Friends of Aileu at Merri-bek's annual Coburg Night Market

Come along to the Coburg Night Market and visit the Friends of Aileu stall on Thursday 11 December, Friday 12 December and Saturday 13 December 5:00 to 10:00 pm

Note that on the Saturday only the market itself opens earlier at 12:00 noon.

PermaYouth Convergence 

During a recent trip to Timor-Leste, Friends of Aileu officer Aoife had the opportunity to attend the Permatil PermaYouth Convergence as part of a study trip organised by Future Collective. The study trip included three young Timorese-Australians who received Leadership Awards, supported by Friends of Aileu and Friends of Baucau.

During the trip they spent five days immersed in the Convergence, learning about permaculture principles and traditional landcare practices. They connected with young people from Timor-Leste, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, the United States, France, Germany, and Australia.

The group had the opportunity to attend a range of workshops including water conservation, sea turtle protection and traditional medicine. A key highlight was learning how to make akar (traditional palm bread) and to take part in natural tais dyeing and thread-making.

Each evening, the Convergence brought participants together through music and storytelling. They enjoyed performances by celebrated Timorese artists, including Permatil founder Ego Lemos and the popular rock band Familia Alcatraz, as well as music from the international participants.

Friends of Aileu is proud to have had the opportunity to support the participation of young Timorese-Australians in this significant learning experience.

Trip to Aileu & Atekru

While in Aileu, the group visited two long-standing partners: the Aileu Youth Centre and the Aileu Resource and Training Centre. These visits offered an opportunity to meet with young people and hear about the current projects being facilitated by these organisations. A special highlight was presenting two murals created during Grassroots Gatherings fundraisers in Melbourne.

In addition to travelling to Aileu, the group also spent three nights in Atekru, a small village on Ataúro Island. During this time, they had the opportunity to connect with the local community and learn about how they communally manage the Eco Tourism centre. 

Some highlights included learning to make a number of products from coconuts, visiting ancient cave paintings, snorkeling weaving Katupa, learning to prepare local food, and signing and talking around the camp fire. 

The Oral health promotion project: Kose Nehan - Where to from now?

The Friends of Aileu Oral Health promotion Working Group (Convenor Glenyys Romanes, volunteer project coordinator Dr Sandra Frans and members Natalie Savin, Dr John Rogers, Dr Jamie Roberston, Jinal Prajapati and Chris Adams) has been meeting at least monthly throughout the year to build on the earlier Kose Nehan / Brushing Teeth project.  

Dr Sandra spent a little over 1 week in Timor-Leste and Aileu in October and has produced an illuminating report on her discussions with a range of stakeholders.

One immediate outcome of Sandra's work and that of the Working Group as a whole is a new partnership with Timor-Leste NGO Maluk Timor on their proposal to the UK-based Borrow Foundation, for a $USD 287,000 project over 3 years, to expand oral health promotion activities and institutional strengthening of municipal dental services in the municipalities of Aileu, Manatuto and Bobonaro.

Thanks to the Balibo House Trust for receiving and providing DGR status to a donation of $6,150 to the project.

Thanks also to that private donor and to Dr Jamie Robertson for his separate donation of $2,500.

Santa Cruz massacre commemoration and National Youth Day celebrations

Each year on 12 November, Timor-Leste commemorates the heroes of the Santa Cruz massacre, which was perpetrated against peaceful demonstrators by Indonesian forces on that date in 1991.

Independent estimates put the number of young people, many of them school or university students, who were killed at the Santa Cruz cemetery and over the following days at 271, with 250 listed as missing.

When news of the massacre including video taken by UK reporter and activist Max Stahl reached the outside world, the event became a turning point in awareness of and support for Timor-Leste's resistance to occupation amongst the international community.

12 November is also Timor-Leste's National Youth Day, which serves as a celebration of the contributions of youth to the nation and its future.

This year Aileu was chosen as the venue for the national commemoration of the Santa Cruz massacre and the celebration of National Youth Day.

The day included both solemn and joyful activity, including cultural performances, sporting events and a public evening concert.

Timor-Leste celebrations

The national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Proclamation of Independence was held in Tasi Tolu, Dili, on 28 November.

These celebrations featured an exhibition on the Development of Local Government by each municipality and including stalls promoting the work and produce of some of their respective community organisations.

Aileu celebrations

In Aileu, the Independence Day celebrations were held in the renovated  Sabraka Laran gardens.

Activities included:

• The march past by traditional leaders, police, fire-fighters, other municipal departments and school students
• Raising of the Timor-Leste flag
• Presentation of individual awards
• Aileu Community Cup sports events and awards.

The community centrepiece of the celebrations was the 19th Aileu Expo of traditional culture and local produce and products, held over 3 days from 26 to 28 November. 

The Expo was again managed for the municipality by the Aileu Resource and Training Centre (ARTC) and included:

• Displays by community organisations
• Cultural performances.

