A Trip of a Lifetime
Since founding Heartprint more than a decade ago, Wendy and Garry have returned to Australia multiple times to meet with supporters and spend time with family. But the trip Wendy took in May was different. This time, she was accompanied by Pheap, who has been a central and key member of our team from the start.
It was an adventure for the books! And it was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of friends and donors who opened their homes, covered expenses, drove countless kilometres, organized events, introduced new supporters, and enabled the Heartprint story to be shared with communities across Australia.
From Sydney to Wagga Wagga to Melbourne. Along the Great Ocean Road to Murray Bridge and Adelaide. Then on to Newcastle and Maitland, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There were flights, long drives, ferry rides, harbour cruises, helicopter flights, scenic flights, and even swimming with sharks and manta rays. There were TV appearances, radio interviews, Rotary presentations, community gatherings, late nights, early mornings, and warm welcomes everywhere they went.
In Wagga Wagga alone, there were two Rotary presentations, a joint presentation with Help Cambodia Wagga, radio interviews, and a television appearance. There were visits to farms, museums, art galleries, and botanical gardens, plenty of wild kangaroo spotting, and one very special moment when friend Darren took Pheap up in his two-seater plane for a bird’s-eye view of the town below.
Melbourne brought a beautiful Mother’s Day High Tea fundraiser hosted by Rotary Peninsula 2.0 that raised an incredible AU$12,000 for Heartprint. There was an early morning at the local Brekkie Club helping serve breakfast to people experiencing homelessness - a reminder that community care and compassion have no borders. We are all in this together.
While in Melbourne, we also got to visit with some of the amazing people who are involved in harvesting the playgrounds and shipping them for use in Cambodia. We have written before about the fun and joy these playgrounds bring to communities here. It’s such a bright thing, and we got to see where they are stored before coming to us.
There were also opportunities to learn new approaches and bring ideas back home to Cambodia. Wendy and Pheap visited Bloom Disability Café to learn more about inclusive employment opportunities. They toured Livit Disability Services in Adelaide, exploring independent living homes, respite programs, and disability support services that may help shape future programs at Heartprint Hub. They also visited Monash University to discuss future education and training opportunities for Heartprint staff.
And what could be more joyful than hanging out with kangaroos and koalas at Moonlit Sanctuary - and then spotting them in the wild! Then travelling the breathtaking Great Ocean Road, and one experience Pheap says she will never forget: a helicopter ride over the spectacular Twelve Apostles. Stunning.
South Australia brought more generosity and connection. A Music Bingo fundraiser in Murray Bridge raised more than AU$5,000 for Heartprint. In Adelaide, Wendy and Pheap spent time with the Cambodian community at a local pagoda where, in one moment that was beyond emotional for everyone, community members spontaneously donated more than AU$700 to support Heartprint families back in Cambodia. See? There are no borders around love and compassion.
In Maitland, East Maitland Rotary hosted a fantastic fundraiser that raised enough money to build an entire family home in Cambodia. Wendy and Pheap also joined the club’s local can drive initiative, where bottles and cans are recycled throughout the year to raise funds for Heartprint programs.
The final leg of the trip included presentations in Logan and on the Gold Coast, along with attendance at the annual Vapiano Charity Lunch, which raised more than AU$9,500 for Heartprint.
We are so grateful.
And in between all of the events and travel, there were precious moments of family time — days spent with Wendy’s children and grandchildren, visits to spectacular Australian beaches, a trip to Dreamworld where Pheap rode her very first rollercoaster, and a visit to the top of the Q1 overlooking the Gold Coast skyline.
We wish we could fully convey what this trip meant, but there really are not enough words. Or at least we can’t find the right, best words.
Not simply because of the funds raised - and the support was extraordinary! But the people. Our Heartprint Tribe in Australia. All of the conversations, encouragement, and ideas. The friendships that continue to grow across countries, cultures, and time zones. Everywhere they travelled, Wendy and Pheap were reminded that Heartprint has become far bigger than one small organisation in Siem Reap. It has become an intercontinental community of people who care deeply about one another.
To every person who hosted, donated, volunteered, attended an event, bought raffle tickets, shared the Heartprint story, opened your home, drove a carload of supplies, organized a fundraiser, or simply welcomed Wendy and Pheap with kindness — thank you. You have left an imprint on our hearts that will stay with us forever.
And rest assured that while Wendy and Pheap were on their Australian adventure, work never stopped back at Heartprint Central in Siem Reap under Garry’s leadership.
Construction was completed on Home #143, sponsored by Jason Sullivan. Because of his generosity, another family now has a safe and secure place to call home. The family worked alongside our team throughout the build, already pouring love and pride into the home that is changing their lives. .
At the community centre, children and young people continued participating in Creative Arts, Fashion Design, STEM, and Sustainable Farming activities — building practical skills, confidence, creativity, and new possibilities.
Because that is the beautiful thing about Heartprint.
No matter where in the world our journey takes us, our core work continues. The heart beats on.
As always, thank you.
