We had a Great Night and good attendance
Special Guests included PDG's John Dodd ,Harold Sharp and Gina Growden ,plus AG ,Jenny May and President Andre Harriman from Chatswood-Roseville Club
Also special mention to the Club Member's partners and BBQ Buddies
Bill Lee ,as always ,flying the Foundation flag spoke of the History of the Foundation ,from it's establishment in 1917 to the present day involving efforts in Polio Eradication ,Humanity Grants ,and Project(Club) Grants
Special mention of Polio Plus ,launched in 1985,to tackle Global Eradication of Polio .More then USD2 million has been raised ,and 5 billion children have been vaccinated .Only exists in small pockets of Afghanistan and Pakistan today.
PP Ross presented cheques to the following Organisations
1. Interplast ,accepted by John Dodd ,like many of these groups which appeared to have gone quiet during Covid ,but were involved in extensive training of staff and doctors plus support teams .Finally got on the road 12 months ago ,and it is interesting of the 600 plus plastic surgeons in Australia,400 are Interplast volunteers.
First trip started of in Fiji ,through Asia to Mongolia .They had been able to train local staff for the more basic operations ,leaving the more complex cases for the visiting staff.
2. ROMAC cheque accepted by Harold Sharp ,bring children from Zone 8 in Asia ,for operations that cannot be performed locally .Despite efforts by Harold and Gina ,no Government assistance provided ,and only funding is through Rotary Clubs like ours .All costs covered by ROMAC accept for volunteer Doctors time .Last year ,first since Covid,9 patients were brought in for treatment.
3. Shelterbox ,cheque accepted by Howard Sullivan ,is the International Disaster Relief Organisation ,which has been in operation since the year 2000,and carry out work in hand with local Rotary Clubs ,and for instance is currently working in Morocco where there has recently been a massive earthquake .Shelterbox cover areas like providing rescue ,tents ,bedding ,blankets and food to the affected areas
AG ,Jenny May presented Ross with a certificate of Appreciation from the Foundation for the Clubs efforts in supporting Polio Plus
John Dodd gave a brief talk on the support given by those Rotarians who work quietly in the background making sure things happen .People such as George Condell ,Past District Insurance Officer and Gina Growden ,Past District Secretary.
Tom completed the evening with a Christmas Trivia quiz enjoyed by all.
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