TIME TO MEET THIS MAN

This is Julian Davies (good Welsh name!). Julian is a Christian in a Buddhist country. He was my wife's boss in Sri Lanka, a successful clothing manufacturer. I'm pleased to say her skill and flare helped build his business significantly in the European market. He has since become our good friend.

Julian has also built a remarkable eco-hotel Yala Village in the south of Sri Lanka which you can see here: www.yalavillage.com It's right on the beach and was right in the path of the tsunami. We tried desperately to reach him by phone as soon as the news of the disaster broke and were fearful for him and his family, when no reply came from either the hotel or his Colombo home.

Yet somehow Yala Village was miraculously preserved, with damage to only 2 chalets and not one life lost. It's as if God loves an eco-hotel model. Here's a couple of pictures of the next door hotel (Yala Safari), just half a mile down the beach, which was completely obliterated by the fury of Nature with over 75% of staff and guests dead or missing.

not one brick left

the fury

Hurrying to the scene, Julian arrived just 90 minutes after the disaster. He helped pulling dozens of bodies from the mud and rubble. Quickly seizing the initiative among the dazed survivors, he got them into schools, got emergency food to them by emptying the larders in his own hotel. He's that sort of man and he is aware of his responsibilities - his business activities support large numbers of families in the community. You'd like him.

It is with Julian's help that I went to Yala and because of him I chose this region (now you know why there was an elephant wandering through the hotel!). He lent me the old SUV we used to run when we lived here. He wrote me introductions to the local bigwigs. His staff were put at my disposal. Julian has been about as helpful as anyone could be. To me, he's a local hero.

But I introduce him with a greater purpose. Julian is already planning the recovery stage and has considerable resources to help him: $100,000 initially and maybe up to $1,000,000. I am delighted beyond measure that he asked me to submit a proposal that the bulk of the money be used for an alternative medicine facility, along ecological lines. This has now become an urgent priority for me. The government has ruled that all relief and recovery projects submitted and approved before January 15th will be fast-tracked through the planning stages (could save years, frankly!). It is urgent we get our proposed plans in before this deadline.

It is serendipity indeed, because I do have the knowledge to create something world-unique and specific but could never have had the resources to build such a beast. Yet it could be so vital here, in a poor country where Western medicine is beyond the reach of many.
 

THAT BRINGS ME TO MY SECOND SIGNIFICANT FRIEND..