Whenever David Ruffer travels, it’s usually as the leader of the Hastings Gamelan Society. The gamelan is a collection of Indonesian instruments, made up of percussion metallophones, gongs and drums, played by around 15 players sitting on the floor.
When he was on CAPD, it involved him doing exchanges in some strange places - church crypts, trains, buses, parks, beaches and castles.
By the time the group was invited to go to Schwerte, Hastings’ twin town near Dortmund in Germany, David had moved on to haemodialysis. It took a 12 hour journey in a transit van to get the players and their instruments there. Schwerte is a small town but has a dialysis unit for 20 patients, and David arranged a session to see him through the long weekend. He had to have an extra HIV and MRSA test and everything went well. “Without being in the EU and the amazing E111, this trip would not have been possible,” said David.
The group also had a memorable visit to the Millennium Dome at Greenwich where they played two sessions (see photo). At the end of October, David had a transplant, which will make it much easier for him to continue with his job as music and performing arts teacher at the William Parker School. His next big project is collaboration between the Asian Music Circuit and East Sussex Music Service and a possible gamelan weekend in Hastings with a group from Western Java.
The National Kidney Federation cannot accept responsibility for information provided. The above is for guidance only.
Page created: 22 April 2001
Last updated: 10 April 2008
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