Waving on the Beach

Sitting on the beach, watching hubby at fishing,
seeing the sun sparkles on the sapphire ocean glistening.
Hearing a rumbling, then thoughts turn to “listening”
watching the mists swirling off huge waves in the distance.

For a moment I imagined a tsunami might come,
onto the beach while we’re basking in the sun.
Remembering back to the day, that the world was aghast,
on Boxing Day 2004, the news came breaking out fast.

A huge tidal wave had roared over the Indian ocean,
260,000 washed away, countless numbers of children orphaned.
Hundred foot waves barrelling Indonesian shores,
a warning only announced, ten minutes before.

Pedophiles had come searching that day,
looking for any children alone and misplaced.
I was working for World Vision Australia, back then,
no time for thinking thoughts or grabbing my pen!

Emergency operations to send aid relief,
the World Vision team received our logistics brief.
We all rushed to perform the best that we could,
with the talents we’d been given to help, as we should.

I will never forget those emergency operations, till the day I die,
those thoughts and memories will never fade …
how would the vulnerable have ever got by?
if the World in their compassion, hadn’t supported those aid teams to fly.

Victoria Healing ~ 7.9.2015
The Wave 

 

Although I no longer work for World Vision Australia, these are my personal recollections of how I felt at that time, working as the fundraising events manager. World Vision showed me that we really can make a difference, if we join together as one ‘United World Team’

In 2004, the Boxing Day tsunami devastated the coastlines of 14 countries – resulting in over 230,000 lives lost

The earthquake was the third largest ever recorded and the tsunami reached heights of 30m in some places.

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2014/12/on-this-day-in-history-boxing-day-tsunami/

The Wave

https://www.facebook.com/60Minutes9/videos/961050294267691/

 

Thanks

to the outpouring of generosity from Australians and people around the world, World Vision was able to build over 3000 homes in this community alone. The homes have passed the test of time, and the local economy is thriving.

https://www.facebook.com/WorldVisionAustralia/photos/a.10150944898477469/10152554518042469/