Also, as part of the Expo:

• Dignitaries and local officials including the Vice-Minister for Institutional Strengthening and the Aileu Municipal President visited ARTC's Kadalak Dame garden, where they took part in a symbolic and practical tree planting activity
• The ARTC also hosted a visit by the Xanana Reading room's mobile library, which involved the enthusiastic participation of local school students.

Friends of Aileu commemoration

Friends of Aileu commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence, when members gathered on 28 November for a small ceremony and raising of the Timor-Leste flag outside the Coburg Town Hall, Merri-bek Civic Centre.

Library Talk with Paulie Stewart 

Paulie Stewart, singer-songwriter, journalist and activist of Painters and Dockers and Dili Allstars fame, delivered the second of this year's library talks on 9 October at the Glenroy Community Hub.

Paulie's account of incidents from his life story, as covered by his memoir All The Rage!, entertained the audience of some 30 people, and elicited a range of questions and lively exchanges.

Paulie's story and that of his brother of Tony Stewart, one of the Balibo 5, was particularly poignant as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the killing of the Balibo 5 on 16 October 1975 by Indonesian forces, operating clandestinely in East Timor prior to the full-scale invasion on 7 December 1975.

On display during the talk was the Timorese Association in Victoria's photographic exhibition, La'o Rai / Walk the Land, celebrating 50 years of community life in Victoria.

METAC November Welcome Dinner

The Melbourne East Timorese Activity Centre (METAC) Welcome Dinner on Friday 7 November was sponsored by Friends of Baucau.

A feature of the evening was a presentation by Tina De Melo and Xavi dos Santos, 2 of the 3 young people whose participation as Young Leader Awardees in the 1st International PermaYouth Convergence in Ermera, Timor-Leste, during October, was sponsored by Friends of Baucau (FoB) and Friends of Aileu (FoA).

The trip, facilitated by the local not-for-profit organisation Future Collective, in collaboration with FoA and FoB, also involved engagements with the communities of:

• Atekru, Atauro, and the work of the Timor-Leste environmental NGO NaTerra
• Alieu, including visits to the Aileu Resource and Training Centre's Kadalak Dame garden project, and the Aileu Municipal Youth Centre.

Tina, Xavi and Helena Da Silva (the 3rd Young Leader Awardee) are currently working with FoA and FoB on ways they will share their experiences with other young members of the East Timorese and broader communities. 

The item under the heading PermaYouth Convergence, elsewhere in this newsletter, provides more detail about the Future Collective trip and the convergence including participation by 10 workers from the AERTC's Kadalak Dame garden project and another 26 young people from Aileu facilitated by the Aileu Anan association (AILA).

Trivia Quiz fundraiser for Aileu Scholarship Program

On Thursday 20 November over 120 guests came together at Coburg Town Hall for a fun night at the Annual Trivia Quiz.

Together they raised over $10,600 for the Aileu Scholarship Program, which puts us in a good position to continue to support the studies of some 20 young people from Aileu for the 2026 academic year.

Rusty Berther, as the event's MC, and ably assisted with scoring by Chris Blake, kept the evening rolling along with a variety of questions, including some incredibly well-executed and challenging lyric/tune mashes, and a fun True/False game rounded off by a sudden death elimination of survivors with a 'sing the next line of the song' challenge.

Thanks to Auctioneer Richard Brown, Coin Toss game manager Teresa Garcia, and all participants, and to the community and business donors and the Merri-bek and Hume City Councils for their support for Friends of Aileu and this our major fundraiser each year.

Last but not least, thanks to Cr Adam Pulford, for his inspiring words and for bringing along his new and well-behaved four-legged friend Frankie.

Merri-bek City Council - Friends of Aileu is registered as a fundraiser with Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Make an online donation

You may now support the community development work of our partners in Aileu by donating on-line to Friends of Aileu via the Give Now platform managed by the not-for-profit social enterprise Our Community.Com  ourcommunity.com.au

You can read more about the Wild Timor Coffee story here and, if you're in the vicinity, drop by the Wild Timor Coffee Cafe at 282 Sydney Road, Coburg, which also serves a delicious and ever evolving menu.

Purchase Wild Timor Coffee

When you purchase Wild Timor Coffee from Friends of Aileu, 50% of the purchase price goes towards supporting the community development activities of our partners in Aileu.

Caffeinate for a good cause with delicious, iconic single-origin Wild Timor Coffee.

From crop to cup, these coffee beans are grown organically under ancient shade trees in the rural village of Belumhato, Aileu, ethically purchased direct from the growers and freshly roasted in Melbourne.

You can purchase freshly roasted whole beans or ground coffee from:

• The Customer Service Counter at the Merri-bek Civic Centre, Coburg
• The East Timor Project Team, in Merri-bek's Community Wellbeing Department and Hume's Community Capacity Building Team.

You may contact us by email to order your coffee in advance.

About the Friends of Aileu Community Committee and how you can be involved

In the video to the left, Anne Jungwirth and Chico Dos Santos, volunteer members of the Friends of Aileu Community Committee, share some thoughts on what our friendship relationship with Aileu means to them.

To find out more, including how you can be involved, you may contact the Project Officer.