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It was a chance encounter on Bondi Beach that would have profound repercussions in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Filmmaker Mark Gould had just directed the documentary Tibet – Blood on the Snow and was looking around for an informed test audience. Enlightened, even.

And there they were, on the sand: a group of red-robed Tibetan monks led by Tibet campaigner and fundraiser Maureen Fallon on an awareness tour of Australia, drumming up money and support for the exiled community in Dharamsala, India.

Why were so many of them suffering painful, often agonising stomach pain?

The majority of the monks are confirmed with helicobacter pylori, some with staggering readings.

“A low count is three,” notes Ms Fallon, reviewing the figures.

“And some of them are 57. That is pretty serious. Serious helicobacter.”

“It’s been life-changing,” declares Courtney Harrington.

“It shows for the first time that all my studying and late nights in the books can actually help someone somewhere and make a little bit of a difference.

“So it is my first taste of actually being able to help someone with medicine. So I love it. I am very thankful!”

And so are the monks.