Report on the Charitable Trip to offer Gifts of Loving Kindness to Bushfire Survivors in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland

Report on the Charitable Trip
 to offer Gifts of Loving Kindness

to Bushfire Survivors in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland
 

In the Most Venerable Thich Bao Lac's emergency message and the open letter of Senior Venerable Thich Tam Phuong, Commissioner for Social Welfare and Charities of the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia and New Zealand, they called for the relief for the survivors of the bush fire occurring throughout Australia from early November 2019 until now.

The Commission for Social Welfare and Charities has received the financial contribution of 25 temple members with total amount: AU$349,544 to hopefully ease the suffering and lose of the bushfire survivors.

"When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree; when drinking clear water, remember who dug the well.”  - Vietnamese Proverb.

This is a wonderful and beautiful tradition of the Vietnamese-culture, wishing to show their gratitude to Australia for accepting the Vietnamese people, from 1975 to the present.  

On the 4^th day of the Lunar New Year of the Rat (Tuesday, 28^th January 2020), the Commission for Social Welfare and Charities  organized the first visits to two bush fire locations: East Gippsland in Victoria and Lavington in NSW.  

The delegation consisted of:

• The Head of the Commission for Social Welfare and Charities, Senior Venerable Thich Tam Phuong, Founder of Quang Duc Monastery;
• General Secretary of Congregation, Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang, the Abbot of Quang Duc Monastery;
• Secretary of Congregation of the Commission for Dharma Propagating, Senior Venerable Thich Nhuan Chon,  Abbot of Kim Cang Monastery;
• Deputy General Secretary of Congregation, Senior Venerable Thich Vien Tinh, the Abbot of Bao Minh Temple;
• Deputy General Secretary of Congregation, Venerable Thich Hanh Pham, Abbot of Tu An Monastery;
• Treasurer of Congregation, Senior Venerable Nun Thich Nu Nhu Tuyet, Abbot of Dieu Am Temple;
• Deputy Treasurer of Congregation, Senior Venerable Nun Thich Nu Nhat Lien, Abbot of Bo De Temple;
• Deputy Commissioner for Social Welfare and Charities, Venerable Nun Thich Nu Nguyen Khai, Abbot  of  An Lac Hanh Temple;
• Councilor Kim Thien Truong, Deputy Mayor of Brimbank City Council; and
• more than 30 members of Buddhist congregation, representing monasteries and temples in Victoria.

Mr. John Mitchell and a number of CFA representatives accepted the donation of AU$50,000 from the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia and New Zealand, Channel 9 and Win news reported this compassionate event for the evening news. (Click to see more photos)

After departing from Quang Duc Monastery, Fawkner, on a more than three-hour bus journey, the delegation arrived at the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund, 40 Argyle Street, Traralgon, the Council representative office of East Gippsland, Vitoria.

Due to general regulations, the delegation could not go to the actual location of those areas suffering from the fire.  Therefore, Mr. John Mitchell and a number of CFA representatives accepted the donation of AU$50,000 from the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia and New Zealand, Channel 9 and Win news reported this compassionate event for the evening news.

Leaving East Gippsland, the delegation travelled more than 500 kms, to the second location at the Lavington Rural Fire Brigade, 629 Krautz Street, Lavington, NSW.  After the nearly six-hour journey, the delegation arrived at 4:15 pm.  Immediately the delegation went to buy the requested necessary supplies, as identified by them, for the volunteer firefighter team including: 10 Samsung Tablets, 35 gas masks , (full face masks from BOC Gas), 20 fire locator maps (Astrien navigator) 2 handheld radios & 2 petrol powered blowers, totaling more than AU$30,000 (see detailed contribution list).  

The delegation handed these over to the more than 30 firefighters at their fire station.  Mr. Bruce represented the volunteer firefighters of the Regional Fire Service, to thank all the monks and nuns and fellow Buddhists.

Mr. Bruce represented the volunteer firefighters of the Regional Fire Service, to thank all the monks and nuns and fellow Buddhists. (Click to see more photos)

On the morning of Tuesday, 4^th February 2020, the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Charities came to Queensland to support the bushfire survivors.  There, the delegation consisted of:

• Senior Venerable Thich Tam Phuong, Head of the Commission for Social Welfare and Charities;
• Most Venerable Thich Minh Hieu (Founder of Minh Quang Monastery, Qld) Member of the Central Sangha Council;
• Venerable Thich Minh Dinh;
• Venerable Nun Thao Lien;
• Venerable Nun Lien Han (Minh Quang Monastery, Qld);
• Venerable Nun An Hieu (Phap Hung Temple, Qld); and
• Buddhist members of Phap Quang Temple & Minh Quang Monastery, joined together to hand the cheque for AU$30,000, to the Queensland Fire Department.  

The very next day, Wednesday, 5^th February, the delegation of the General Department of Charity also forwarded a cheque for AU$20,000 to the Queensland Premier's Office.


Congregation and the Commission for Social Welfare and Charity offer the gift to Queensland bushfire survivors (Click to see more photos)

It should be known that the Congregation and the Commission for Social Welfare and Charity will continue to offer gifts to survivors of the fires in Wandandian, New South Wales (phase 2) on Wednesday, 12^th February with amount $100,000 (one hundred thousand dollars);  and Kangaroo Island, South Australia on Monday, 24^th February, with amount: $70,000 (Seventy thousand dollars). And the rest of money remain (around $49,000), the Commissioner of Social Welfare and Charities will offer the bushfire survivor in Victoria (phase 2, to be adviced later).

Nam Mo Amibha Buddha
By Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang
General Secretary of Congregation