We acknowledge and pay our respect to the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of the people of Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl, and all Aboriginal Elders, past, present and emerging and their continuing cultural, spiritual customs and practices.
Social Outing Opportunity.....GMR have a team every week to join in. Wednesdays 7pm at the Jacaranda Hotel. FREE to PLAY
Mark's Musings
G’day GMR members and friends. Last Thursday night saw a number of our members join members of Yamba, Iluka-Woombah, Maclean and Grafton Rotary clubs at the Lawrence Tavern for a “Clarence Cluster Fellowship Night”, where around 60 Rotarian friends and friends of Rotarians attended. A great big thanks to AG Anne Farrell for organising a special night of fun and friendship. And of course, good food and drink. It has been a while since we were all able to get together, with COVID and floods getting in the way of previously proposed dates.
Today 19/04/2023 is the start of Youth Week. We will be manning the BBQ at Live N Load tomorrow evening. So come along and see what our youth are up to, with many bands playing. Still on youth, we are looking forward to a visit from McAuley College teacher Alex Montford & 4 Students next week 26th. Where they will speak on their experience at MUNA last month.
This Sunday some of our members will be finally doing our Mann River drive postponed from last year. We will be accompanied by 10-12 members & friends of the Rotary Club of Goonellabah. Don’t forget that we are meeting at the Rest Point Hotel, Copmanhurst at 11:30am for an early lunch. See you there!
The Clarence Cluster was a remarkable success last Thursday at the Lawrence Tavern. Over fifty members from across the Cluster had the opportunity to wish Anne Farrell well for her next endeavours and to thank her for three years of hard and successful work as the AG to the Clarence Valley Rotary Clubs. A wonderful evening of fellowship, catching up with members from other Rotary Clubs in the area.
Quick reminder that tomorrow, Thursday 20 April 2023 Clarence Valley Library will be hosting another Live n Loud. Over thirty youth bands and performers will be appearing on the night. Grafton Midday Rotary will be running a barbeque from 4:30 to 9:30pm. Volunteers are Tony, Leanne, Chris, Herman, Bill and Bob.
Here is an invitation to attend the second Membership Development Program in Casino on Sunday May 7, 2023.
"We are excited to share with you that we have a special guest presenter, Mark Huddleston, Author of ‘Creatures of Habit’. Mark is a respected and much sought after strategist, commentator, presenter and trainer in membership development.
Further, Mark is passionate about modernising Rotary and making our organisation more attractive to a younger audience. Mark will be presenting at both Assemblies. This is a rare opportunity to have such a respected and accomplished professional present in our district. Our program for the day very much connects with current challenges.
We hope to see you there. Let’s all combine towards a common focus to plan and make 2023-2024 a year to remember.
As you can see from the content in this newsletter, ROMAC is very much back in business after the hiatus we had with COVID.
We currently have 5 patients either here in Australia or about to arrive for treatment and we are looking at possibly another 20 plus children before the end of the year. Our systems and processes have had to be quickly reviewed and systematically updated so we can cope with the influx of patients. Life has been hectic but at the same time extremely enjoyable and personally rewarding for all those involved on the National and Regional ROMAC Committees.
Perhaps you would like to join us and in so doing give a little but get back a lot back because ROMAC offers the opportunity for real, meaningful, hands on experiences helping to save the lives of children from our Oceania neighbours.
If you are interested, we are currently seeking people to express interest in the following 6 vacancies at the National level:
Medical Director - make life saving treatment decisions
Fundraising Chair - enable ROMAC to pay for children’s treatment
HR, Training and Recruitment Coordinator - help recruit and train our volunteers
Operations Manager - look after our patients and their carers
All positions are up to 4 years tenure and expressions of interest together with a CV should be directed to the Deputy Chair, Glenys Parton, at deputychair@romac.org.au or to me at chair@romac.org.au. Glenys and I can also send you the terms of reference if required. Expressions of interest are due in by April 25 2023.
In addition to these 6 National positions, we are also looking for people to volunteer to work on our Regional ROMAC Committees in roles like fundraising, communications and media, Hospital liaison, Club involvement, patient care and hosting, and any other roles like Secretary and Treasurer. Rotarians and Rotaractors interested in any of these roles should contact their Regional Chair. The contact details of all our Regional Chairs are included below.
We very much appreciate and thank those that continuously give us financial support. Unfortunately the number of clubs and individuals that donate to ROMAC is currently well down on the number that used to support ROMAC pre-COVID. In the four years prior to COVID, we had 53% of all Clubs in Rotary Zone 8 making a donation to ROMAC; not necessarily every year, some yes but many on a cycle of every couple of years.
In the 2021-22 Rotary year, we had only 11% of Clubs from across the Australian Region donate to ROMAC and this year 2022-23, admittedly we still have 3 important months to go, we have donations from only 4% of Clubs. As we move to the end of this Rotary year, if you and/or your Club have any surplus funds, please consider donating to ROMAC. Donations can be made through our website www.romac.org.au, donating online at www.romac.org.au/donate or in New Zealand at the Rotary Shop or by contacting our Treasurer, Stephen Noble, at treasurer@romac.org.au.
If your Club would like to receive a ROMAC presentation at one of your meetings and appreciate the work and impact of ROMAC, please contact your ROMAC Regional Chair in the list below.
Yours in Rotary Ian D'Arcy Walsh
New Patients
Fourteen-year-old Senri from the Solomon Islands is arriving in Sydney on 19 April for burns contracture treatment. His injuries were caused by a bomb blast in January last year. He received initial treatment in the Solomon Islands but the expert surgeons and equipment were not available to obtain a better result. COVID has prevented any earlier assistance by ROMAC for him.
Senri will have his pre-op consultation on 20 April at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick. His surgery to repair burns contractures of his hands is planned for the following Monday.
Also from the Solomon Islands, eight-year-old Ephraim will be treated, mainly as an out-patient at Westmead Hospital, for an eye problem. He will be staying with a family related to his mother, who will be his carer.
Nine-year-old Inia from Tonga has a respiratory condition in which the airways in the lungs are damaged, causing them to become permanently widened. He will be arriving in Sydney with his mother mid-April and he will be treated at Westmead Hospital.
Fourteen-year-old Senri from the Solomon Islands is arriving in Sydney on 19 April for burns contracture treatment. His injuries were caused by a bomb blast in January last year. He received initial treatment in the Solomon Islands but the expert surgeons and equipment were not available to obtain a better result. COVID has prevented any earlier assistance by ROMAC for him.
Nine-year-old Inia from Tonga has a respiratory condition in which the airways in the lungs are damaged, causing them to become permanently widened. He will be arriving in Sydney with his mother mid-April and he will be treated at Westmead Hospital. 