Working with Karin and Steffan, Valerie and Stavros decided to try and raise some money for not only Fadderfriends but also GAIA. Karin is a very keen walker; very fit and very enthusiastic! She was keen to do a walk from Kalamata to Agios Nikolaos; up and over three mountain ranges! Stavros thought that this route would probably only attractive to experienced walkers.
They talked about it for a few days and settled on a ‘circular’ walk in the local area that might attract every level / class of walker. More people entering meant more money for the Charities.
Whilst Fadderfriends are a very important and worthy Charity specifically to help children in need, GAIA help the whole community in times or urgent need and danger.
GAIA is a group of volunteers that support the region and local communities. They provide Fire, Emergency, Environmental and Cultural support services.
It is hard to imagine, and many residents are very blasé about it, but there are no Government Emergency Services provided in the area.
To put the value of GAIA to the community into perspective, whether you are a Resident or Visitor, imagine the following:
Firstly, if you crash the car, nothing will come from Kalamata (nearest town 83 kilometres distant) to help you. No official Government Service to rescue you if you are trapped. No Government Service to help you if you are injured. In this part of the region there is only the GAIA group of volunteers. No Ambulance with a Paramedic on board.
If there is a fire or environmental ‘spill’ the same applies.
The whole area is totally dependent on the GAIA volunteers!
Over the years, they have acquired a Fire Engine and an Ambulance to attend any emergencies as they arise. However, they are constantly in need of funds to service their equipment and even buy diesel for their vehicles.
From April until November the whole area is at risk from fire and GAIA are the only ones who will come to help you put it out if you accidentally start one, or one has started near you.
The most frequent motoring accident is when cars career off the road on ‘Z’ bends, overturning and buckling the roof so much that you cannot open the doors (that is if you are lucky enough not to be injured and able to try to open the doors). At the moment, the volunteers can only ‘open’ the car by taking the roof off the vehicle by using an angle grinder powered by a portable generator. In summer the risk of sparks coming off the grinder and igniting the surrounding dry grasses and trees is extremely high! Then they have a dilemma. Rescue the person in the car or put the fire out first? Get the picture?
The GAIA volunteers are the only ones to provide emergency roadside service and an ambulance to take you to Kalamata hospital.
Imagine also telephoning them and asking for help and they say, “We have no diesel and no money left to buy any diesel for the vehicles.” That has happened!
GAIA is in need of donations on a permanent basis.
Stavros decided it was time for a reality check, and to help raise awareness of their plight and the needs of the community. At the same time of trying to raise awareness there was an opportunity to raise much needed funds for them to continue to provide these valuable services.
Stavros came up with the ‘theme’ for the proposed walk and called it ‘The FACE Of The People’.
FACE stood for Fun And Charity Event.
A date was fixed and the route of the walk agreed. Next came the advertising campaign. Printed and ‘word of mouth.’
The posters and adverts had the following words:
Fun And Charity Event – 5th May 2011
The ‘Event’ is a fund-raising walk for everybody to enjoy. It is not a race, and it is not just for experienced walkers; it is for everybody, and the more the better! To ensure as many people as possible can participate and enjoy the event (regardless of their fitness, stamina and speed), an experienced walker will be on hand in case anybody needs help and to make sure that nobody gets lost! Transport is available to drive entrants from one leg of the route to another for those who do not want to do the ‘challenging’ part of the walk (the dirt tracks from Neochori to Riglia).
Entrance Fee 12 € - Including Luncheon Plate
The ‘Walkers’ start and finish at Maniatiko (a taverna situated along the coastal path from Agios Nikolaos to Stoupa) where they can park their cars. Apart from the starting point, entrants can join at four points along the route; Spitiko Aggeliki in Stoupa, the Picnic Hut and Viewing Point below Neochori, The Spirit of Life and at the bus stop in Riglia Square. To encourage as many people as possible to contribute to the fund-raising and enjoy the walk itself, entrants can complete all or any of the five parts of the route. For the ‘strollers’, the 11 kilometre ‘circular’ route will take just over 3 hours to complete. The easiest parts are the first leg of the Coastal path from taverna Maniatiko to Stoupa, and the last leg from Kato Riglia walking along the sea front to Agios Nikolaos and then along the coastal path back to taverna. Maniatiko where the walk finishes.
The ‘Sponsors’ are important too. ‘Sponsors’ are also required to help reach the 1,000€ target. If you do not wish to walk but wish to support the event, please make a ‘Sponsors’ booking for 12 euros. ‘Sponsors’ are also invited to celebrate with the ‘Walkers’ at the end of the event.
The ‘Fun’ is the walk itself. To celebrate the success of the event, the plan is for ‘Walkers’ and ‘Sponsors’ to meet up at taverna Maniatiko where a luncheon plate will be served with meat or a vegetarian option available.
The ‘Charity’ is for the Fadderfriends and the GAIA Voluntary Group as both worthy causes desperately need funds. Monies raised will be split 50 / 50 between the two.
The ‘Target’ is to raise 1,000€ to be shared equally between the two Charities.
