Important: Apologies/Guests to PP Noel L by Mid-day Thursday.
Noel’s email is: nrlucas@iinet.net.au Ph 54841262
As we must pay for the meals ordered, please notify of the non-attendance of yourselves or partners.
Meeting Venue: Rochester Wine Bar
Guest Speaker: Carli Windridge (NYSF)
Rochester Fine Art Exhibition:In lieu of the normal meeting of 24th April, members and partners attended the opening of the Rochester Fine Art Exhibition that featured works by local, regional and international exhibited artists. Included in the Exhibition, courtesy of Australian Galleries, was the 2006 Archibald Prize winning portrait, “The Paul Juraszek Monolith” by Marcus Wills. Other works of Marcus Wills were on display along with works by acclaimed Melbourne artist, Graham Drendel.Visitors from throughout the region visited the exhibition over the 3 days and there were many positive comments concerning both the event and the venue, The Shire Hall. Artists were present to discuss their work and visitors were able to watch the creation of new projects.A popular addition to this year’s exhibition was Friday nights Italian Dinner. Proceeds from the auction held during the dinner will benefit the Rochester & Elmore District Health ServiceOn Sunday, the Fine Art Exhibition and the Moore Street Music Festival attracted quite a number of visitors returning to Melbourne after spending a long weekend in Echuca.
May 1st – Following the traditional opening, President Heather welcomed Rotarians and Partners of Members to the weekly meeting.
Apologies: Joe Flynn
The Combined Cluster Meeting: Sec. Bryan reported on his attendance at this meeting and of the informative address given by Robert Blum, Head of Oncology Department. This meeting was to launch the 2015 Valentine Day’s Ball, a major fundraiser for the Bendigo Hospital Oncology Unit.
Fund Raising: While the latest Bunnings BBQ was not as profitable as expected, members were quite pleased with the result considering an increase in expenses. Further BBQs are to be held on Sunday 10th August and Sunday 7th September.
Community: Pres. Heather presented, for members interest, the submission made to Shire of Campaspe in response to the review of public toilets. Members will strongly oppose a recommendation from the review that the toilets in Rotary Park be decommissioned if the alternate ‘Wayside Stop” is developed.
Directors are reminded that reports for inclusion in the Annual Report are due prior to 19th June.
Malaria Awareness Day – April 30th
– a time when we reflect upon the scourge that is Malaria; its impact upon the World; and the progress we are making in fighting and rolling back malaria.
Once prevalent in Europe, Australia and the United States malaria has become a disease of the developing World as enhanced health and hygiene practices break the mosquito/human cycle upon which malaria depends. Nevertheless malaria will still impact more than 10% of the World’s population, and will kill millions this year – mostly pregnant women and young children; mostly in Africa and South East Asia.
The war against malaria continues to be waged on many fronts. Australia is at the forefront of World research seeking to find a suitable, cheap, long lasting and easy to administer vaccine, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne (WEHI) is one of the leading research institutions in the field.
Meanwhile, much of the heavy lifting is done at a more basic tech level, and here Rotary is very active in Australia’s sphere of interest and focus.
Papua New Guinea
Topography and the stage of political development in PNG make it impractical to plan areas of malaria elimination in PNG at this stage. Nevertheless efforts to educate the local villagers and to provide nets, particularly for women and children, have brought about substantial reductions in the incidence of malaria over the last decade, with reductions in many areas in excess of 50%. Rotary in PNG assumes responsibility for assembling, training and coordinating the team responsible for distributing bed nets, and for educating villagers on the need to use bed nets and other hygiene practices. We need improvements in the reach and reliability of health and medical services overall in PNG to be able to implement the quick response / isolation /quick treatment capacity to move to malaria elimination.
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Improvements overall in health and medical services; widespread provision of bed nets through the Global Fund; and a geography comprising hundreds of isolated islands has led to substantial reductions in malaria in the last two decades and to increasing areas moving towards elimination, particularly in the south east islands. However Guadalcanal still has an incidence of malaria of more than one in ten every year. The ravages of recent cyclone and floods are feared to set back elimination efforts, and it is important that clean up efforts as part of the recovery are put in place quickly. The Clean Up a Village project, coordinated by the Rotary Club of Honiara is an important effort in the fight against malaria. Many of the tools used for this will have been lost in the floods, and funds are needed urgently to replace them.
Timor Leste
The Global Fund and its allies have provided bed nets for the areas of highest malaria risk in Timor, but has left many areas of moderate risk, and other institutions like schools and hospitals without support. Rotary has been conducting a vital role in funding and delivering bed nets to complement the Global Fund effort. We are now making final plans for a third container of nets which need to be distributed before the next monsoon season. RAM has directed over $130,000 towards this effort in the last few years. Undirected funds offered to RAM have mostly been applied to this project.
Extracts from report by Bill Oakley, D9800 RAM Chair