Happy New Year to Everyone
January 2012
I don’t know about you but Robin and I have had a wonderful Christmas-New Year period. And now are facing the busy race down to our departure dates!
January is always a busy month for us with something just short of a million birthdays. They seem to come around annually – looked forward to by some and endured by others.
There are a few other things this month as well -
· On the 3rd Andrew and Tricia with Adam, Jessica and Steven (Daniel has had a bad ear and can’t fly) will come and stay for a few days. Desta has been here over Christmas and David and Sylvia with Joshua and Elaine, and Jeff and Jan with Ebony, Annika and Caleb were here on the 27th of December.
· On the 4th I will go back to hospital for a couple of minor procedures – a wider excision of an incompletely excised SCC from my ear and release of a trigger finger.
· On the 9th-12th I will be in Adelaide to spend a couple of days with my brother and his wife. He is much improved health wise and that is great.
· January 16th I have been asked to take part in a wedding. Dr Helen Neman, who did her elective with me in Townsville as a High School student, worked with me in Nambour after her graduation while I was there, and who visited us in Ethiopia, is marrying Ross Carless. I am thrilled to be involved.
· January 21st – one of our ‘grandsons’ Hiram (Haile) Yigezu Ergetu is marrying Verena Weiss.
· January 22nd we are having an open house for those who live near enough and would like to drop in for the afternoon. It would be nice to see everyone personally but impossible.
· January 29th – I fly out for Ethiopia and after a couple of days in Addis hope to head off to Arba Minch. A friend, Bob Taylor, is hunting for a four wheel drive for us to purchase. Robin is due to join me in March.
· In mid-January we are hoping to get a sea container of stuff on its way to Arba Minch. We are indeed deeply grateful to all those who have generously given. There is still a long way to go to ‘a million’ but we have enough to go a long way to furnishing the vacant operating rooms.
I have done a bit of work in Nambour Hospital and am very thankful for their openness in allowing me back in on a temporary part-time basis. The bit of extra income has been a blessing. I also discovered that I have over 300 hours of holiday pay due to me – that also will help.
Ø Andrew has set up a website for us http://www.ethiopia.anff.asn.au if you would like to look it up.
Ø We now have 3 well established ways that people can give to our appeal the ‘Hicks Ethiopia Medical Aid Fund’
· Our non-tax deductible Ethiopian fund NAB account BSB 084970 Account number 452932319.
· Tax deductible – Life Aid International – details on http://www.lifeaidinternational.org.au and under ‘Donations give to ‘Hicks Ethiopia Fund’
· Tax deductible – Global Development Group Project J714N – details on http://www.globaldevelopment.org.au
We appreciate greatly the association with these two charitable groups who will monitor and help in many ways to make us acceptable to the government and save me lots of work and headaches. For instance, although I have done a lot of the negotiating for equipment, the arranging of purchasing and organizing transport to Ethiopia is in their hands.
In the not too far distant future I hope to be able to write more specifically about the hospital in Arba Minch and show a few pictures. In the meantime I have had good correspondence with the Dean, Academic Vice- President and President of the University and the young surgeon who is there at the moment. They are being very positive and helpful and I am very hopeful that this will be an easier time than was spent in Jimma. Even so I don’t expect it to be problem free – maybe I’m a bit foolish sometimes but not totally stupid!
Please remember (?pray about) the following; – packing up, visas, a vehicle, transport for the equipment, travel, relationships, busyness (for speed without anxiety).
Remember we love hearing from people just like you.
All the best for 2012!
Barry Hicks