GAIA Logo: Fire And Rescue Services
GAIA Logo: Support For The Environment And Culture
Apart from the Printed items and the ‘word of mouth’ the local community website provided invaluable support. They put a whole section on their site dedicated to the event.
www.parea-sti-mani.com
By now, it was late February and whilst it seemed a long way off, there was still a lot of work to be done to ensure success.
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. The List Of Jobs On The ‘To Do’ List Has Not Reduced
He is not sure where the time went, but Stavros soon realised that January and February had flown by, and March was well underway. However, despite his good intentions, not one of the 17 jobs on the list had been tackled, yet alone completed!
Most of that time had been spent working with Karin, Steffan and Valerie on the planning and organisation of the fund-raising walk.
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. It Was Time For The F.A.C.E. Walk
Easter was late in 2011 and April seemed to merge into May, and it was soon time for the F.A.C.E. walk.
Karin, Steffan, Valerie and Stavros were busy putting the finishing touches to the Charity Walk. Charting the ‘Walkers’ and ‘Sponsors’ alike and keeping tabs on their pledged contributions. They looked to be ‘on target’ which was exciting and worth all their efforts.
The final preparation was to strim the pathways of the route, and cut back all the overhanging weeds and prickly bushes. Some paths were completely overgrown with tall grasses and giant weeds and these needed cutting down to give the walkers ease of passage. Also, fluorescent tape needed to be put onto selected trees and gates to mark the route for the walkers; when to turn left or right or keep straight on.
On the day, it all went according to plan and the Fadderfriends and the GAIA Voluntary Group of West Mani recently received a tremendous boost to their funds. More to the point, everybody had a great, fun day!
The route was almost 12 kilometres in length and took a little over three and a half hours for the ‘strolling’ walkers to complete.
Stavros had secured Sponsorship from local businesses to provide refreshments at six points along the route; water, cheese pies,
sweet biscuits and oranges. At each stop, he and Steffan were parked and offered the refreshments. Stavros had an Andrea Boccelli CD playing in order that the walkers could hear it as they neared the refreshment stop.
Towards the end of the route, the Walkers stopped at the Pantazi Beach Bar for a well-earned rest and a ‘glass of refreshment’. When the last of the entrants arrived, after they too had a drink, they set off together to walk to taverna Maniatiko to get their luncheon plate and to hear how much money had been raised.
Remember that the target had been to raise 1,000 € to share between each charity (500 € each). Well, together, Sponsors and Walkers donated an astonishing amount. Each Charity received 752 €.
Volunteer Fireman and Rescue worker Peter Rollett collected the money on behalf of The GAIA Voluntary Group Of West Mani.
Photo: Peter Rollett Of GAIA Receiving 752 € from Stavros
Incidentally, Peter did the walk but was ‘on call’ as a GAIA volunteer, hence him being in uniform. It was 36 C!
After the money had been presented, Stavros’ brother Bill presented the Chairman of GAIA with a parcel of High Visibility Waistcoats for the team of volunteers.
Photo: Christina Christianos Receiving High Visibility Waistcoats
Everybody agreed that all in all it had been a resounding success and a very enjoyable day for everybody.
Many commented that they wanted to repeat the event in 2012!
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. Life Goes On – The Fence Needs Painting!
Well, it was all very well erecting a metal fence around the rear of Meerkat Manor, but it was made of bare metal stakes and they needed painting.
Cue Stavros and Valerie’s friend Pete!
It is early June 2011 and our friends Sally and Pete were due to arrive for a short holiday break, and I had it in mind that Pete would enjoy doing some painting. He rises early and Sally sleeps in late. Perfect arrangement!
The day after they arrived, it was agreed that as long as I bought Pete a cup of coffee every 20 minutes then he would be happy to paint the railings.
So, the ‘contract’ was agreed, and each morning at 06.30am Pete reported for ‘duty’. Stavros handed him the can of paint, a paint brush and a cloth (for spillages), and a mug of coffee. Also, as agreed, Stavros duly delivered a fresh cup of coffee every 20 minutes until 09.30am when Pete stopped for the day.
They were not here for long but the arrangement worked and Pete finished painting the whole fence. But by 08.30am on some mornings it was so hot that the Hammerite Rustproof Metal Paint was drying on the brush even before he could paint it onto the railings!
It was amazing just how much he achieved each day. Before long the job was finished.
Result!
Cows now kept at bay and the railings are a nice ‘complementary’ dark green to blend in with the colours of the olive grove.
Painting apart, their stay went all too quickly.
Peace returned to Meerkat Manor and Stavros returned to the ‘To Do’ list on the back of the cupboard door.
It still had the original 17 items
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. GAIA Comes To The Rescue
______________________________________________________
The photo below is one reason why we need the support of GAIA to help in times of emergency and need. How else would the van have been taken out of the harbour?
Photo: The Van Fell Into The Water
Learning point? Hand brake firmly on. Wheels turned away from the water. Switch off the engine. Leave in reverse gear as a safety device.
The driver didn’t take any precautions. He got out of the van, left the door open and the engine running and failed to check the handbrake was firmly pulled up. What should have been “just a few minutes” turned out to be over an hour and cost a new van!
