Walkerston Feature 16

Sport 24

as her bright, practical pottery. The North Eton store was the first property Ms Christensen inspected, saying she fell in love with the area on sight. “The valley quite reminds me of Denmark in one sense,” Ms Christensen said in 1993. “You go a little way and there’s one little town, go again and there’s another town and, if you visualise the cane as wheat, it’s very similar.” Ms Christensen sold the store around 20 years ago, moving to Mackay and continuing her creative pursuits in the way of silk screening projects and photography. Sadly, Ms Christensen passed away in November 2022. Ms McDonald was in Denmark at the time, where she regularly visits her two children and grandchildren who now live there. She joined the funeral via a live stream and returned for a moving Scattering of the Ashes Ceremony held at a later date. “I don't think my brain has, even now, caught up with the fact that Bente is no longer here to get together with and have a good old conversation with, in both of our languages,” said Ms McDonald. “It is immensely sad not to have my funny, crazy, very clever friend, and namesake, around anymore. “I am sure the lovely Bente Christensen would also have had a big smile, wherever in the universe she may be.”

A HELPING HAND FROM WALKERSTON ROTARY IN CAMBODIA

Last year, Walkerston Rotary Club member Col Baldock joined Rockhampton Fitzroy Rotary club members, other Rotarians and non-Rotarians for a ten-day trip to Cambodia’s Phnom Penh and Siem Reap regions. The Rocky Fitzroy club has several projects going on in these areas, building schools, establishing water wells to supply water for a handful of residences; and also educating and supplying birthing kits and delivering sanitary kits for women and girls, supplied by Walkerston Rotary’s affiliated group Mackay Days for Girls. Donations-in-kind such as repurposed stretchers and first aid kits were also presented. A stand-out event was the Rotarian volunteers who delivered and fitted the Helping Hands prosthetics which have been produced for landmine victims in Cambodia, as well as Sri Lanka, Kenya and Laos. A short but extremely interesting tour of the local area was also presented as part of the visit. Vision Cambodia coordinates this project. As a result of Col Baldock’s promotion of his visit to Cambodia, the Rotary Club of Walkerston has donated financial support to the Vision Cambodia Organization to assist with building schools and water wells in rural areas of Cambodia (RAOAF). The next Cambodia trip, to assist with this project, is planned for April 2023.

Col Baldock in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Installing a water well Fitting a Helping Hand prosthetic

Rotary members in Cambodia