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Volunteerism at its best

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  • 17-01-2005 1:39pm
    #1
    star gazer
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 1,706 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    It's been a traumatic end to 2004 and begining for 2005 with the devastating Tsunami that tore through coasts around the Indian Ocean. Thousands died and many more thousands left homeless by the powerful waves. It was a dark day but it brought out the best in people all over the world including in Ireland. So many volunteered their time to collect money to aid the survivors of the tragedy with some people in a water purification tablet factory in the South East even working through holidays to produce a life saving product in these circumstances. The fishing boats for the Sri Lankan coastal communities paid for with money from fundraising here was a reflection of the generosity and inteligence of irish people wanting to help. There were also stories of Thai people taking in tourists who had no place to go even with all the pain they and their community had suffered. There is even the sense that the international community was able to put aside its differences and help those most in need and a realisation of the need for cooperation on an early warning system in future for the indian ocean and hopefully any other area without such a system.

    The death of Robert Holohan shook the Midleton community to it's foundations. Events are still ongoing in the investigation but the efforts and goodwill of the community in midleton and from people right across ireland was immense when Robert Holohan could not be found. People combing the countryside did eventually find the boys body. No one will be able to take away the grief of the family and friends and the genuine empathy of so many people around Ireland felt and still feel. We can only hope that the communities actions will be of some comfort to the family.

    In the most difficult of circumstances people did what needed to be done. It will not be possible to keep such intense effort sustained over long periods but if people can hold onto a small bit of that community spirit over time then nationally and internationally peoples lives can be enhanced and their horizons expanded.


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