Tufa is a poor rural community of around 4000 people in the Great Rift Valley some 200 kilometres south of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

He went with two other Perth-based Water Corporation employees and it was the corporation’s second deployment to Ethiopia.

The team was chosen from the 33 staff members who originally applied in 2007.

Gary’s team worked on the second stage of construction of an irrigation scheme in Tufa.

By the time Gary left Tufa, 300 metres of 250 millimetre of PVC water pipe had been laid, using the quickly acquired talents of the local men.

The Water Corporation is undertaking this work through its Community Support Program (CSP).

Ross Hughes, the corporation’s chief financial officer, is sponsoring this initiative under the CSP and was instrumental in establishing a successful partnership with the Society of International Missionaries, a Christian-based organisation which operates worldwide in the provision of services to communities in need.

The local school in Tufa plays an important role in the community.

The corporation’s first team visited the school and was struck by the absence of any resources such as basic furniture taken for granted here in Australia.

With two schoolchildren of his own, Gary decided he wanted to try to make a difference for these kids.

Prior to leaving he mentioned his upcoming adventure one night at the golf club and the members did not hesitate to dig deep and offer up cash for Gary to take with him.

Gary’s wife Kathy and one of his work colleagues Linda Temby made morning tea and muffins for gold coin donations and, through the generosity of work colleagues, friends and family, Gary was able to take about $750 with him along with three soccer balls and three footballs donated by friends.

The $750 converted to about 7300 Birr in Ethiopian currency and with that Gary employed a local carpenter to make furniture for the school.

“It was heart-warming to see the reaction of the teachers and kids the day the furniture arrived,” he said.

“And it was hilarious to see their reaction to a football as they had never seen anything so strange called a ball.”

While in Ethopia Gary befriended a 15-year-old local boy who had suffered for years with a viral infection which was wasting away the muscles in his legs.

He was in desperate need of an amputation.

The boy had no mother or father and Gary was able to give him enough money to get himself to the nearest medical post for the much-needed amputation.

“It was gratifying but heart-wrenching to leave,” Gary said.

Gary’s plan is to return, under his own steam, to Tufa once the pumps are up and running and the water is flowing.

He plans to take his two children with him so that they too can experience life in a small Ethiopian village.

“Our children Macklin and Stefanie find it hard to accept that only $90 can sustain an Ethopian family of four for a year,” Gary said.