers and aid supplies to the islands. Most of the other surf charter boats are doing the same thing. The boat operators are buying all of the supplies wherever they can and distributing them to these devestated villages who have lost everything. The charter boats want to keep this relief effort going but need outside support and that is where you come in. We need money, whatever you can afford because even a little makes a big difference to these people who have nothing. You know that bunch of smiling kids who surf next to you at Bintangs, well, we don’t even know if they are still alive because that village, just like Greenbush, Thunders and a lot of others was flattened.
If you have gotten a lot of goodtimes out of the Mentawais now is the time to put a little back. Those of you in Australia can make cheques (tax deductible) out to Lions Club Avalon Inc and send to:
Mentawai Appeal
Lions Club Avalon Inc
PO Box 67
Avalon Beach 2107.
Those of you who are non-surfing friends of mine just take my word for it, write a cheque and send it in.
For those in other countries Addiction will receive donations by bank transfer or credit card and then pass them onto the charter boat association to keep the boats aid efforts running. Please email me for more information.
Thanks for your time and please pass this around as sometimes I may only have 1 or 2 email addresses from your group.
Regards,
Greg Vink.
MV Addiction.
