Erin Bonehill works nearly seven days a week because she’s determined to fly to Fiji later this year – but not to tan herself at a tropical resort.
The Melton West 19-year-old put all her earnings from a part-time job last year into self-funding a six-month volunteer trip to work with disadvantaged children in Fiji through Latitude Global Volunteering.
She says she’s itching to get back there again this year to help out the friends she now calls “family”, especially since the category five cyclone Winston ravaged the islands on February 20.
“I was heartbroken when I heard the news about cyclone Winston,” Miss Bonehill says.
“I wanted to fly there straight away … I felt so helpless because they are my family now.
“I’ve been able to skype them and, thankfully, all my kids and my friends back in Fiji are fine … but there are villages around the Pacific Harbour that still need help.”
Miss Bonehill worked at the Pacific Harbour Multi-Cultural School in Fiji from May to November last year helping children read.
She heard about the volunteer program for 17 to 24-year-olds while in year 12 at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, and is now about to start child care studies.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and travel the world, so the exchange was an opportunity to do both and I couldn’t let it pass by,” she said.
“I loved spending time with the kids, and watching them grow and start to enjoy reading was the best part of my trip.”
Miss Bonehill, an avid netballer, also taught the children to play on a dirt court. She and a friend have since launched a Go Fund Me online appeal for new courts, which will cost $16,000.
Donate at gofundme.com/f4whadu8
