The following email was received from Stephen Walter, CEO of the The YVMDFNL shall receive all the proceeds from last week’s Bushfire Fundraiser.

Thank you to the Vietnam Swans, Bali Geckos and supporters.

There is no doubting that all of you are passionate footy lovers & equally passionate about supporting great causes.

Can you please extend my sympathies to your Indonesian colleagues with the shocking news of the dam wall collapse on the day prior to your match (see the Jakarta Post, ).

Your efforts in putting the match on are first class. Please pass on my congratulations to all of your helpers, players & supporters.

The money will be put to good use and, as an example, we are right at this moment putting together a sporting pack for our members who lost their homes / possessions. We envisage the pack will be worth about $300 to $400 and will include footy boots, runners, track suits, polos etc etc.

Although our list is not final, we expect to be supporting around 50 footballers & netballers.

Sorry that you didn’t get the (signed Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League) jumpers in time (they arrived in Saigon two days ago on the Monday of this week) but $200 & $210 for the two jumpers was a great result. Damian Monkhorst (one of the signatories) is still playing in the YVMDFL for Woori Yallock.

I will put together a media release and your photos will be put on our website over the next few days.

Once again, thank you to all of you & if you are in town, please give me a call so we can catch up or perhaps see Kinglake in action.

I look forward to getting your jumpers (a Vietnam Swans jumper and a Bali Geckos jumper were signed by each team’s best player on the day of the Bushfire Match and have been forwarded to the YVMDFL). They will be proudly displayed in our office.

Well done & congratulations to all at the Bali Geckos & Vietnam Swans.

Regards

STEPHEN WALTER

CEO, Yarra Valley Mountain District Football Netball League

For more photos, please check the .

Photos courtesy of and Bill Crang.

will be held in Saigon at the Van Thanh Park, District 2 this Saturday, 4 April 2009.

Last weekend, a few of us met Club Sponsor, Jimmy Beam. This weekend, you will be able to meet the man who has gargled more Beam than even Big Joe with his handlebar mo – Mr Jimmy Barnes!! That’s right, Barnsey is coming!

For all the details, click on the .

SPEECH BY ACTING CONSUL GENERAL, MR SUNARMIN SUNGGONO

THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT THE OCCASION OF THE BLACK SATURDAY BUSHFIRE MATCH

BETWEEN THE VIETNAM SWANS AND BALI GECKOS

28 March 2009, Saigon

Ladies and gentlemen,

Actually I feel honoured to be invited here to see the Aussie Footy and to present the trophy to the Bali Geckos, the winners of the Black Saturday Bushfire Match today.

On this opportunity, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy for the  victims’ families as well as the people of Australia for the wild bushfires that happened last month in Victoria and I hope this tragedy will not happen again.

As was informed before the match when we observed the minute’s silence, there was a dam that burst in the outskirts of Jakarta yesterday morning which caused physical devastation and suffering to the people in the area of the dam (see the Jakarta Post, ). It was with profound grief that I learned of that devastation. We do hope that the families who lost their near and dear ones would be given the strength to withstand this difficult period with courage.

I would also like to thank the Organizing Committee of today’s match for the idea of conducting this event. Such an event gives us the chance to raise our empathy to some tragedies or other important events that occur around us.

I would say that this match has given room for Indonesian and Australian people to get closer in their relationship as neighbors.

For the players, thanks for showing the best and friendly game.

For the Bali Geckos, the winners of the game, congratulations!

Thank you.

For photos of the match, please visit the .