History of the Liquiçá District
We have a ‘friendship city’ relationship with the Liquiçá District in East Timor dating back to 2003. East Timor is one of the poorest countries in the world, with poverty levels at alarming rates; more than two in five people live on less than 55 cents per day, with only 58% of people having access to clean water.
Liquiçá is a region west of the country’s capital Dili, where Australian soldiers operated during World War II. The district has a population of 55,058 (Census 2004) and an area of 543 square kilometres.
During the Indonesian occupation, the Indonesian government constructed many buildings in Liquiçá, but after the referendum of 1999 and during the militia's campaign almost everything was destroyed. Most notably, many East Timorese were murdered during the Liquiçá Church Massacre of April 1999. Although the exact number of victims is unknown, it is believed that between 60 and 200 Timorese people seeking refuge in the Catholic Church were killed by pro-Indonesia militias.
Today, Liquiçá is primarily an agricultural district dependent on the production of coffee and other crops such as rice and corn, as well as fishing and tourism.
Friends of Liquiçá
We work closely with the Friends of Liquiçá, a community group first established in 2003 and meet regularly to discuss potential projects to raise funds and awareness for the people of the Liquiçá District and to develop recommendations on furthering the friendship arrangement Council has with the region.
For further information on the Friends of Liquiçá community group, please contact Kathy Byrne on 9376 3440 or kathybyrne@bigpond.com.au.
Timeline of Events
- In 2005, we held our first Mayoral Charity Community Race Day (formerly known as the Liquiçá Plate) and since then we have raised over $124,000 with a large portion of the funds going to support projects in the Liquiçá District.
- In 2007, we held a community forum and celebration at the Flemington Community Centre to recognise the anniversary of the East Timorese referendum on 30 August 1999 and since then we have continued to raise awareness of the plight of the East Timorese people.
- In 2008, we entered into an agreement with a volunteer-based charity called Life, Love & Health to fund two projects in the area; the rebuilding of a school in Garianna and a river diversion project in Lepa. An amount of AU$33,000 was allocated to fund these projects and in August 2009, a member of Council’s executive staff travelled to East Timor to attend the official opening of the school. Photographer Luka Kauzlaric documented these projects through a photographic study sponsored by Council with the images to be displayed at the Hotel Esplanada in Dili.
- In August 2010, Councillor Cusack visited East Timor along with a member of Council’s executive staff, to participate in a Strengthening Friendship Workshop. This was to recognise a decade of the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Movement and each of the Friendship Groups recommitted themselves to a further ten years of friendship with the people of East Timor.
- During this visit, a meeting was held with Leonel de Jesus Carvalho, the District Administrator of the Liquiçá District and Mateus Fatima Luan, the Sub-District Administrator, to discuss key issues in the region and any potential support Council may provide.
- There was also the opportunity to attend an event at the Australian Embassy hosted by Ambassador Peter Heyward, where Kirsty Sword Gusmão spoke in her role as Goodwill Ambassador for Education. Kirsty is the wife of the Prime Minister and former President of East Timor, Xanana Gusmão, and was particularly interested in Council’s friendship city relationship given her early years spent in Melbourne.
- In 2010, we also arranged for sporting goods donated by various clubs to be taken over to the Liquiçá District and sponsored two Timorese locals to travel with the national team to an AFL tournament in Bali.
- We are currently working with Life, Love & Health exploring options to establish a satellite internet connection to the District Administrators office and to a community space within the township of Liquiçá.
- Most recently, a member of Councils executive staff met with the Liquiçá District Community Development Officer and provided him with a tour of Moonee Valley and discussed potential projects for the region, including the development of a football field in the region.
Further Information
To find out more about our friendship city relationship with the Liquica district, please contact Dimity Gunn on 9243 8888 or dgunn@mvcc.vic.gov.au.