Foundation of Goodness thanks Joe Hoad, Bajan Coach

EXTRACT OF LETTER OF THANKS FROM THE FOUNDATION OF GOODNESS TO JOE HOAD,  23 November 2010

Dear Joe,

Hope that you had a pleasant flight back home and reached Adelaide in time for your junior cricket match which I hope your side won hands down !!

Over here we have had a lot of rain and I am sure the rain gods are crying because you left us!!

Joe, there were two paper articles written over the weekend about you, one by Aubry Kuruppu in the Sunday Times and the other by Saadi Thawfeeq in the Nation and I will be sending them to you via courier along with the following other items:

1. CD’s with your coaching sessions (hope the FOG CD already given to you would be useful for your fund raising work back in Adelaide);
2. Grey color FOG T’shirt;

…. We are ever so grateful for your contribution during your two week stay in Seenigama and we are certain that the poor rural kids and the coaches gained a wealth of experience by listening to your coaching/psychological sessions and this we are sure would help them immensely in the future.

Dharmasoka College- Ambalangoda (Table Tennis) and Karandeniya Central College-Karandeniya (TT, Cricket and Netball) have thanked us for making your services available to them. I will await the response from Dharmasoka regarding theTT balls and once they have bought the stuff, will release the money from the funds given.

Our Ladies team is ever so thankful to you for your kind advise, guidance and also for your gift of 3 no’s thigh pads and 03 no’s batting gloves which they appreciated very much. Yashoda Mendis (RH middle order bat) and Anushka Sanjeevani (RH opening bat & WK) who are in the Sri Lanka Development squad said that they gained much from listening to you and I told them that the best way to thank you is to work harder and get into the actual SL squad in the not too distant future!

We will give our full attention to Madushan, the 20 year old left arm fast bowler who has never played school cricket, but represents our FOG Club Team now, whom you think has huge potential. Have instructed head coach Anjula to look at the possibilities for him to train in Galle and will also request Chaminda Vaas who is one of our trustees through Kushil, to have a look at him at a convenient time to him. I feel that there is no one better than Chaminda to pass on a few tips to the boy being a left arm quickie himself.

….

Took note of your comments about our assistant cricket coach — Harsha but he cannot do the Level 2 coaching course here as SLC does not conduct same unless some qualified coaches from either UK or Australia come along and conduct the course in Sri Lanka. This is how our senior coach Anjula got his L2 when it was conducted by Australian coaches in 2008. The fee at that time was Rs. 50′ 000(approx. AUD 550) and the Foundation funded Anjula.

Overall your visit as far as the Foundation was concerned was a huge success and we got to thank Michael specially for making your tour possible and we look forward to seeing you again in Sri Lanka/Seenigama in the not too distant future.

Please give your thoughts to the subject of bringing along a junior cricket team from Adelaide to Seenigama as discussed by us.

Hope that you enjoyed your stay in Seenigama as well.

Thanks once again Joe for your efforts and kindness.

Many Blessings and Kindest Regards to you and your family.
Anura.

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JOE HOAd to Anura de Silva, 8 Dec 2010 frm his email gongasoup@hotmail.com

Dear Mr. Gunasekera,
 
Thank you for your email. As you know I am indebted to Michael Roberts and the members of the Australian Sri Lankan Association (ASLA South Australia) for financing my trip to your beautiful country.
 
Sri linka is very much like Barbados, the food is the same, “BUT” our drivers and road rules are more civilised.
 
I would like to sincerely thank Mr. DeSilva and all of the staff at the Foundation of Goodness for making my stay so enjoyable.
 
It was heart warming to see the talent of your junior cricketers and table tennis players.  Any failures that I have made in my coaching was due to the fact that I could not speak their language and at some times I wonder if my interpreter understood my instructions.
 
I have acquired four of our Southern Districts CC Coaching shirts for the two coaches at Seenigama and two cricket coaches at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda.  The two blue shirts are also for the coaches at Seenigama (they are our winter uniform which is played indoors).
 
The gifts of thigh pads and batting gloves which I gave to your ladies cricket team and the monies I gave to Mr. DeSilva which was mostly contributed by the West Indies Team, I do not want any recognition for and if I make any other financial contributions just list it as an anonymous donation.  I am nothing, just an old man trying to put the needs of others before mine.
 
I am sorry I did not get to meet you and I hope your trip was financially successful and that you achieve your long and short term goals to make the lives of your country people worthwhile and fulfilling in their own pursuit of happiness.  You are a shining example to all human beings to give up your ancestral home for this worthy cause. I salute you and admire you.  Maybe one day you will come to South Australia and I will have the opportunity of meeting you in person.
 
On returning to South Australia I have been extremely busy taking care of a sick wife and still trying to fulfil my duties as a coach.  As soon as things improve I will be writing and emailing to friends and family all over the world asking them to donate to this worthy cause. My instructions will be to send cheques or money orders directly to the Foundation of Goodness, 30-32 Longden Place, Colombo 07 Sri Lanka.
 
Please give my love and best wishes to everyone and I wish them a very happy December and a prosperous 2011,
 
Yours respectfully,
 
I gone,   Joe

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Kushil Gunasekera to Joe Hoad, 9 Dec. 2010

Thu, 9 Dec 2010 13:31:14 +0530
From: kushil@sltnet.lk
Subject: RE: YOUR KIND GESTURE IS APPRECIATED
To: gongasoup@hotmail.com
CC: anura@unconditionalcompassion.org

Dear Joe

Whilst thanking you immensely for the nice sentiments expressed it is indeed a collective effort of equal hearts coming together to do something positive for the good of those who are less fortunate than we are with the aim of helping them to excel in life.

I heard of all the funding and other material you left behind which Anura has been able to address in accordance with your wishes.  This too is greatly appreciated and also the fact that you would promote and create an awareness of our humanitarian endeavours amongst your network of contacts.

May your wife regain good health speedily and our highest blessings for her wellness.

You truly demonstrated that “the beauty of life does not depend on how happy we are but how happy others are because of us”

Lots of goodwill.

Kushil