Rotary funds Street Doctor Service is Northern Suburbs
 

Osborne Park Rotary, together with Karrinyup and Scarborough Rotary Clubs have arranged for a Steet Doctor service to be provided in Marrabooka every week for the next three years. The service will be funded jointly by the Rotary Clubs.
 
The service will be provided by Black Swan Health, who have been delivering the Street Doctor service for 20 years, starting in Fremantle, with several clinics in the southern Perth suburbs.  There are no clinics north of the river, this will be the first.
 
The Black Swan Health Street Doctor currently operates 14 clinics per week south of the river, each running for 3 hours.  They maintain a regular schedule so that attendees know when and where to find them.  Word of mouth is used as the main marketing medium, many repeat clients use this as their regular medical service. 
Rotary funds Street Doctor Service is Northern Suburbs   Louise Hancock 2024-03-11 16:00:00Z 0

Українське свято Різдва 2024

Our Club, in conjunction with the Karrinyup Rotary, hosted another Christmas Party for the Ukraine Refugees living in Perth. The event was opened with a prayer from Vasyl Olevych, the Father from the Ukrainian Orthodox church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.  The party, held on 14 January, was a great success, with 150 people attending. 
 
The entertainment commenced with a modern play referencing the current situation, which was performed by the group known as "Vertep By Grown-ups".  This recently formed group consists mostly of displaced Ukrainians, with members ranging in age from 10 to 50, despite the group's name suggesting it is for adults.Vertep holds significant importance in Ukrainian culture as a Christmas celebration, and in Perth, they presented a modernized rendition of it.  The play's script, written by Yuriy Safronov from St. Louis, USA, was crafted specifically for the Perth Ukrainian Community and is now also performed in the USA.  The story revolves around the conflict of Evil vs Good, with characters representing contemporary issues in Ukraine's war. King Herod's alliance with Moscow is mentioned, and Mother Ukraine emphasizes the protection of the people and children of Ukraine.
Українське свято Різдва 2024 David Motta 2024-01-25 16:00:00Z 0

"My Home" complete and occupied.

Eighteen homes built by “My Home” in North Fremantle were completed in June 2023 and a delighted group of homeless older women moved in over the next few months.  Rotary gave every new resident a welcome pack which included food and toiletries. 
“My Home” is a local not-for-profit organisation which is building small affordable homes for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.  They are using a new housing development model in WA using a public private partnership system.  
 
State government, Local governments and Church bodies make land available for free; corporate Australia funds construction of the houses; Rotary furnishes and equips the houses; and a community housing provider (CHP) manages the property and the tenants. 
 
The first “My Home” housing development was completed in North Fremantle in June 2023. The homes are for women over 55, who are the fastest growing group of people who are homeless in Australia.  These women have found themselves in this situation for a number of reasons. Often, they cannot find work because of their age, they have lost confidence in re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mum or feel they are too old to retrain. They have negligible superannuation, no assets and without a partner.  
"My Home" complete and occupied. David Motta 2023-03-19 16:00:00Z 0

Homelessness "Eye Contact" in Canberra

A team from Rotary in WA travelled to Canberra to present the Eye Contact exhibition to the members of Parliament in Australian Parliament House on International Womens Day, 8th March, in order to get the Federal Government to increase their support for homeless people and in particular older homeless women. Over 49,000 women in Australia face homelessness every night - 41% of these as a result of family violence. Australia has the third highest rate of homelessness in OECD countries.  Women over 55 are the fastest growing homeless cohort due to disrupted work lives and an increasingly unaffordable private rental market. 
Senator Linda Reynolds opened the event, thanked Rotary for hosting it and introduced Tara Sherwood who spoke on behalf of Rotary.  Tara spoke of Rotary's projects to assist homeless people including Socks in the City, Common Ground, "My Home" and Passages. She highlighted how many people are only a few steps away from homelessness. For example, someone could have a good job and rental house but receive a 30 day notice terminating their tenancy and not be able to find a new home in 30 days. With vacancy rates being under 1% in many cities it is extremely difficult for everyone to find housing, and even more so for single parents and low income earners.
 
