Presidents Report to the 2025 Annual General Meeting
It’s that time of year to take the time to reflect on the achievements of the last 2024/2025 year of the Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos Incorporated, and to put us into good stead for the coming year.
As you’re all aware, the formation of the Friendship relationship with Timor- Leste and the Lautem District town of Lospalos dates back to 2000 when the Shire, by Council resolutions, undertook the friendship relationship pairing the Mornington Peninsula Shire with the remote East Timor town of Lospalos.
This occurred at a critical time of need and “cry for help” from the fledgling East Timor nation following the restoration of its independence - freed from Indonesian occupation over the preceding 25 years since it invaded in 1975.
Our relationship has been built on mutual respect, friendship and trust. It has been reaffirmed by the Shire on a number of occasions with it forming a special committee of Council with delegated powers from Council, a formal Friendship Agreement and Municipal Co-operation agreement and most recently in 2020 the Memorandum of Understanding the Shire made with the incorporated Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos association.
The Municipal Co-operation Agreement increasingly is of special significance with the recent central Timor Leste government moves to decentralize government by establishing municipalities replacing administrative districts, a president appointed in each municipality advised by an appointed council – moving towards responsible and elected representative government over the next two years.
In 2000, the Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos incorporated as an association and continued to discharge Councils undertaking of the friendship relationship between the Shire and Lospalos community.
All this, and the many projects undertaken by the Friends over the last 25 years, has not been without effort and support by the Shire, its CEOs, council officers and, most importantly, the Mornington Peninsula community nurturing and fostering the relationship to achieve multiple different projects for the benefit and welfare of the Timorese of Lospalos.
Our previous work, reported on at our last AGM, and across our events has helped us to continue to improve the efficiency and efficacy of future projects.
Ongoing efforts by the volunteer Friends group have allowed the following areas of focus from the period 1 July 2024- 30 June 2025 -
Visit to Lospalos – September 2024 -
Our self- funded volunteer Friends visited Lospalos to analyse our previous projects and discuss ongoing projects with our Timorese opposite number - the Lospalos Friends of the Mornington Peninsula.
The Mornington Peninsula David and Patricia Ball Scholarships-
The visiting Friends met with Margie Beck AM, Marist Teachers College, Baucau. The Friends are supporting five current Lospalos scholars with the Mornington Peninsula David and Patricia Ball Scholarships for the duration of their studies. Each scholar was presented with a Shire Mayoral Commendation certificate signed by the Mayor Councillor Simon Brooks. The work of Margie Beck AM was similarly recognized.
At the 2024 Annual General Meeting, David and Patricia Ball were awarded Mayoral Commendations recognizing their endowment of the scholarships and their many years contribution to the work of the Friends.
Baucau Trade Education Centre -
The visiting Friends also met with the Timorese group involved in reviving the Bacau Trade Education Centre. The meeting – and view of this fully fitted out centre - was organised by committee member Michael Callahan. This was insightful of the challenges involved in reviving the Centre and its need to access significant reoccurring funding.
Racu village and Cacavei village centres, Lore II –
Each village community was visited. The centres in Racu and Cacavei had been completed and were in use by the local communities. The Lore II centre had been completed by the local municipal authorities and no further support was required of the Friends. Lore II village had been restructured and was no longer part of the Lautem district.
Clean water projects – Omucano village -
Omucano, a Lautem district village, was visited by the Friends to better understand the challenges faced by the local village community to access clean water. To access a clean water natural spring, the community, mainly children, had to walk uphill over 250 meters with large buckets filled with water, returning with it home. The village water project proposal was put forward for the funding of tanks and to pipe the spring water to provide better and safe access. The Friends confirmed funding and the project was completed in early 2025.
Lospalos Friends of the Mornington Peninsula Commission -
The visiting Friends also met with the Commission to discuss their process, project funding, operational funding and restructuring. The election of the new Commission President, Sra Rita Fernandes, was recognized by award of a Mayoral Commendation.
