John is a retired farmer and wool classer originally from Mangoplah about 50 kms south of Wagga Wagga on Holbrook Road. John has one son, Sam who is currently a university student in Melbourne. I currently live in Brisbane with my partner Carolyn Astill but from early 2017 will be found travelling Australia in our motor home and on overseas tours. John is a keen snow skier and member of the Riverina Alpine Ski Club (RASC) and the International Fellowship of Skiing Rotarians (ISFR).
John joined the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Kooringal in 1993 after experiencing a trip during 1987 as a Rotary volunteer to build a school in the remote village of Manu, Malaita, Solomon Islands. He served as President in 2001-02. In addition he has been very involved with Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd. (RAWCS) and has recently completed 5 years as National Projects Manager and 3 years as Chair of RAWCS Eastern Region. He is currently Chair of the National RAWCS Website Committee.
Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) requires a self-motivated Rotarian to fill the role of Operations Director.
The position requires the Rotarian to become a Director of ROMAC entities and take overall responsibility (together with the ROMAC Operations Manager), for all operational matters pertaining to the processing of referrals through to the safe return, after treatment, of the ROMAC Patient and their Carer.
To be a successful in this role a candidate will require the following attributes:
1. Proven organisational skills
2. Experience in negotiations at a high level. Experience within the medical and health delivery areas, and other State and Federal government departments, would be beneficial.
3. Confident in their computer skills and demonstrable skills in this area are essential.
4. The Operations Director requires a personality and an ability to accommodate different cultures and encourage volunteers to work as a team.
5. The Operations Director also requires a big heart and be prepared to be one of the key persons to enable ROMAC to fulfil its Mission; that of providing specialist treatment for children from developing countries, in the form of life saving and/or dignity restoring surgery not accessible to them in their home country
Please direct your application, or queries, to the ROMAC Chair, Rob Wilkinson, at [email protected]
Peter Gissing
PO Box 8481
Kooringal
NSW 2650
Australia
Hi All,What a great meeting last Tuesday with guest speaker Evan Burrell. Thank you Evan for your presentation the use of Facebook and his thought on promoting our Club. I would like to thank all who attended and hope we can apply some of the suggestions made by Evan. Our next Zoom meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18th October at 7.30pm ESDT or 6.30pm EST with Rev. Mal Dunnett one of our own members as guest speaker, giving a presentation on his work on his RAWCS project, 9-2010-11: Community Development & Education Assistance, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands.
The project aims to provide and build community training and vocational training centres in the Province of Santa Isabel. Assist in training to provide vocational education, leadership, PDHPE, drug/alcohol & youth development programs.
The article below is an interesting one on the difficult work of eradicating the last pockets of polio that are still left. It is encouraging that we are moving toward to our final goal of a polio free world.
Overcoming obstacles to polio eradication in Pakistan
A Rotary volunteer administers polio drops to a child missed by earlier rounds in Pakistan.
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Henry Ford
By Alina A. Visram, manager, Pakistan National PolioPlus Committee
When I first joined Pakistan’s PolioPlus Committee (PNPPC) as a manager close to eight years ago, polio eradication seemed within our reach. I used the opportunity to study poliomyelitis beyond just perceiving it as “a crippling disease.” I researched the causes and consequences; the types of polio virus; modes of prevention; and how elusive the virus can be given the right conditions.
Then in 2012, the dynamics of my country changed. We were faced with hostile militants, who refused to allow polio teams to vaccinate children in their territory. Our front line workers were regularly targeted for their work during campaigns.
Alina Visram bonds with the community in Pakistan.
Children were deprived of polio vaccine in several regions occupied by the militants making it inaccessible and hard to reach. Common myths and misconceptions were rife in most backward communities. Our biggest hurdle was “how do we change their mindset,” while they eyed us with suspicion and disdain.
We expanded our motley crew to a larger team. Together we worked closely with our polio partners to devise strategies and innovative approaches to overcome the odds; through placing Resource Centers in high risk districts; targeting nomads and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through Permanent Transit Posts (PTPs); creating awareness in illiterate communities through speaking books; conducting workshops with enlightened religious clerics; and encouraging Rotary clubs to hold health camps in impoverished districts.
Meanwhile, polio cases spiraled across the country and in 2014 we reported over 300 cases of the wild poliovirus. In the years that followed, we worked with unwavering diligence and commitment in collaboration with the government of Pakistan to restrict polio transmission. Today, we have only five cases of polio stemming from the wild virus and only 11 globally, as of the end of September.
World Polio Day 24 October was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. It marks the long and arduous journey all endemic countries have struggled against, to eradicate polio.
The last mile is the hardest, but we are so close to the finish line.
Rotary Clubs are requested to identify high profile members from their communities who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in their vocation and have contributed significantly to the advancement of that vocation locally, nationally and/or globally. They may be actors or academics, business people or builders, police force members or politicians, surgeons or sports stars. Most communities have someone who meets these criteria.
Nominees may be Rotarians, must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and preferably reside in or carry out their activities in District 9700. It is important that nominees are NOT informed of their nomination.
Details of the award criteria and nomination forms are attached to this email and are also available from members of the committee.
Please note that nominations must be submitted on the prescribed form in order that the committee can evaluate each candidate in a uniform matter. No additional information should be submitted.
Nominations, endorsed by the nominating Rotary Club close with District Chair Len Wade on Friday30 November 2017 to. [email protected]
FORMS
The criteria for this award and the nomination form are attached to this email
I would be most grateful if you would promote these prestigious awards and seek the nomination of suitable candidates. The winners will be recognised at our District Conference in Leeton in May 2018
Best regards
Len Wade
Chair Rotary District 9700 Vocational Service Committee
Hi All, A reminder of the ZOOM meeting to be held on Wednesday 4 October at 6.30pm EST or 7.30pm Eastern Summer Time.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 3rd October, 7.00pm – Eastern Summer Time – 6.00pm Queensland time.
