Old and rusty but very useful
By Robyn Waite
DARWIN — When the local Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) here regrouped in the New Year, we decided to back up our educational and solidarity activities with direct, practical aid work.
The idea was simple: buy a cheap ute, pack it with useful donated goods and send it to the grassroots organisations we support in East Timor.
In high spirits we began our mission — "Operation Scrounge". We leafleted letter boxes all over Darwin, focussing on ritzy suburbs where people might just happen to be throwing away a computer, fax machine or car.
We scored with the computer and the fax machine, but nobody offered a car. Then we heard about an old ute sitting in somebody's back yard which couldn't be registered because it was rusty. We bought it for $500 with funds from the national ASIET office.
It was certainly a bit old and rusty, but the motor was fine. It was a 4WD and could cope with the rough roads in East Timor and, best of all, it had a big flat tray that we could load the donations onto.
Blatant and unashamed acts of pushiness, begging and sweet smiles yielded amazing results — reams of paper and assorted stationery, agricultural and mechanical tools, gerry cans and oil. We were ready, the ute was ready, now all we needed was to get it there.
This proved difficult. Again and again, as we tried to get our ute onto the HMAS Jervis Bay, we were told "Yes, today's the day", only to be knocked back a few hours later.
Finally it was the end of the Interfet mission and the HMAS Jervis Bay's last trip. The ute was left at the wharf for loading. Then a few hours later a phone call, "Sorry, your ute wouldn't start so we couldn't drive it on".
But when we turned the key in the ignition, it worked perfectly. Disappointment turned to anger.
A few phone calls later, a certain major finally admitted, "We can't send that thing to East Timor. It's too old and rusty and it's unregistered."
Sure, our beloved ute did look a bit of a sight, especially laden down with all those donations, but where were the Interfet or UN regulations regarding registration or any aesthetic requirements for vehicles sent to East Timor? There were none, but the major had a ship to sail and wasn't in the mood for a debate.
Fortunately, there is a happy ending to this saga. The ute and the donations are now in East Timor, being used with much appreciation by the Socialist Party of Timor and the Maubere Cooperatives Foundation. A local shipping company heard our tale of woe, took pity on us and generously agreed to take the ute to Dili free of charge.
Thank you to that company, who must remain nameless, and to all the other individuals and businesses in Darwin who donated their goods and time.