Specs for Lospalos – optometry -
With the successful 2019 and 2023 Specs for Lospalos I and II optometry clinics at the Lospalos Hospital, the Friends have established firm working relationships enabling their ongoing support for optometry at the Hospital.
I am pleased to report that, after a gap of several years, a new optometrist Dr Jose Juvinal Fonesca has been appointed to the Lospalos Hospital.
His early work diagnosed a young Lospalos boy with a life-threatening eye cancer, retinoblastoma, requiring medical support. Working with the Friends, I was able co-ordinate with the Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste, an ophthalmologist, the Ambassador to Australia HE Ines Almeida and local doctors to provide his specialist medical treatment.
Garden party fundraising at the home Graham and Prue Pittock -
Spring November weather brought on another successful Garden Party Fundraiser raising over $5,000 for the work of the Friends. Our special guest and keynote speaker was former Timor-Leste First Lady, Kirsty Sword Gusmao AO.
She spoke of the EMULI language program she is overseeing in schools across Timor- Leste. This project is to bring initial formal learning in native Timorese languages to schools. This ensures that students have the best opportunity to integrate home and school life in their early formal education. This program is supported by the Friends.
The afternoon concluded with a raffle of multiple generously donated prizes. Our special thanks to Prue and Graham Pittock for the use of their home and garden and to all the generous donors and supporting businesses.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council appointed delegate Cr Patrick Binyon
The Friends welcome Councils appointment of Cr Patrick Binyon (Brokil Ward) as our Council delegate to our meetings. He has already made a great contribution to our deliberations and as Shire councillor on our recent July 2025 self-funded volunteer visit to Lospalos and Dili at the Australia-Timor-Leste Friendship Association conference.
The conference, also attended by the Timorese Friendship group representatives and Timor- Leste President HE Jose Ramos-Horta, Australian Ambassador to Timor Leste HE Caitlin Wilson and Lautem Municipal Authority President Melio de Jesus, marked 25 years of Friendship groups in local government in Australia.
Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste award to Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos Inc.
The Friends record with pride the recent award of the Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste to the Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos Incorporated. In this, I readily acknowledge the outstanding work of my predecessor chairpersons – Dr David Price, Cr Tim Rodgers, and Ms Xiao Ma and their supporting community committee.
Timor-Leste President His Excellency Jose Ramos-Horta presented the honour to the Friends on his recent visit to Melbourne on 12 August 2025.
Specs for Lospalos Outreach Program
The July 2025 visit also provided the Friends with the opportunity of providing donated sunglasses and prescription glasses, and additional optometry equipment for the optometry clinic at the Lospalos Hospital. This will enable an outreach program.
Prior to the visit, the Friends, working with Shire officers, Councillor Binyon, and Mornington Peninsula News, appealed to the local Mornington Peninsula community to donate their “preloved” sunglasses and prescription spectacles.
Special collection boxes were provided at each of the three council offices at Rosebud, Mornington and Hastings. Cr Binyon met with school students discussing the Friends work in Lospalos, its history, and Australia’s involvement with our closest neighbour and to share with them the pride of the Friends as we look to involve the next generation.
The Lions Recycle for Sight donation of prescription spectacles supported these Mornington Peninsula community donations. The Friends purchased and donated four ophthalmic lenses to support the Hospitals optometry work.
Western Australian optometrist Dr Stephen Bowes made a most generous donation of trial frames, retinoscope, ophthalmoscope and vision screening machine – all of which will be used in a Specs for Lospalos Outreach program taking the Specs clinics to villages outlying Lospalos.
Discussions are underway with the Dili Hospital Ophthalmic unit to support a visiting specialist surgical team to the Lospalos Hospital.
Mornington Peninsula Shire
The Friends would like to thank the Mornington Peninsula Shire and the council officers for their ongoing support of the organisation. We welcome the appointment of the new Shire CEO Mark Stoermer and the Friends have met with him.
