Subpages
Related Pages
Links
Files
Photo Albums
Past Annual Reports
Medical Report: Beth Philipps  (Co-ordinator)
The 2014/15 Rotary Club of Rockingham Medical Project started off with a bit of glory when it was nominated by DG Erwin Biemel for a Rotary International Award. At the District Change-Over we were presented with a Rotary International Significant Achievement Award in recognition of outstanding and significant community service efforts. Only projects carried out by a single club are eligible for this award, and it can only be issued once to a Club project. The Award was signed by Rotary World President Ron D Burton and DG Erwin Biemel. We were delighted to receive the Award.
We have continued to grow the local component of the Project. I have begun a spreadsheet showing who has borrowed what and when it has been returned. Local doctors and chemists continue to recommend us to their patients and word of mouth advertising continues. When we had a build up of zimmer frames, over toilet seats shower chairs and stools early in the year, we took several to the Sunday Market and gave them away to the Mart patrons who were interested.  These items are not particularly popular with the overseas hospitals, who prefer beds, wheelchairs, crutches etc. so it was both good advertising and good public relations.
Following our success with the Rotary Award, we nominated the project for the Premier’s Day Active Citizenship Award for a community Group or Event and on Australia Day we received that Award also. Those of us who attended the presentation were featured on the cover of the following City Chronicle.
Jacquie and Harry Smith have continued to assist with sorting and packaging donated items for overseas and we have contributed more to Timor Leste than we ever have before.
We are fortunate that we have regular suppliers of goods and that our lease on the storage sheds with the City of Rockingham is very reasonable.
In January of this year, one of our members, Janet Knowles, was in a position to acquire, on the Rotary Club’s behalf, a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory which was going to be decommissioned from the Fremantle Hospital. It is a tribute to Janet, the Rotary Club Board and members, the Quetta Military Hospital, the Pakistan Embassy in Australia, Pakistanis in Australia Inc, Brigadiers Muhammad Asghar and Muhammad Junaid Khan that this laboratory has been packed and shipped to Karachi by May 10th. This was a first for our Club and we have learned many lessons that will assist us should we ever be in a position to repeat this exercise.
Once again, I would like to thank those members who continue to contribute to this project, in particular to my husband, Peter, who is tireless in collecting and distributing items locally and who gives more than his fair share of time and effort to this project.