colombolions.com

[Tracy]

Hi,
Most of us have spent a weekend or two (or more) on the beach in Unawatuna and had a really nice time. Pretty much all of the guest houses and restaurants and of course houses on the beach have been destroyed. The village has to cope with that plus of course the loss of life. And with the indecisiveness over the 100 metre ruling, people there are insecure and lacking in confidence over what to do. The village is dependent on fishing and tourism.

The locals are thinking about moving back to houses, businesses and land (however incomplete) on or close to the beach. The feeling is that it needs one person/family to move back and then others will follow suit and start to rebuild their livelihood. Nobody wants to be the first. It needs one person to just do it.

The lady who used to run the Pink Elephant has a house the other side of the road from the the beach. She is holding a party Saturday night at her house. She needs some support in the form of people to come to the party. I know that some of us were directly affected by the tsunami and the last place you probably want to be is anywhere near the beach. However the people there need some support to just get on with their lives and the first step is to go back to the beach.

So if you're not doing anything this Saturday night come to the party. (map and details to follow). The village needs a demo of confidence in its ability to rebuild and recover.

There are some guest houses open if you want to support the local economy. It would be really good if we could support the village.

And a party's a party! It's just a small thing but psychologically it would make a big difference. Pass the word if you know anyone into parties.

Cheers