Well, Easter weekend has come and gone, I hope all members and their families had a great weekend, either travelling or staying at home, For our part, we explored more of beautiful Queensland, out at Gordon Valley. (*) Not only was there great countryside, camping and 4 wheel driving, but an added bonus of no internet or phone reception.
It was good to see the project shed in full swing and preparation for our next shipment of wheelchairs to South Africa, later in the year, is well underway.
Geoff Croad is still short a few names for our next Bunnings Sausage Sizzle on Friday 29 April, please contact Geoff if you are available to help on the day.
Kind regards,
President Paul Seymour.
(*) If you wonder where it is: also known as "out in the sticks", in Goomburra. And where is Goomburra? Out in the sticks. About 10 Km north of the Cunningham Highway. ☺ Ed.
Last Wednesday, Dr Danielle Stanisic (photo left), one of the project’s team leaders, and PDG Graham Jones, the Committee Chair of Rotary Against Malaria provided us with an update.
Australia has been free of Malaria since 1981, but that doesn’t mean that there are no risks. Dr Danielle explained that we still have the “right” mosquitos in the Northern Territory. But world-wide, one of the major concerns is that case numbers are no longer decreasing. In short: this means that the virus may have become immune to the treatment drugs. Vaccination (which results in your body generating natural immunity) is the answer.
There are various methods that can be used. The Malaria Vaccine Project’s aim is to perfect a ‘Whole Parasite Vaccine’. In essence, Dr Danielle explained: “We take the parasite and treat it so they can’t grow anymore…” [sounds really simple, doesn’t it? If only... Ed.] A major contribution of $500,000 by the Federal Government helped to bring the project well and truly in the Human Trial stage.
Next challenge is how to get it to the areas in the world where it’s needed: Liquid format is too bulky and too expensive. So they are developing a method where it can be ‘powderized’ and at the destination, “just add water”… It’s when I listen to people like Dr Danielle Stanisic, when I realise how much the world, particularly the “developed” regions, owes to scientists such as her and her team.
(See the slides of Dr Danielle and PDF Graham Jones’s update on RAM in the Download Section on the right)
Last Wednesday, we welcomed a guest from South Africa, Neil McDonald. Neil is the CEO of Khanya Hospice, which is a recipient of some of the wheelchairs we despatched to South Africa last year (see report in the Download Sectionof our website), sent by the RC of Port Alfred, South Africa). Neil is also a member of the Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti which was one of the clubs involved in the distribution. Neil wanted a group photo (that's him, front, in pink shirt) and also visited our project shed where he met some of our volunteers.
Isn’t it great to receive some feedback from “the other side”. Thank you for visiting us, Neil!
On Good Friday, I posted an appeal on Facebook for donations to complete the electricals of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu. It was wonderful to see the responses - several "three-digit" donations saw the target of $1,009 reached by Saturday evening. A big 'Thank You!' to all who donated. A brief survey indicated that they wish to remain anonymous, hence no names need mentioning. You know who you are!
(That doesn't mean that the Wheelchair Trust can't do with more donations: the current supply chain problems dictate that we order and commit to purchasing components such as wheels, tyres, castors etc as much as six months in advance.) Click on this link: https://wheelchairtrust.org.au/donate/
PS: The project is far more advanced than is shown in the picture. Time I went out and got some updated photos!
Amazing what you find when cleaning out your computer!
Good Friday… the pubs aren’t open (OK, I never go to the pub before 11:30 am anyway ) so I decided to clean out some old stuff in my computer. I found a super large 650 MB file (at the time designed by Neil Thurlow's elves for hi-res printing) of a full report on our club’s major 2010 MATAFAA VILLAGE on Samoa, to build a school, toilet block and play gym.
The tsunami in 2009 devastated the village and its school. This building followed the same principal design by Des La Rance, as the school our club delivered to Phuket, Thailand, after the tsunami of 2004. This concept (designed to withstand cyclones) is also employed with our current project of an X-Ray unit for Mauna Health Centre, Vanuatu. It’s in our Downloads Section (converted to low-res). Go on! Check it out!