Tara introduced David Pearson, the keynote speaker and CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, who highlighted the personal costs of homelessness and stress caused by decreasing housing affordability, in order to encourage the Parliamentarians to amplify their efforts to address these issues and increase funding for social housing.   Mr Pearson further said that homelessness was a growing issue Australia-wide and Australians were becoming increasingly de-sensitised to people living and dying on the streets of our cities and communities.  'This exhibition provides an important opportunity to raise awareness among Parliamentarians that it doesn’t need to be this way.  Around the world, there are growing numbers of communities that are ending this type of homelessness and we should seek to do that in Australia too.’ 
 
Following David’s address, Hon Patrick Gorman, MP and Hon Michael Sukkar, MP addressed the group and confirmed their commitment to the cause.  Approximately 50 people attended the event including about 25 Members of Parliament, and guests from St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Care, Uniting Care Australia and the Rotary Club of Murrumbidgee. 
Homelessness "Eye Contact" in Canberra David Motta 2023-03-19 16:00:00Z 0

Support for Ukrainians

The Ukrainian refugees in Perth finally had something to smile about when they attended the Ukraine Christmas Party on January 15th, which was hosted by the Rotary Osborne Park and Karrinyup Clubs.  The party was attended by about 110 Ukrainians, including 20 children, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.  The party was a follow up to one that we hosted on September 28, and the feedback that we received from that event.
We were assisted us in running the event by Olivia, who has lived here for some time and acted as our interpreter, and Pogrebnyak Sergey, who used to MC at weddings in Ukraine, who acted as our MC for the day.  Alla Crowley who managed the invitations
Support for Ukrainians David Motta 2023-01-20 16:00:00Z 0

Kampong Speu Hospital Wing Opens
 

The Kampong Speu Referral Hospital, Chris Keenan Surgical Complex, was officially opened on Wednesday 23 November 2022 by the Cambodian Director of the Health Department, Dr Hok Kry, & the Director of the Kampong Speu Referral Hospital, Dr Chheng Sovathh and Mr Chris Keenan the principal benefactor.  The provision of the theatres to this hospital will greatly benefit the local Cambodian community.
The instigators of the project were Dr Meng Sok & Dr Tim Keenan. Kampong Speu is Sok’s hometown, and it meant a lot to Sok to be able to give back.  Osborne Park Rotary opened a RAWCS Tax Deductible Account and with SOK ensured all monies transferred were correctly paid for work done. Also in attendance were Dr Tim Keenan, Dr Peter Lugg, Dr Sok Meng, Pip Asphar and Debra Waters from the Rotary Club of Osborne Park and Dr Peter Lugg from the Rotary Club of Hawthorn in Victoria.  Dr Tim’s brother Shane Keenan and his sister Jackie Hocking were in attendance.
Kampong Speu Hospital Wing Opens  David Motta 2022-12-12 16:00:00Z 0

Remembrance Day Ceremony 2022

On Remembrance Day, Friday 11th November 2022, 60 members of the public including Rotarians, RSL members wearing their medals, four councillors from the City of Stirling, WA MP David Michael, as well as the Rotary District Governor 9455, Ineke Oliver, attended a Remembrance Day ceremony at the ANZAC Memorial in Gwelup Park.  Two Rotary guests from France who were on holiday also attended.  They expressed their pleasure at being part of ceremony that is dear to their culture.
 
Osborne Park RSL President Richard Troughton led the ceremony, with support from a flag bearer and bugler. The dignitaries laid the wreaths and the community joined with respect and honour to the men and women of all the military wars and conflicts.  
 
After the ceremony everyone returned to the Colin Moore Centre for tea, coffee and biscuits and/or to admire and review the Vintage cars.  It was a great success, and many commented how much they had enjoyed the event.  Definitely a community service event to repeat in years to come
Remembrance Day Ceremony 2022 Louise Hancock 2022-11-22 16:00:00Z 0

"My Home" taking shape

Eighteen homes being built by “My Home” in North Fremantle for homeless older women are rapidly taking shape.
“My Home” is a local not-for-profit organisation which is building small affordable homes for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.  They are using a new housing development model in WA using a public private partnership system. 
 
State government, Local governments and Church bodies make land available for free; corporate Australia funds construction of the houses; Rotary furnishes and equips the houses; and a community housing provider (CHP) manages the property and the tenants.
 
