Smiles For Victoria

On the weekend of 7^th/8^th February 2009 I was busy as we all are, working, cleaning, shopping, doing all the usual things we all ‘do’ of a weekend.  I knew that there were bushfires in Victoria, and that, unfortunately in itself is not unusual for Australia, and although I did think about the people involved, I didn’t pay much attention except for the fact that I hoped they were all alright and no-one was injured. And then it went out of my mind as I don’t watch very much television, so I didn’t see any more reports of the news that weekend.

I came home from work on Monday the 9^th February and switched on the television and when I saw the news, I was absolutely horrified as almost everyone else who saw the news must have been.  Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see that night. I just could not believe the devastation that was shown on the television.

I couldn’t get to sleep that night for thinking about the people caught up in this terrible situation.  I eventually got out of bed about 1am and just sat there thinking, what could I do to help these people, tears rolling down my face and thanking God that I was not living in the affected areas, so  realizing that I couldn’t offer my time as I live a thousand miles away in south east Queensland, I couldn’t give them any blood because I’m from the U.K. and had been back for a visit recently and because of ‘mad cow’s’ disease, I’m not allowed to give blood here in Australia, I couldn’t go out and buy groceries for them as I couldn’t get them to Victoria, clothes were being donated from all sides and they didn’t want anymore.  I knew that I could send them money via the Salvation Army/Red Cross, but somehow that felt so easy, and I felt guilty sitting in my lounge room in the middle of the night knowing that most of these people had not only lost their entire belongings and homes, but many of them had lost their family and friends as well. 

As I sat there and thought about this I couldn’t stop crying, and I’m sure many people around the world felt exactly the same. 

So, I thought about what I do whenever I’ve received bad news or am feeling very down, and I know that I go and read jokes or watch something funny either on DVD or television.  I know that you might think I’m a bit strange, but they do say that “laughter is the best medicine”, and it always helps me to cope with any sadness in my life.

Over the years, people have sent me thousands of jokes and I have kept them all in files, so I thought I’d put this e-book together to try and raise money for the people of Victoria who have been affected by the bushfires.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of the situation, it’s devastating.  I just thought that perhaps if I could put a smile on your face, you would be happy to part with AU$10 knowing that the proceeds are going to such a worthy cause.

Even people who have been involved in bushfires could not begin to imagine the terror and fear these people must have gone through whilst trying to escape. I personally have had to drive my car past small bushfires here in Queensland and have absolutely been terrified, and cannot begin to imagine what terror the victims of these dreadful fires must have felt.

The stories of survival that have been reported from these people are horrendous and amazing at the same time, and I hope to God that none of us ever have to go through what the people of Victoria went through that weekend.

And so, I decided to put together this book of jokes, funny stories, quotes and poems, in the hope that if nothing else, it will lift people’s spirits and hopefully we can help them rebuild their lives with the proceeds.  And, maybe, just maybe we might begin to bring back some smiles to the faces of the people affected by the bushfires in Victoria, February 2009.

On a closing note, may I say to all you people that have been affected by the fires, my heart goes out to you, and I wish there was more I could do to help, I wish that we could share the suffering between everyone and make it easier for the individuals who are affected by this terrible tragedy.

All the profits from this book will be donated to the people of Victoria who have been victims of these terrible fires but  please let me be clear in advising you that the only monies to be taken out of your donation will be the transaction fee incurred from the online payment processor.  My hope is to raise $1million for this worthy cause, please help me to do so.

Every month this site will be updated with the totals received so far,.  Please forward this website to all your friends and families around the world knowing that you are helping this very worthy cause.  

All you have to do is click on the button, donate AU$10 and you will be sent to a confirmation page, click on "Return to Donations Co-Ordinator" and you will be taken to your download page where you can download "Smiles for Victoria".

 Thanking you, and

God bless you and yours,

Dorothy Slater

A smile costs nothing, but gives much. 

It enriches those who receive,

Without making poorer those who give. 

It takes but a moment,

But the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. 

None is so rich or mighty

That he can get by without it

And none is so poor,

That he cannot be made rich by it. 

A smile creates happiness in the home,

Fosters good will in business,

And is the countersign of friendship. 

It brings to rest the weary,

Cheer to the discouraged,

Sunshine to the sad,

And it is nature’s best antidote for trouble. 

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen,

For it is something of no value to anyone,

Until it is given away. 

Some people are too tired to give you a smile,

Give them one of yours,

As none needs a smile so much,

As he who has no more to give.

-   Author unknown

If you would like me to send you an email advising you how we are progressing with donations from this site, or if you would like to contribute to our next venture (which will be in 6-12 months time if we make a success of this one) for some other very worthy cause you can contact me at dorothy@smilesforvictoria.com.