Doug Lipp was at the door, Graham Isaacson was Chairman (for Ian Mayberry). We had apologies from Gerald East, Brian Pearson, Ian Mayberry (and possibly others…)
President Paul Seymour welcomed all members and visitors. Very special visitors indeed: Guest speakers Dr Danielle Stanisic and PDG Graham Jones, Neil McDonald President Elect of the Rotary Club of Amanzimtoti, South Africa (see separate reports above) and Colin Welch from the Rotary Club of Mermaid Beach, who paddled a canoe down the Murray River in a fundraising effort for the Malaria Vaccine Project. Click on the link for a report on Col’s journey.
Secretary Mitch Brown conducted a poll to elect District 9640’s representative to the board of Rotary International. The majority of votes went to Zac Revere, current President of the Rotary Club of Koala Lovers.
Following the presentations of Dr Danielle Stanisic and PDG Graham Jones, Wheelchair Trust Chairman Larry Murray elaborated on various items in relation to the project shed and the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu. We are looking towards despatching another container of wheelchairs to South Africa – at present there are 219 in stock. We need at least another 60. We also need to determine with the South African clubs as to who will finance the container and shipping costs.
President Paul Seymour advised that our club will donate $500 to the Malaria Vaccine Project.
District Governor Jeff Egan recently wrote a letter (see Download section on the right) to all Rotarians in District 9640, advising that a dedicated Flood Appeal account has been set up for Rotarians (and anyone else, for that matter) to contribute to a flood appeal to benefit victims of the horrendous floods some regions experienced over the past two weeks. As is common for any Rotary-based appeals, there will be no administration fees, director's remunerations etc. All funds end up directly at the target, the people who were affected.
If a donor does not require the donation to have tax deductibility status, it is preferable that donations should be deposited into the following account:
Rotary International District 9640 Ltd.
BSB: 084462, Account No: 816279059
This is the account to which Rotary clubs should donate.
If tax deductibility is required, please use this account:
Keith Wilson Relief Trust Fund
BSB: 633000 Account No: 175308303
The name of the donor needs to be included on the deposit AND please send via email to PDG Sandra Doumany at srmd@bigpond.net.au (Note: the original post had a typo - this is the correct address): 1. the name of the donor 2. the amount of the deposit 3. any requirement for the donation to be spent on a specific area (if requested).
Duty Roster - note: subject to change - please check every week. Note: Fellowship duty also is expected to be at the Project Shed on the Saturday following the meeting
Meanwhile, at the home of a researcher who worked from home during the pandemic... the speech bubble says "You're not violating any fundamental laws of physics in there, are you?"
“If you say you understand Quantum Theory, you don’t understand Quantum Theory.”
Richard Feynman, 1918 - 1988, Nobel Prize Winner in Physics
One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision.Bertrand Russell, British Philosopher, on the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Last Wednesday, Dr Danielle Stanisic (photo left), one of 
Last Wednesday, we welcomed a guest from South Africa, Neil McDonald. Neil is the CEO of Khanya Hospice, which is a recipient of some of the wheelchairs we despatched to South Africa last year (
On Good Friday, I posted an appeal on Facebook for donations to complete the electricals of the X-Ray Unit for Vanuatu. It was wonderful to see the responses - several "three-digit" donations saw the target of $1,009 reached by Saturday evening. A big 'Thank You!' to all who donated. A brief survey indicated that they wish to remain anonymous, hence no names need mentioning. You know who you are!
Amazing what you find when cleaning out your computer!
) so I decided to clean out some old stuff in my computer. I found a super large 650 MB file (at the time designed by Neil Thurlow's elves for hi-res printing) of a full report on our club’s major 2010 MATAFAA VILLAGE on Samoa, to build a school, toilet block and play gym. 
District Governor Jeff Egan recently wrote a letter (see Download section on the right) to all Rotarians in District 9640, advising that a dedicated Flood Appeal account has been set up for Rotarians (and anyone else, for that matter) to contribute to a flood appeal to benefit victims of the horrendous floods some regions experienced over the past two weeks. As is common for any Rotary-based appeals, there will be no administration fees, director's remunerations etc. All funds end up directly at the target, the people who were affected. 
