On Boxing Day, which refers to the day after Christmas, the Bodrum Municipality resumed a decadeslong annual tradition of hosting a gala in honor of the region’s expat community. Hundreds, if not a thousand people came out for the event, which was held at the municipal cafe and exhibition center Trafo in the heart of Bodrum. There was a live band playing global classics, grand displays of mandarins, free beverages and snacks such as grilled sucuk sandwiches. Mayor Ahmet Aras delivered a speech embracing the foreign community where he announced that according to unofficial figures the population of Bodrum has boomed from 180,000 residents to 400,000. Founder of the Bodrum Echo Community Chris Drum Berkaya also gave a speech and Aras congratulated her for her decades of effort successfully bridging the gap for the expat community in Bodrum.

Speaking with Bodrum Municipality International Relations Director Timur Altıok, I learned more about the different nationalities of expats that now reside on the peninsula. While these figures are not exact as many long-term residents come and go in intervals and others come for short stays and end up staying longer, from a broad perspective, the figures calculated by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show that at the end of last year, 4,657 foreigners were officially registered as residents of the Bodrum peninsula. German foreigners constitute the highest number of foreign residents with 790 registered in Bodrum. Unsurprisingly, closely following are expats from the United Kingdom, with 645 residents. Russian residents, at 334, are the third-largest group with Uzbek nationals in fourth at 236. There are 234 Azerbaijanis in Bodrum and 219 Ukraine nationals. There are 192 residents from Kyrgyzstan, 190 from Turkmenistan, and 156 from the United States. Altıok also tells me that there are nearly 4,000 foreigners active on social media accounts involving Bodrum.

Fethiye resident George Rimmer receives Kırlangıç Award

This past week, the Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management distributed their Kırlangıç (Swallow) Award, which goes to one expat from each province in Turkey commending their community efforts. Thus, there were 81 recipients of the award, many of which you can see for yourself on the @Gocidaresi official Twitter account for the occasion. The recipient of the award in Muğla is none other than expat George Rimmer, someone I have already mentioned on multiple occasions due to his immense efforts in the background to raise donations for charities.

Now that George has been properly awarded by the Muğla Migration Department, which also shared with me how personally proud they are to be able to award the efforts of this U.K.-hailing expat, I feel it is time to shine the proverbial light on some very special people. George and his wife Christine Rimmer made the permanent move to Fethiye in 2012. "Of course, the great food, nice weather, stunning coasts and culture played its part in our decision but most of all it was the warm, welcoming and generous nature of the people that captured our hearts and convinced us that this is the place we want to spend our retirement," George told me adding: "As soon as we arrived, we were invited to be board members and became heavily involved with the Çalış Children's Charity. We were focused on a range of efforts including, providing vital equipment to many of the local schools, funding university bursaries, helping the local children’s homes, providing medical care for children in need and helping with support and equipment for disabled children."

A former D.J. himself, Rimmer would provide the music for numerous themed social evenings held to raise funds for the aforementioned projects. Other ongoing charitable events Rimmer helped organize were an annual carnival, Easter fair and annual public auction and monthly car trunk sales held during winter. "It soon became apparent to us (Christine and myself) that cancer care was often administered in Muğla or Antalya and that could pose challenges for some of the local population here in Fethiye," explained Rimmer. Thus, the annual Race for Life event was born with the effort to raise funds and improve the range of care available locally.

Held each year in Fethiye in fall (and virtually in the pandemic), Race for Life is a cancer charity global fundraising event and an opportunity for anyone to take part in different walk or run categories for a good cause. Over the years, the organizations collected funds in the hundreds of thousands of Turkish liras, which are devoted to assisting those suffering from cancer. "We are so proud to have been able to provide life-saving equipment to the local government-run hospital and financial aid for so many individuals to cover travel and accommodation when receiving treatment from further afield." Lyn Ward, the author of Fethiye Times, has taken on the reins of running this now annual event, something George says he and his wife are very grateful for.

George and his wife’s newest and exciting charitable venture is to host an event called "Soul Train," an annual entertainment gala of live musical performances, disco music, an auction as well as a series of raffles. "These events were held in our largest local outdoor venues and each one attracted more than 1,000 people," explained Rimmer, sharing that each event this far was so successful they provided each of the charities they support with the single largest individual cash donation they have ever received. "COVID permitting, the 'Soul Train' will continue its magnificent work and continue to help show the charities that they are much stronger together than working apart," said Rimmer, adding, "I need to stress that there are far more hard-working and dedicated people than myself who are giving their time to our good causes locally and although I’m very proud to have been given this award, I accept it on their behalf and of course my wife Christine, who helps and supports me in everything I do."