Familiar Faces: Imelda's Journey to Shangri-La
Published Monday April 13 2015, 6:05pm
Article provided by Rick Stoker
Imelda Noli was born in the Mossman Hospital and is the daughter of a pioneering cane and flower-growing family.
Her parents Joe and Billie are considered by many, to be the ‘Village Elders.’
She is the youngest of three sisters and grew up roaming free, swimming in the Mossman River and catching catfish for the evening meal.
At university Imelda was known as a tree-hugger amongst other things, and obtained a degree in Environmental Science.
She later spent three months in Japan and was shocked by the crowds, the pace of living, the lack of flora, fauna and open spaces.
Later still, she stayed at their ancestral village in Northern Italy, near the border so Switzerland.
Back home once more, she became well known for her work in the library and for Rotary International.
In 2009 the roaming urge again took hold and Imelda travelled to the roof of the world, little realising she’d experience the feeling of ‘coming home after a long absence’ to her utopia – her Shangri-La.
Or maybe she did realise it – maybe after the long absence, the Himalayas had summoned her back.
Nepal was recovering from 10 years of civil war and abounded with homeless children, woman and sick, all of who needed urgent help.
Ms. Noli couldn’t turn her back on this but didn’t know where to start.
A chance encounter (or was it a chance encounter?) interceded when she stepped over a guide rope to avoid the 4,000 people herding through a gate, into the UNESCO listed ‘Kings Palace Square’.
As the brass band played, she was gently chided by a young man who assumed she was trying to enter the square without paying the fee which went towards maintaining a 13th Century temple.
His name was Balram and he’d been living on the streets as a child and has been running his own non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre for seven years.
Imelda checked this out and found she could trust him with management, money etc. and knew she’d found a worthy partner to help with an orphanage.
Almost 4½ kilometres above sea level at the Annapurna Sanctuary, Imelda met Rachel (another chance encounter?) an English lady who comes and goes to Nepal.
Rachel was doing her bit to help by teaching at a secondary school.
Over the months the two of them shared many experiences which could not be imagined in FNQ.
These included watching a mother die whilst begging outside a hospital for money to buy food for her newborn.
The friendship they forged continues today.
Imelda returned home and announced she was financing an orphanage: Her parents were not surprised.
Seven trips later and the orphanage has ten children who are safely housed, fed, clothed and educated, with Balram at the helm and Diddi (which means sister in Nepalese) who is paid to come in to cook and clean.
Rachel assists when she can: But more finances are needed and there is opposition from the government.
Imelda Noli is planning her next trip to Nepal very soon.
