EVENTS 2011
10th December 2011: X-MAS AND NEW YEAR'S FAIR
On December 10th Dalyan’s very first X-mas and New Year’s fair was organised by Dalyan Dernek, the oldest of the local charity organisations. DD wanted to do a charity to support Coşku Special Education and Rehabilitation School in Ortaca, a school for students with physical and/or mental disabilities.
All the charity associations in Dalyan had been invited to participate and the Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation gladly accepted the offer to have a stand at the Fair. All the participants to the Fair supported Coşku school by gifts for the Father X-mas bag, home-cooked delicacies, stall rent and/or donations. Apart from that the charities had the opportunity of presenting themselves side-by-side in a really nice ambiance without rivalry, while supporting different charity goals.
Where the Kaptan June sea Turtle Conservation Foundation has been very active at the beach this year, this was in fact the first time that we presented ourselves to a wider public in Dalyan itself. The lovely weather on market day helped to make the Fair a great success, both publicity-wise and for raising funds. The day showed that the Dalyan associations can work together in perfect harmony.
8th November 2011: HAYTAP VISIT TO DALYAN
During the Feast of Sacrifice HAYTAP, the Animal Rights Federation of Turkey, were having their 4th national representatives’ meeting of which one day would be spent in Dalyan.
The HAYTAP participants made it a day of true recognition of June’s contribution to preserving Turkish wildlife and she was handed a certificate as proof of their respect and gratitude.
The visit was even more special because of the presence of Nergis Yazgan, former president of the Turkish division of WWF, who sided with June in the mid 1980’s.
The day’s program included a visit to Kaptan June’s Hut. Once the gathering had arrived, the volunteers had their hands full in selling keepsakes and the Turkish version of Kaptan June and the Turtles. June had to sign a lot of books, but she was having a good time amongst new friends, some of whom in important positions and willing to help out in communicating with hard-to-reach government officials.
During the get-together at June’s Hut, June held a speech in which she told the story of the beach and the foundation and thanked the HAYTAP guests for their warm support and the wonderful day they had spent together. The Foundation was presented with funny turtle costumes which may come in handy in next year’s awareness and education campaign. The day was certainly a worthy conclusion of the Foundation's fantastic first year!
For a Turkish account of the event by June's new HAYTAP friends, see: Kaptan June’a HAYTAP’tan Anlamli Ziyaret
24th June 2011: GARDEN PARTY AT KAPTAN JUNE SOKAK
About 1.5 months after June's return from London, she had a garden party in Kaptan June Sokak to celebrate her MBE. It is not every day that you find a British Ambassador, the Fethiye-based Honorary Consul, the Muğla Vali, the Ortaca Kaymakan and three mayors attending your garden party, but then again this was a special event. And so there were -agreeably short- speeches, from the Ambassador, the Muğla Vali (Governor) and the Dalyan Belediye Başbakan (the mayor of the Dalyan municipality). Because of the special visitors there were security guards, journalists and film makers all around, apart from the colourful gathering of invitees of differerent nationalities.
After the official part of the programme, it was partying time with a performance by the local folklore dancing group and a musical contribution by good old Tom “joltings” Sparrow. Of course June could not help herself and joined in with Tom on an adapted version of Hello Dolly (Junie / Tommy) and If you go away (Ne me quitte pas). After all, she used to be a professional singer once and still likes to perform on special occasions.
11 May 2011: JUNE WELCOMED AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
It did not pass unnoticed in the Turkish press that Kaptan June would be awarded an MBE for work done in Turkey!
See a Turkish video report made in January 2011: Kraliçe tarafından onurlandırıldı
On 11 May June Haimoff-Fairey was receiced at Buckingham Palace to be awarded an MBE for her "services to environmental conservation and the protection of endangered turtles in Turkey", a recognition for her many years of splendid work.
6 May 2011: FIRST GENERAL MEETING
After publication in the Resmi Gazete on 9 April, Kaptan June's Foundation finally got its official status. The first General Meeting was to be held within a month, shortly before June was leaving for London to receive her MBE.
11 APRIL 2011: PROPELLER GUARD PROJECT
Unfortunately loggerhead turtles and Nile Turtles regularly suffer from severe shell cuts by propeller strikes. Therefore the first project of Kaptan June's foundation is aimed at encouraging local boat captains to fit propeller guards.
To this end a get-together was staged with Atilla Gültekin (manager of the Dalyan Kooperatifi), Özleyiş Çakır (director/engineer of Emek Marin) and representatives of the Foundation to discuss the desirability of fitting specifically designed prop guards onto the boats of the Boat Cooperative. The foundation will give eight guards to the Dalyan Boat Cooperative as a first incentive to contribute to responsible eco-tourism on the Dalyan waterways. Okçular-based Cooperative captain Ali Topcuoğlu is the proud owner of the first prop guard.
See press article: Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation finances eight prop guards for the Dalyan Boat Cooperative.
24 FEBRUARY 2011: POSITIVE COURT
DECISION!
After months of waiting we finally received word that the
KAPTAN JUNE SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
has been accepted and confirmed in court.
See press article : Kaptan June Sea Turtle Foundation gets official go ahead
EVENTS 2010
SEEING THE NOTARY AT DENİZLİ
Thanks to the donations of generous benefactors, 11 November 2010 will enter the Caretta caretta history books as the date at which the official establishment of the
Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation started.
It is the first foundation of its kind in Turkey, since other environmentally oriented foundations are not focused on the conservation of these special species.
Around 3 pm June Haimoff and her fellow-founders signed the foundation’s constitution at the notary
in Denizli. The meeting was a very pleasurable one in a very relaxed atmosphere.
Realising this important milestone after the painstaking process of bringing together the 50,000 TL asset required by the Turkish government, was an emotional moment for
all the company gathered.
GALA EVENING
April
2010 saw the reunion of two elders of the environmental movement.
Dr.
David Bellamy and June Haimoff came
together to commemorate the ‘Battle for Dalyan’ and reignite
awareness for sea turtles and Iztuzu Beach.
A Gala Evening
was
held on 10th April to raise funds for the establishment of
the Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation.
The event proved to be successful, raising 6,000 Turkish Liras. Guest of honour was Professor Sir David Bellamy, who in the 80's supported
June in her fight to keep this beach free of development and preserve
the nesting grounds.
For more particulars about his visit, see the LINKS PAGE.
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