The Friends have worked hard with our Mornington Peninsula community over many years undertaking, at the Shires request under a Memorandum of Understanding, the shire-to-town friendship relationship established now over a quarter of a century ago at the time of great need in East Timor. They have done so during the year under review to 30 June 2025 and with the benefit of an annual $9,000 grant from the Shire. We thank the Shire for this support and the support of its officers and councillors.
We particularly express our appreciation and grateful thanks to Councillor David Gill in his generous personal donation of $5,000 to the Friends – which was more than matched by the generous donations from the community – and these donations have made up for the annual 2025/26 financial year funding Council grant of $9,000 “discontinued” by Council without consultation with the Friends.
The Friends look forward to the ongoing support of the Shire and its councillors. We welcome an ongoing open and frank dialogue with the Shire. The Friends believe this relationship, as is the Friends relationship with the community of Losplaos, is founded on principles of mutual respect, friendship and trust.
Focal Point Worker – Fredy Sampaio
Fredy has decided to step down as the Friends Focal Point Worker in Lospalos. On behalf of the Friends, I am pleased to thank Fredy Sampaio for his work supporting the Friends as Focal Point Worker for over 10 years, particularly in his delivery of our significant capital works program and administrative support to the Lospalos Friends of Mornington Peninsula Commission.
Fredy, alongside the support of his beautiful young family, will continue to strengthen his English studies and will pursue further training in Dili for the next stage of his career. We acknowledge his support of the Friends work in Lospalos and look forward to hearing of his successes going forward.
Committee
The committee has met monthly during the year under review. All Friends may attend committee meetings. The Friends are fortunate to have as committee members three former councillors and Shire Mayors – Tim Rodgers, Graham Pittock and Simon Brooks.
Elected to the committee at the 13th October 2024 Annual General Meeting were –
President – Colleen Hammond,
Vice President – Tim Rodgers,
Secretary – Xiao Ma,
Treasurer – Harry Pittock,
Deputy Vice President – Graham Pittock,
Social Media Administrator – Jessica Forster,
Ordinary Members – Michael Callahan, Virginia Brook, Simon Brooks, David Ball, Patricia Ball, Prue Pittock.
Timor-Leste coffee sales and wines sales
The Friends continue to fundraise through coffee and wine sales. Please visit the friendsoflospalos website for details as to how to purchase coffee and wine, or make tax deductable (DGR) donations.
Donors and sponsors
We also acknowledge the generous support of our sponsors and donors over the year under review-
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council,
Dr Stephen Bowes, David and Patricia Ball,
Alison Coates Councillor David Gill
Andrew Cochrane Andrew Moss
Anne McVey Belinda Rodman
Bernadette Fyffe Bev Abbott
Bill Genat Christine Mauger
Colleen Hammond Dr David Price
Elizabeth Gillingham Frances Rule
G & P Pittock Georgie Stubbs
Geraldine Butler Harry Pittock
Hugh Fraser Jan Forster
Jennifer Johnson Jenny Macaffer
Jess Forster John Armitage
Josie Jones Judy Walsh
Mark Stirling Maureen McPhate
Michael Callahan Rosmarie Draper
Rupert Hinds Sarah Race
Tim Rodgers Virginia Brook
Xiao Ma Anonymous
We will continue to promote the work of the Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos Incorporated. We thank our member friends, donors and sponsors for sharing that goal. As always, we thank our member friends for renewing each year, and for those who bring with them family and friends who are also passionate about supporting the great work our committee does on a vast range of “ground up” projects.
We hope that member involvement and our outlining of successful projects will welcome new members with fresh ideas and the drive to continue the great work our volunteers do throughout the year.
In particular, I need to thank each and every one of these committee members and volunteers, for your involvement, not only on our monthly meetings, but also the communication through WhatsApp to allow us to continue to streamline our discussions and decision making for the most efficient use of all our time, but most importantly to get the best outcome for the people of Lospalos.
So, with that I want to say an overwhelming thank you. We look forward to working with you all as a community to further develop that Friendship - for the Timorese of Lospalos.
Colleen Hammond
President,
Mornington Peninsula Friends of Lospalos Inc.
