Don Cullen.. Tibetan Village Project Australia Inc.
Posted
on Jun 17, 2014
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Don Cullen was a multiple visitor to Tibet for many years in his mountaineering and trekking adventures to the remote Himalayas and Everest regions of the Third World. Always impressed by the Tibetan's friendliness and yet observing the poverty of their life style and the country, he pondered the concept of helping them to help themselves. As a result in the past nine or so years Don has made many visits to the country with fellow travelers providing physical and financial support to the locals to learn, and develop community assets themselves.
Thus, under the banner of the so-named Tibetan Village Project Australia Inc. ("TVPA"), the organization, which he is the current chairperson of, does remarkable things in for example, teacher funding, and medical clinic expansion and creation activities. These all aim at getting local professionals to care for the essentially rural based inhabitants. Orphanages were established.
Further Don told of how he implemented various hostel style work houses for many isolated and deprived individuals. He would pay them a wage while they learnt artisan skills over a two year stay. The slides which he showed of many of these people now running stores and producing and selling craft works must engender an amazing satisfaction to him and his colleagues.
There were other entrepreneurial initiatives promoted and kicked off by Don. We heard of animal renting, and the collective development of green houses and subsequent vegetable gardens.
Noting that Tibet (via China) does not embrace or permit Rotary or NGO's of any kind then the impact of TVPA has been,and is continuing to be remarkable. The audience was captured.
In the course of his address Don told of the culture, history and mountainous beauty of Tibet. For instance we learnt that until 1985 Westerners were formally closed out of Tibet, for the past 1000 years there had been no contact. There were a few English lead expeditions or tours starting from India from 1916, and contained historic names as "Young Husband, Finch, and the unfortunate George Mallory. He is thought by many to have been the first to climb Everest in a tragic one way effort decades before Hillary & co, and was only recovered from the ice near the summit in 1998.
The role of the Yak and Buddha to the largely nomadic rural based population were explained.
So teased with shots of the beautiful country and people and selfless efforts of TVPA it is tempting to take up Don's perennial invitation, "Why not plan to join us on one or our trips? I can guarantee a journey that will remain with you for life."