The first “My Home” housing development is now being constructed in North Fremantle. The homes are for women over 55, who are the fastest growing group of people who are homeless in Australia.  These women have found themselves in this situation for a number of reasons. Often, they cannot find work because of their age, they have lost confidence in re-entering the workforce after being a stay-at-home mum or feel they are too old to retrain. They have negligible superannuation, no assets and without a partner.  
"My Home" taking shape David Motta 2022-10-10 16:00:00Z 0

Ukraine Refugees unite

Seeing the plight of the people fleeing Ukraine, our Club decided they wanted to help.  After exploring a number of opportunities, we decided to hold an afternoon tea for them, to meet and greet them and try to identify their most urgent needs.  The event, which was held on 28 September, was a great success with 50 Ukrainians attending and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Ukraine Refugees unite David Motta 2022-10-04 16:00:00Z 0

Trench Foot returns
 

Trench Foot, a disease most widely associated with soldiers living in trenches during the world wars, is a problem that affects many homeless people.  Rotary Clubs in WA are responding.
 
 
Trench foot and warm water immersion foot are serious conditions that result from your feet being wet for too long. The condition first became known during World War I, when soldiers got trench foot from fighting in cold, wet conditions in trenches without the extra socks or boots to help keep their feet dry. Trench foot killed an estimated 2,000 American and 75,000 British soldiers during WWI.
 
Although practically unheard of in our modern world, it has become prevalent in homeless people during winter if they cannot get their feet dry. Homeless people struggle to find clean dry socks to wear. As a result, they can develop both trench foot and warm water immersion foot.  A homeless person with a history of this is 8 times more likely to die in the next 5 years compared to a person who is not homeless.
 
 
To address this problem, Rotary in conjunction with Homeless Healthcare initiated the Socks in the City project to collect and distribute clean dry socks to homeless people.  During our recent Soup Night function, which we hold annually to raise money to assist people experiencing homelessness, members donated 150 pairs of socks together with $750. Dr Ken Mullin, who leads Rotary’s involvement in this project, reported that a total of 2000 pairs of socks were donated this year to this cause.  For more information or to donate go to https://socksinthecity.org.au/.
Trench Foot returns  David Motta 2022-09-10 16:00:00Z 0

FASD Project Gets Worldwide Recognition
 

Rotary’s, efforts to bringing awareness to the cause of FASD, reduce further damage and provide support to those already affected has been recognised in an article published by Rotary International in their global magazine and website.  Worldwide, FASD is a huge problem, and more often than not, those with the condition don't get the right kind of support. In recent years, Rotary clubs have started to take on the issue. 
Rotary members got involved because they were concerned about "the destruction of so many lives and the pressures FASD places on people in some very poverty-stricken communities," says Bruce Dufty, a member of the Rotary Club of Western Endeavour, Australia. In some predominantly Indigenous communities there, 20 percent of children have been diagnosed with disorders related to prenatal alcohol exposure.
 
The full article, which highlights the work done by the Rotary Club of Osborne Park, can be viewed here https://www.rotary.org/en/now-time-prevent-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders
FASD Project Gets Worldwide Recognition  David Motta 2022-08-06 16:00:00Z 0

Make FASD History Complete

The Make FASD History project has been successfully completed.  Over the last two and a half years the medical team at Patches Paediatrics diagnosed 16 children with FASD and worked with the local families in Leonora to prepare applications for NDIS funding for the children diagnosed with FASD.
 
Bruce Dufty worked with the local community to advise and assist in the establishment of a Leonora Aboriginal Residents and Community Corporation (LARCC), to discuss and manage their affairs for the betterment of the entire community.  Bruce also worked closely with the Leonora Youth Group to develop activities to occupy the young people, keep them attending school, attending bush camps and sex education classes.  The project team also sponsored the development of educational YouTube videos on the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and FASD.  The Leonora family films were produced by students from John Paul College in Kalgoorlie as part of their media studies. 

These films to be broadcast on the local social media network in Leonora.  The films can be viewed here.
Make FASD History Complete Louise Hancock 2022-06-08 16:00:00Z 0

Kampong Speu Hospital Nearing Completion

Kampong Speu Referral Hospital
Chris Keenan Surgical Complex
 
Construction of the building to accommodate the new new surgical wing of the Kampong Speu Referral Hospital is nearing completion.  Construction has been completed and fitting out of the interior is well advanced.  Plans are being finalised to officially open the hospital in November.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Demolition of the site commenced in December 2021 with construction f the foundations beginning in January.   Framing of the walls occurred in February and by the end of April the roof had been installed.  
 
