Need everyone help in making our Memory Book of "Journey to Freedom"

[Chi Pham]

As you can imagine, organizing the reunion event, the web-site and working on the memory book is a big undertaking, but one well worth the effort. Of course we can't do it alone. We need your help especially on our book project.

We are in process of collecting pictures and materials for our book "Journey to Freedom or Ky Yeu”. We don't just want to have a nice picture book, but would like to turn it into a written document that tells the story of how we all left and survived the trip out of Vietnam on a 20 meter wooden boat in South China Sea. We want to keep it as part of our history of how we risked our lives for freedom so we can share it with our children and grand children. We want to remind our kids of the humanitarian effort that took place and that we are here today thanks to the Wellpark crew to whom we all owe our lives. They gave us a second chance in life and hope when there were no hope left. Hopefully by reading the story of how 346 people survived on a tiny boat stacked up like sardines will help our children appreciate freedom and the many benefits they now take for granted.

We need your help in writing down your thoughts, your memories of the events that occurred 30 years ago and also tell us how you are doing now. In addition we need you to post your and your family pictures of when we lived in Kensington and recent picture. The deadline for the story and pictures is July 15, 2008. We will select them for our memory book.

I hope our collective memories will help our children learn more about how their parents and grandparents began new lives outside Vietnam.

I know we all very busy but please take some time to contribute to our memoir book so we can have something to pass on to the next generation. Chi

[Lauren Truong/aka: Van Bich Pham]

Chi, don't forget to also send an email blast. Not everyone check in to this site too often.

Dear All, we also accept poems, past written memoirs or journal on this incredible event. You can email it to Chi if you don't want to post it on this site.

[Chi Pham]

I am trying to see if we can get a lower cost to print the books. At this time the est cost is $6,000 to print 300 books. It will be published and distributed to all parties that interested to buy. I am still trying to raise fund to front the printing cost. But the main focus is to get the materials for the book project. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Language can be both Vietnamese and English.

[Mike Newton]

I think to produce a book is an admirable ambition, and Chi should be credited for it. Yes, you are right about a few things. Many of the site members are not very active and few have so far made a contribution to its content. If the cost is $6000 and 300 can be sold that is only $20 per book. Even if the cost was the same but only 50 were sold, that is just $120 per book. Would you not pay $120.00 for such a personal and unique memory?

There is only one answer. There is time yet. Come on folks, make an effort. Everyone has something to contribute…..it reminds me of the Battle of Britain speech by Winston Chrurchill….…”Never has so much been owed by so many to so few”. Chi and a few others are making a massive effort to make this a special one-off event……..for you, the “Wellpark Family”! Please don’t fail to make your little contribution to such magnificent efforts by the organisers. But please do it soon so that everyone can enjoy it’s inclusion in the main event!

[pat griffin]

In pounds that id £10 to £60, I would certainly buy one, maybe three. It is a once in a lifetime oportunity.

[Carmel Fenton]

I will definately take one, I also think I cannot believe how much has happened in such a short space of time ! When Dad died in August 2006 I trawled the internet to find things about the Wellpark rescue and could find very little, now there is loads thanks especially to Mike, Chi and Jo. I have gone from knowing only my Dad's story to knowing other crew members stories and now the people who were rescued I find it addictive and want to know more. The thrill for me was also finding out who the little girl was in the picture that hung on my families wall for so many years. I wish Dad was here to see it and take part but he isn't but the opportunity to have a book that I can give to my daughter would be priceless !

[Mike Newton]

And it's a story that interests others too. When Jo wall wrote a letter to ShipsNostalgia requesting information on the rescue, to research her film, a thread was started that has now been viewed over 5000 times. I saw that thread and decided to write up the history of Wellpark and that record has now been read over 6000 times. And the photos which I posted on flickr have already been viewed over 17,000 times. Yours is a story that interests people and you should not get the idea people will not buy the book. There are publishers out there who can help put it together. All we have to do is add the anecdotes, the memories, a few lines at a time and you will have something to be proud to be a part of. Support the Wellpark family!

[Thuy Pham AKA Bich Thuy]

On behalf of my sisters, I would like to thank Mike, Pat, Carmel, and Jo for their unwavering support of this website and of our effort in the 30 years Wellpark reunion. I am saddened and embarrass that many of our site members (whom this website is created for) are not taking an active interest in participating and contributing to its content.

