John Curtin Leadership Academy holding fund-raiser for rural solar power project

Miri – 25 September 2009 – As part of its fund-raising efforts to support rural communities under its ongoing Project Care community outreach programme, the John Curtin Leadership Academy of Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) will be holding ‘The Circus’, a musical event for students and the public, on 18 October 2009.

Funds raised from the sale of tickets for the event, which will be held from 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm at the university’s Recreation & Events Centre, will go towards providing solar power to the remote village of Long Makabar in Miri Division.

The John Curtin Leadership Academy or JCLA is a leadership and community ambassador programme developed by Curtin to groom young leaders amongst its students. It promotes the core values of vision, leadership and community service expounded by former Australian Prime Minister John Curtin, who is regarded as one of the country’s most successful leaders and after whom the university is named.

According to event coordinator Gerain Chan, ‘The Circus’ promises to be a fun and rewarding event for the students involved, as well as the audience. “We students are happy to help our local communities, particularly those in the interior, and what better way to help the Long Makabar folks develop their community than to provide them with a cheap, sustainable energy resource such as solar power,” he said.

‘The Circus’ will feature a variety of dance and musical performances by Curtin Sarawak student groups, as well as students of local secondary schools and a special performance by the Miri Orchestra and Choir Society (MOCS).

“The MOCS’ recent ‘Devoted to You’ concert at Pustaka Miri was a huge success and we hope their presence will add glitter to our charity event,” said Chan on MOCS’ participation in the event.

Ticket reservations for ‘The Circus’ can be made by contacting either Shahul Hameed at 013-8331415 or Kairul Azhar at 017-6243897. More information on he event can be obtained by logging onto the Project Care website at www.doiop.com/projectcare or e-mailing Project Care at projectcare.jcla@gmail.com.

Chan disclosed that the JCLA aims to raise RM6,000 from the event, which will go towards completing the Project Care pilot Solar Panel Project at Long Makabar. The JCLA has organised a number of fund-raising events since August 2008 to fund the project.

Launched in July last year, the RM20,000 project addresses Long Makabar’s lack of electricity and will serve as a catalyst for its future development. It involves installing a solar energy harnessing system at its cultural centre, the hub of a fledgling tourism and cottage industry the villagers are developing as an added source of income for the community. Once implemented, the project is expected to save the community about RM100,000 in energy costs each year. For more information on the project, visit www.doiop.com/projectcare.

Performance by MOCS set to be a highlight of the charity event.

View of Long Makabar (Cultural Centre is in foreground with blue roof).

The Long Makabar Cultural Centre