Jo Russell, Charlton AWD, The Buloke Shire
Kim and Joo and their son Ping, travelled to Hualien, Taiwan in July to take part in a Tzu Chi retreat and to be present for Ping’s certification as a Tzu Chi commissioner. Kim described Taiwan as their spiritual home.
Kim and Joo are members of Charlton Action for World Development (AWD) and Kim spoke at the August AWD meeting.
She said that while Taiwan is half the size of Tasmania the population of Taiwan is forty-two times the population of Tasmania.
Tzu Chi is a nonprofit organisation that was founded in 1966 by Master Chen Yeng. The aim was to help the poor and educate the rich.
It prompts character building and the values of charity and love, as well as practical ideals in areas of medicine, education, environment and community volunteering.
Kim and Joo have been volunteering since 2002 when they were living in Malaysia and they continued this work when they moved to Australia.
Ping was introduced to volunteering from an early age and was keen to continue at university and when he started work in Melbourne.
Kim said the recent retreat was a wonderful experience. There were 558 people from 19 countries and 600 local Taiwanese volunteers to help them – so almost one-to-one!
Master Cheng, the founder and leader of Tzu Chi, encourages them to take care of their health so they can reach out to the needy.
She says, in observing suffering you come to appreciate your blessings.
Kim had seen the young volunteers in 2019 in Taiwan when she’d been involved as a supporter and mentor, and she said she was pleased to be there to witness their commissioning. It was an inspiring and informative talk.
See all the photos in the issue.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 24 November 2023.