I know that everyone is busy with his or her daily life activities such as work and family commitment. However, I feel that this website deserve a little attention also. It is the one place that we can go to get a glimpse of our past, to go down that memory lane and remember the many wonderful moments we experienced while living in London, to reconnect with old friends and family, to remember to express our gratitude to the captain, cadets, and crew members of the Wellpark (without their humanitarian assistance, all of us would not be here today), and to thank all the great staff members of the BCAR (Chi Nham, anh Duc, anh De, and anh Hai) for their help while we were living in Kensington Barracks.

[Chi Pham]

Wow! I have been away from the site for few days and there are so many activities about the book project. Sorry I have been very busy from work, leaving the house at 6:30 am and coming home at 10:30 pm I am exhausted. Unfortunately, it will be like this for the whole month of June so you may not see me online daily. Thank you anh Sieu, anh Duc, Pat, Mike and Thuy for helping me welcome new members while I am slacking off in that department lately. But I am still working on my write up for the book as I am half way there.

I owe Carmel, Pat and Jo an email regarding the planning the excursions while you are in the state. I have it all map out but didn’t have the time to email it yet. I will email you the detail this weekend.

Thank you all for your supportive words. You know when I first started the idea of the 30 year reunion party I didn't have a lot of support at first because of the estimate cost for the reunion involved large sum of money ($10,000). I received a few concerning emails that we may not have enough people going to the reunion then what. I went ahead and did it anyway because I strongly believe that this is a one in a life time event to actually get to say thanks in person to the people that rescued us thirty years ago and an opportunity for the boat people to get together. Lucky for me I got strong support from aunt Nghiem financially at first and then friends like Hieu, Tu and Lauren, b/s Dao, co Ngoc, co Hieu, co Loi, co Thuy, Sieu, Ha, b/s Hung, Thuy, b/s Oanh for fronted some money or prepaid their tickets. Four months later looks where we are, we received more than $10,000 to pay for all the cost. Then the web site went up. It was slow at first and now we have 96 members.

Therefore, I am not worried about whether or not we can recover the money for the books but worry that we don't have enough materials for our book project. One of the reasons I am doing the book is because the site may not be up forever. Second reason is even though we are living in the 21st century with everything on the internet, but I think it is nice to flip through a book when telling the story to our grandchildren. In Vietnam we have a saying “Money we can make but memories we can’t buy”. We had such a unique and wonderful memories to tell why not tell them in a book for us and for our grandchildren to read and to cherish.

I appreciate all concerns and thank you for your opinions. Like Mike said it is an ambitious project and as there are so many things to do yet like gathering the materials, picks the lay out, color and cover for the book but it will be done.

[Carmel Fenton]

I was just thinking there is a journalist who lives in France called Christopher Lang who became vey attached to the story and he was the first person i made contact with and he tried to do something similar. I will email him again.

As I mentioned in my previous comment the story of the rescue until 2 years ago was a very personal one from my Dad. His was very much about the actual rescue his crew mates and the sparkle in his eye told me how attached he became to everyone. He spoke warmly of the people rescued and always said they were normal people put in a terrible position . Until I saw the film by Jo I never truly understood what actually forced people onto the boat, I remember sobbing thinking how I would feel if I were in that position holding my own daughter.

What I now find incredibly inspiring is to see pictures and hear how well people have done, where they live London, LA, Canada back in Vietnam !!!! The children in the rescue many the same age as me, whilst I was playing in the backyard, they were playing on my Dad's ship and being rescued to have a brand new start in life - WOW!!! I cannot imagine the feelings frightened, excited, overwhelmed, confused. Whatever it is I definatly feel there is a sense that you - we can achieve anything.

Chi you are amazing cannot wait to meet you, your sister and everyone, if there is anything you want me or mam to bring over, I think I have added everything we have except the articles written after Dad died but if you need any real materials sending I am sure we could sort them out.

[pat griffin]

It may be an idea to send all you know a kind of questiionaire.

Some people may not know where to start when it comes to sharing experiences, and everyone will see the same thing from a different eye. some may find the whole thing too painful to remember.

I do think everyone who sailed on the boat out of vietnam should be included and named, even if they did not survive.

How about asking
which people stay in their memories most about that time.

What struck them as strange about that time

Was there a funny incident they can remember

What loving memory remains with them.

Have they learned anything to help them in life about the whole event

how have they progressed since that time.

Do they have any regrets since then.

I am sure you can think up more stuff like that