 
While this was happening,  used equipment was being collected in Perth, packed into a container on 14 May, and dispatched to Cambodia shortly thereafter.
 
Kampong Speu Hospital Nearing Completion David Motta 2021-11-24 16:00:00Z 0

Let's Build a Hospital Wing

Kampong Speu Referral Hospital - Chris Keenan Surgical Complex
 
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park in conjunction with the Hawthorn Rotary Club in Melbourne are assisting a group of retired Orthopaedic Surgeons and an incumbent Orthopaedic Surgeon in Phnom Penh to build a new surgical wing to the Kampong Speu Referral Hospital. The hospital is located some 45 minutes from Phnom Penh, in Cambodia. This project intends to build a two Operating Theatre Annex and provide operating equipment, surgical supplies, and patient hospital beds to enable orthopaedic surgeons to provide their services to the poor in the local community. Dr Sok Meng, Dr Tim Keenan, Dr Peter Lugg and other visiting surgeons will volunteer their time at the hospital to perform surgeries and train local staff. Many residents would receive surgery that they could not otherwise afford.
Let's Build a Hospital Wing David Motta 2021-11-24 16:00:00Z 0

Around the World with Cahoots

In these COVID times we can’t do the travelling we would like to, so we had a virtual world tour during a quiz night to fund raise for Cahoots.
 
Cahoots are a not-for-profit community organisation who provide inclusive opportunities for young people with a disability to develop skills, friendship, and confidence.  They achieve this through providing inclusive camps and programs for these young people to develop skills and to challenge themselves by participating in activities that are safe.  The programs are supported by experienced facilitators who can offer an environment Centre that provides for holistic learning.
 
The quiz night was held at our Colin Moore Community Centre on a wet and windy evening at the end of   May.  Although we had prepared for the weather with tarps to keep the rain out and heaters to keep us warm; the wind got the better of us and the rain flooding one corner.   Some quick rearrangements were undertaken to keep everyone dry. 
Around the World with Cahoots Louise Hancock 2021-07-24 16:00:00Z 0

Hospital Equipment to South Sudan

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has supplied used but fully functional equipment to Mary Help Maternal and Child Friendly Hospital in Wau, South Sudan.  South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world. It was originally part of Egypt, has the famous river Nile running through it and has many ethnic groups with as many as 50 different languages amongst its population.
 
 
In a country where 90 percent of the population earn less than one dollar per day, every fifth child dies before its fifth birthday.  The appalling conditions under which sick people were treated, on the floor, in a bench or with up to three people in a bed, led Sister Gracy Adichirayil to instigate construction of the Catholic hospital.  Construction of the first stage of the hospital was completed in 2016 and second stage in 2018.
Hospital Equipment to South Sudan David Motta 2021-03-28 16:00:00Z 0

Having a Bowl

The bowling day held at the Yokine Bowling Club on Sunday 21 March was a great success, with lots of fun and laughter had by all and over $3,500 raised for our Homeless Housing projects. 
The youngest participant was 1 year old, although his participation lacked focus!
Having a Bowl David Motta 2021-03-24 16:00:00Z 0

Rotary Commends Devoted Staff

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has presented a Pride of Workmanship Award to two loyal employees to recognize and praise them for their work effort and commitment.  The Rotary Pride of Workmanship Program, who's motto is "Do it once - do it well", is a part of the Rotary Vocational Services. The award enables managers in our society to help employees achieve the goal of job satisfaction, and to be publicly recognized for their efforts.  
 
The Vocational Objectives of Rotary are to
  • encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
  • professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Because of these ideals the Rotary Club of Osborne Park encouraged two of their  partnership organizations Bunnings Innaloo and  Kaillis  Brothers (Leederville) to nominate  an employee for a Pride of  Workmanship award.
 
The objectives of the Programme are to;
  • Encourage Pride of Workmanship in the workplace.
  • Recognise and reward individuals who have gone above and beyond in their vocations.
  • Provide Osborne Park Rotarians with an opportunity to recognise local employees who display qualities worthy of this award.
  • Encourage favourable workplace relationships.
  • Instill a sense of pride in individual achievement.
 
Pride of Workmanship is not a competition; it is a recognition by Osborne Park Rotarians of an individual’s achievement, commitment and ability to inspire his/her fellow employees or customers, especially under our current circumstances and the challenging year we have had.
 
