AFTER HUSBAND ’ S RETIREMENT , SALLY MERELY TURNED A CORNER
FECCA pleads for religious freedom
March 2017 THE CANBERRA REPORTER | 3
COVER STORY
A change of purpose to serve
AFTER HUSBAND ’ S RETIREMENT , SALLY MERELY TURNED A CORNER
By MARILIE BOMEDIANO
WHEN her husband Mark retired as a diplomat in 2007 , Sally Barber wouldn ’ t settle on becoming a woman of leisure enjoying the good life at home .
She merely took a different direction and turned her energies to helping others in need of service that she could help provide .
Although she participates actively in several projects in the ACT , Barber ’ s pet is Gawad Kalinga - or GK .
She is GK ’ s state director of the Philippines-based organisation with chapters worldwide and whose sole activity is to help poor people build their own homes rom community funding .
“ I was so impressed by the ideas and work of GK founder Tony Meloto that I did not have second thoughts to follow his dreams ,” she says .
Barber was introduced to GK during her activities with the local chapter of another organisation , Couples For Christ .
She has been responsible for running fund-raisers such as a Games Day , Trivia Night , Garage Sales , movie nights , the latest being One Woman Show featuring award-winning fiction book author Merlinda Bobis .
During her husband ’ s posting in Sweden , Sally picked up the game of
GK PROJECT
Pictured are Sally with husband Mark on the front porch of the couple ’ s home with lush gardens in the suburb of Deakin
Bridge and she developed a strong attachment to the activity .
She is now a director of Canberra Bridge Club and active in organising regular games .
Barber is also treasurer of the Philippine-Australian Association in Canberra , ex-officio member of the Women ’ s International Club , a member of the Commonwealth Club , and an active member of the foreign affairs wives ’ group , the Diplomatic Contact Group whose main role is to welcome new diplomats ’ spouses to Canberra .
An ability to focus diligently on every project she tackles
Sally developed a booklet ‘ Welcome to Canberra ’ which contains relevant information about Canberra for distribution to spouses of newly arrived diplomats .
Born and educated in Manila , Philippines , Sally met husband Mark in 1983 when he was posted at the
Australian embassy there . They were married in 1984 .
Mark ’ s postings then followed - after the couple ’ s only daughter Laura was born - to Argentina , Sweden , Borneo , and New Zealand . He retired in 2007 , and the couple settled in the leafy Canberra suburb of Deakin .
What ’ s even more remarkable about Sally is her ability to focus diligently on each project and activity to which she is involved .
And she appears to find the time to accommodate further requests for her service . •
Haiyan typhoon victms back in new homes at last
NATIONAL
Push for public housing rethink
THE low return on taxpayerfunded investment in affordable public housing demands a rethink on Commonwealth-State government funding programs , said the Housing Industry Association ( HIA ).
The National Affordable Housing Agreement ( NAHA ) between the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments had failed to deliver on its targets by a long shot , according to HIA ’ s deputy managing director Graham Wolfe .
“ The NAHA agreement , which commenced in 2009 with much fanfare about addressing lowerincome rental stress , housing affordability and homelessness has fallen well short of its performance benchmarks ,” Wolfe said .
“ The billions of dollars that has passed through the program should have delivered much more in affordable housing outcomes .”
“ The number of low income households living in rental stress , for example , has grown by over 20 per cent nationally in the six years to 2013-14 .
“ The NAHA agreement targeted a reduction of 10 per cent .”
At a time when housing affordability is under significant pressure across Australia , governments need to do more to help low and moderate income families into suitable accommodation ,” Wolfe said .•
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED : Top , GK homes completed construction ready for families to move in . Above , new gymnasium .
MORE than 245 families , displaced after super-typhoon Haiyan ( Yolanda ) hit southern Philippines in 2013 , began rebuilding their lives in new homes recently , thanks in a small part to the ACT region ’ s Gawad Kalinga ( GK ) chapter .
What made it all possible was a $ 1million grant by the Australian Government to GK Philippines in 2015 for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the municipality of Palo , in the island of Leyte , which took the brunt of Haiyan .
Palo ’ s Red Beach was the scene of US General Douglas MacArthur ’ s famous landing on October 20 , 1944 to start the Philippines ’ liberation from Japanese occupation .
LOCAL
The government grant was made through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT ), and managed by local government units of Palo and Tacloban , GK , Philippine Red Cross , and Catholic Relief Services .
Further contribution of the ACT region has been to GK ’ s ‘ Kusina Ng Kalinga ’ program to feed children in the Philippines .
Regional director Sally Barber organised two fund-raising events – a Trivia Night and a One-Woman Show with award-winning author Merlinda Bobis . Combined , the events – which raised $ 3,000 .
Each dollar raised would feed two children . •
NBN connecting more homes
FILIPINO-Australian families welcome an announcement that thousands more ACT properties will be connected to the National Broadband Network ( NBN ) over the next two years with completion due in 2019 .
Areas under construction will be able to access the network from late April up to August this year . The NBN website showed that Tuggeranong will be connected in the second half of 2018 .
Fyshwick businesses will have to wait until the first half of 2019 . The “ check your address ” tool includes technology types with a suburb ’ s profile ,•
FECCA pleads for religious freedom
RESIST any legislation designed to curb the freedom of religious practicef , pleaded chairman Joe Caputo of the Federal Ethnic Community Councils of Australia .
Caputo ’ s plea came in a submission to the Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into the status of the human right to freedom of religion or belief . •
PinOz Kate lights up a summer night
By MARILIE BOMEDIANO
OUR very own Kate Ceberano came to light up Canberra ’ s annual National Multicultural Festival at Civic Square on Friday , March 17 .
The pop diva , jazz singer and songwriter was the headline entertainment act on the Garema Place stage with Wiradjuri , Bollywood , Andrew Kirwin , Miriam Leiberman , The Borders , and Sol Nation .
At one point Ceberano , the ‘ face ;’ of the festival ’ s concert , remarked : “ I hope Filipinos are represented here , because my father is Filipino and I love Filipino food .”
Her music was about life , family and things that touched Ceberano ’ s audience .
Indeed , it was a celebration of culture and music that suited the Filipino- Australian artist to a ‘ T ’.•