THE LADY IN THE HAT VISITS EUMUNDI

The Rotary Club of Eumundi welcomed 2 special guest speakers – Tamara Sloper-Harding (OAM) and daughter Armelle – to a recent meeting held at the QCWA Hall in Eumundi. Tamara has dedicated 20yrs to supporting a remote community in East Timor.

As a Royal Australian Naval officer, she received an urgent deployment notice to join the peacekeeping forces in East Timor during her wedding ceremony to her army husband Adrian in 1999. Since then, Tamara has been committed to aiding the East-Timorese community.

Horrified by the conditions and destruction, Tamara organised food donations to orphanages and schools. The new Timor Leste Government allocated her Soibada – an isolated community with no roads, water or electricity. A group of Dominican nuns and priest struggled to educate and administer basic help.

Eumundi Rotary member Greg Ison – who was Tamara’s commanding officer at the Australian Joint Intelligence Centre – fondly recalled how she would put on her officer’s hat whenever she needed silence to work on her reports. This simple act would immediately command everyone's attention and quiet. Today, Tamara is easily recognisable by the beautiful hats she wears.

With the support of Avalon Rotary Club, Northern Beaches friends, and Maria Regina Catholic School, ‘The Lady in the Hat’ registered Friends of Soibada as a charity. Volunteers teach locals skills that enhance the community through health improvements, education, arts and crafts, infrastructure and community self-sufficiency. Local women are also using their new skills to sell handcrafted items and gain independence.

Renovated buildings in Soibada now house pre-school and primary classes. A local dentist, along with volunteer Timorese dental nurses, visit the community. Since few children own a toothbrush, dental hygiene is a major project. Tamara and Armelle are particularly concerned about the lack of maternity care and education for young girls and women in a traditionally male-dominated society, with strong Catholic traditions.

Friends of Soibada now has 4 teachers, with the Rotary Club of Eumundi recently agreeing to sponsor one of these teachers. The hope is that other organisations or businesses can provide volunteers and sponsors to teach farming, carpentry and building skills. A purposebuilt school and medical centre are priorities. Volunteers in Australia are also needed for fundraising, marketing and promotion now the project has grown.

Tamara was awarded a Rotary International Award in 2011 and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2016 for her work with Soibada, Pittwater (NSW) communities, social justice committees, and RSL and Veterans’ organisations. The ‘Lady in the Hat’ remains as committed as ever to Soibada. Tamara takes volunteers twice a year on visits, and Armelle encourages connections between young Australians and Soibada children. For further information visit: friendsofsoibada.com.