MAVIS GOES TO TIMOR

Stung into action by the suffering of the East Timorese, an 86 year old retired haberdasher from regional Victoria decides that ‘Yes, you can make a difference’. Along with her daughter, Mavis took her sewing machines to Timor and set about making a practical contribution. Amid the destruction and buoyed by the people’s overwhelming faith and positivism, Mavis struggles on, tackling the deprivation, the bureaucratic red tape and her own doubts that she is up to the job. Twenty three sewing centres later, over 119 tonnes of donated household goods have made their way from Mavis’s place in Yarrawonga to the newly independent nation to our North. And the sewing co-operatives continue today. This is the true story of the power of one — and a timely reminder that compassion in action can still change lives. (3 female).