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. Time For Stavros’ Birthday And Wedding Anniversary
Well, the time was flying by. The organisation of the charity walk did take up a lot of time. It was the first of its type and they needed to be sure that ‘all bases were covered’. The second time (if there was a second time) would be easier.
30th June is Stavros’ birthday and one friend (when you read the card you can decide if the person is still a friend!) sent the card with a unique phrase.
Photo: Cover Of The Birthday Card
1st July is Stavros and Valerie’s Wedding Anniversary and Stavros bought Valerie a ceramic butterfly to put on the wall to the side of the front door.
Photo: Ceramic Butterfly
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. The Lemons In The Mani Are Impressive
Stavros went out to get some lemons from a neighbour’s tree (he had their permission!). He was in for a shock!
Just look at the size of them (the lemons he picked are on the left of the photo).
Photo: Lemons On Display To Illustrate Size Variation
The first three on the left are what he picked, the next two came from the supermarket and they are all photographed next to a large egg!
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. The ‘Austerity’ Measures Are Hurting!
The financial plight of Greece was being well reported through the Media. However the reality of the ‘Austerity’ measures imposed was worse than their reporting. To cut a long story short …. The only item that has not gone up in price since April 2008 is the loaf of bread; Still 1 Euro.
When we moved into Meerkat Manor on 9th April 2008 the prices of food and drink were quite cheap, and had been at the same tariff for almost five years.
Things were going to change!
To give you an idea, here are the 2008 prices of some everyday items versus 2011. The price before the item was as it cost in April 2008, and the price after the item is the price as at August 2011.
9 € - Bottle of whisky - 21 €
9 € - Bottle of vodka - 19 €
3 € - Bottle Washing up liquid - 4.75 €
1.50 € - Bottle of regional wine - 3 €
0.45 € - Pork chop - 2 €
4 € - Breast of chicken - 7 €
1.25 € - 75cl of milk - 1.85 €
1 € - Loaf of bread - 1 €
2 € - Frozen pizza - 3.50 €
14 € - Soap powder - 18 €
At the time of our move, V.A.T. was at 19% (one of the highest in Europe), but it was soon to move to 21%.
The Greek financial crisis has been well publicised, and is more complex than reported in the media. As the crisis deepened, V.A.T. would eventually rise to 23%. This move was to make Greece one of the most expensive places to visit ….. and to live!
The taxation didn’t stop there. The Government was desperate to raise cash. Accordingly, they imposed some swingeing additional taxes by adding a 15% ‘super tax’ to selected items. This meant that these items were taxed at a total of 38%!
The list includes petrol, ’phone calls, and alcohol. Other items to have huge increases were water where the basic rate increased by 100% (yes, doubled!), and electricity rose by 51% at the basic rate. The increases didn’t stop there. An additional property tax was added and collected within the electricity bill. This tax was a minimum 3 Euros per square metre of living space. This property tax is also in addition to the tax levied on the value of your house through the annual Income Tax assessment.
The property tax was very clever. Every property’s electricity bill states the number of square metres. So, it was possible to collect a tax based on the size of the property. However, this tax was varied according to the age of the property (meter installation date).
The tax is applied at 3 Euros per square metre and carries a sliding scale based on the age of the property. Those properties of 5 years and under are taxed at 3 Euros per square metre plus 20 %; Between 5 and 10 years is plus 15%, and between 10 years and 15 years is plus 10%. If you own a property that is older than 15 years then you
only pay the flat rate of 3 Euros per square metre.
We are levied at the highest rate and will have to wait 10 years before we reach base rate. Mind you, who is to say what will happen in those 10 years?
For 2011 the increased taxation continued!
On the (self-assessment) Income Tax demand, “for your convenience” the Government decided to take a 50% deposit on future taxes (2012). No choice. It has to be paid. No refunds if you don’t earn anything in 2012, it just carries over to 2013.
Neat trick to raise money!
As Greece had become one of the most expensive places to live in Europe, not surprisingly tourism suffered. Statistics subsequently published in 2013 state that tourism in Greece fell by 41% (2012 over 2011).
Regardless of the increased taxation, life for Stavros and Valerie had to go on.
TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT ….
…. We Had A Serious Water Leak!
The 20th August 2011 is a day that Stavros wants to forget.
The background to this problem was that Meerkat Manor has had a water leak since it was built, although we didn’t know how big a leak it was until 20th August 2011!
When we moved into the house on 9th April 2008, we noticed a tiny drip on the outside wall on that first day. After a few weeks, it was still there, so we called Giannis (the builder) to inspect it. He came and took a look at the drip, which was just seeping along the cement line of the stones to the rear of the house, and he called his plumber. The plumber, named Georges, duly arrived to inspect the drip.
“It isn’t a proper leak” he said, “If we leave it, then it will dry over time.”
“A leak is a leak” I said. “It will not dry out. If water is leaking, then over time it will only get worse.”
“No. I am the plumber, and I say it will dry out.” Said Georges, and at that he left; job done!
Some, three and a half years later, not only is it still dripping, but on occasion, it is a small ‘rivulet’ of water running the entire length of the back wall. So much for drying out over time!
To Cut a Long Story Short Page 2