Our guest speaker will be Evan Burrell who is a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Turramurra, D9685 who began his Rotary life as a Rotaractor. Evan is an amazing fellow who is passionate about Rotary and puts an amazing amount of effort into Public Image. I am sure you will find his enthusiasm contagious. Please join us and it would be nice if you could invite a guest. It is a great opportunity for them to understand Rotary and hear Evan speak of the value of Rotary and the humanitarian work that Rotary does.
Please note the different day, which was changed to suit Evan.
If you have a friend who wants to attend please let me know and I will ensure that they receive the email with the link to the meeting.
Women share stories of humanitarian service on International Women’s Day
What motivates everyday women to do extraordinary things — to positively change the lives of people halfway around the world while inspiring so many folks at home?
Razia Jan, the founder and director of the Zabuli Education Center, was honored on International Women’s Day.
Three Rotary members answered that question at a celebration of International Women’s Day hosted by the World Bank at its Washington, D.C., headquarters 8 March.
Speaking to an audience of more than 300, with thousands listening to the live-stream, Razia Jan, Deborah Walters, and Ann Lee Hussey told their personal stories and explained what inspired them to build a girls school in Afghanistan, assist people living in a Guatemala City garbage dump, and lead more than 24 teams to immunize children in Africa and Asia.
“I’m so inspired to see the faces of the children, what they’re learning, how to stand up for their rights, to have ambition … to want to do things that may even be impossible — to have dreams,” said Jan, a member of the Rotary Club of Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA.
An Afghan native now living in the United States, Jan has worked for decades to build connections between Afghans and Americans while improving the lives of young women and girls in Afghanistan.
Founder and director of the Zabuli Education Center, a school that serves more than 625 girls in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan, Jan said the first class of students graduated in 2015 and a women’s college will open soon.
Dr. Deborah Walters, a member of the Rotary Club of Unity, was honored by the World Bank at International Women’s Day.
The girls school teaches math, English, science, and technology, along with practical skills to prepare them to achieve economic freedom within a challenging social environment.
Walters, a neuroscientist and member of the Rotary Club of Unity, Maine, USA, has served as a volunteer for Safe Passage (Camino Seguro), a nonprofit organization that provides educational and social services to children and families who live in a Guatemala City garbage dump.
Walters, known as the “kayaking grandmother,” traveled from her home in Maine to Guatemala in a small kayak to raise awareness of the plight of the residents.
Hussey, a member of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise, Maine, has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work.
A polio survivor herself, she’s spent the past 14 years leading teams of Rotary volunteers to developing countries to immunize children during National Immunization Days.
Ann Lee Hussey was honored for her lifelong work in polio eradication.
She often chooses to lead or participate in NIDs in places that don’t often see Westerners: Bangladesh, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and remote areas of Egypt and India. There, the need is greatest, and the publicity and goodwill that the trips foster are critical in communicating the urgency of the need for immunizations.
“These women exemplify what the World Bank is striving to attain every day with the twin goals of ending extreme poverty within a generation and boosting shared prosperity,” said Daniel Sellen, chair of the World Bank Group Staff Association. “They illustrate the power of women to change the world and improve people’s lives through innovative and impactful projects in education, economic development, and health.”
Our guest speaker will be Evan Burrell who is a Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Turramurra, D9685 who began his Rotary life as a Rotaractor. Evan is an amazing fellow who is passionate about Rotary and puts an amazing amount of effort into Public Image. I am sure you will find his enthusiasm contagious. Please join us and it would be nice if you could invite a guest. It is a great opportunity for them to understand Rotary and hear Evan speak of the value of Rotary and the humanitarian work that Rotary does.
Please note the different day, which was changed to suit Evan.
If you have a friend who wants to attend please let me know and I will ensure that they receive the email with the link to the meeting.
If you have a friend who wants to attend please let me know and I will ensure that they receive the email with the link to the meeting.
5 things you might not know about ending polio
The road to eradicating polio has been a long and difficult one, with Rotary leading the fight since 1985. Going from nearly 350,000 cases in 1988 to just 10 so far this year has required time, money, dedication, and innovation from thousands of people who are working to end the disease.
Here are five things you may not know about the fight to end polio:
1. Ice cream factories in Syria are helping by freezing the ice packs that health workers use to keep the polio vaccine cold during immunization campaigns.
John Cena
2. Celebrities have become ambassadors in our fight to end the disease.
They include WWE wrestling superstar John Cena, actress Kristen Bell, action-movie star Jackie Chan, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, Grammy Award-winning singers Angelique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates, and world-renowned violinist and polio survivor Itzhak Perlman.
3. Health workers and Rotary volunteers have climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and sailed to remote islands, risking their lives to vaccinate children against this disease. Rotary has funded more than 1,500 motorbikes and 6,700 other vehicles, as well as 17 boats, to make those journeys. Vaccinators have even traveled on the backs of elephants, donkeys, and camels to immunize children in remote areas.
4. In Pakistan, the polio program emphasizes hiring local female vaccinators and monitors. More than 21,000 vaccinators, 83 percent of whom are women, are achieving the highest immunization coverage rates in the country’s history.
5. Thanks to the efforts of Rotary and its partners, more than 16 million people who otherwise might have been paralyzed are walking today. In all, more than 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated since 1988.