This week the Rotary Club of Osborne Park presented an award to Damien Jasper of Bunnings Innaloo. His manager Ash Hoveyberg nominated Damien for the commitment and leadership that he shows in his work.  We also awarded Kiara Hayes, duty manager at Kallis Brothers for the excellent customer service that she applies to her work and to the Rotarians who meet there for breakfast.
Rotary Commends Devoted Staff Louise Hancock 2021-03-24 16:00:00Z 0

“Donations-in-Kind” to the Leonora Community

Rotary Osborne Park in collaboration with a number of other Rotary clubs has been delivering a program of education, clinical assessment and treatment programs for children with Fetal  Alcohol  Syndrome Disorder (Make  FASD  History Project).  Our lead Rotarian  Bruce  Dufty  travels  to  Leonora  every  6-8 weeks to  advise,  support and  generally  facilitates the change  process.
 
His trips to Lenora are complimented  by  transporting a range  of  “Donations-in-Kind”  goods from other Rotary clubs and  other community  groups.  From January 2019 to December 2020 he has passed on the following goods:
  • school uniforms (donated by Rotary Club of Belmont in collaboration with Osborne Park),
  • new and second-hand clothing (donated by Rotary Clubs, individual Rotarians and Perth Community members),
  • used spectacles where 67% can be recycled in the community (donated by Rotary Club of Osborne Park in collaboration with OPSM, other companies and Rotary Clubs),
  • new first aid kits (donated by Rotary Club of Heirisson) that the St John’s Ambulance Services and the Community Health Centre can hand to Aboriginal people on completion of their certificate training in First Aide,
  • heavy duty new blankets (donated by Rotary Clubs of Pinjarra and Heirisson)
  • second-hand change-of-season blankets (donated by the Rotary Clubs of Pinjarra in collaboration with Qantas),
  • new knitted beanies (donated by Rotary  Club of  Osborne Park ).
“Donations-in-Kind” to the Leonora Community Louise Hancock 2021-03-09 16:00:00Z 0

Rotary Supporting "My Home"

On any given night in Western Australia, around 9,000 people are considered to be homeless.  Rotary in Western Australia are keen to assist in resolving this issue, have been active in the homelessness area for several years and are supporting several projects towards ending homelessness. These include;
 
Rotary Supporting “My Home”
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park have committed to support “My Home” Australasia Limited to provide low cost housing for people experiencing homelessness in Western Australia.  “My Homes” Australasia Limited, a charity set up by a local architect is about to construct over 50 low cost single person houses in North Fremantle, Victoria Park and other areas.  This project is targeted at older women and others who are capable of independent living.
 
The “My Home” project is based on the Housing First principle that has been shown to be World’s Best Practice with an 80% success rate, i.e. people do not regress back to homelessness.  The project aims to construct low cost sustainable houses, in small clusters within landscaped grounds integrated into the local community.  The housing will be constructed on land provided at negligible cost by the state.  Funding from the private corporate sector is being provided for construction of the houses.    Once constructed, the houses will be managed by a Community Housing Provider (CHP) engaged and experienced in this work.  
 
 
Rotary has committed to furnish and equip the houses to make them into homes, and is raising funds and seeking equipment donations to do this.  The February 2022 progress report can be downloaded here.  Additional information on this project is available at the My Home project website.  Tax deductible donations to the Rotary Supporting “My Home” project can be made through the contribute / help Rotary link here.
Rotary Supporting "My Home" David Motta 2021-02-09 16:00:00Z 0

Club Supports Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre
 

 
Several members of the Rotary Club of Osborne Park have been raising funds for the Type I Diabetes Family Centre by volunteering at the Telethon Community Cinemas.  During the 2019/20 summer season, 7 Members volunteered which resulted in the centre receiving a $4500 donation from Telethon. Covid-19 caused an early shut down, which resulted in a reduced total raised.  For the current summer season, 5 members have signed up which should result in a further payment of $5000.
 
The Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre provides support for children with type 1 diabetes and their families. Since opening its doors in 2015, the Family Centre has built a thriving community in Western Australia, supporting people to face the challenges of type 1 diabetes with confidence.  The Family Centre is a non-profit organisation that does not receive any government funding and relies on community and corporate support to fund their work. 
 
Club Supports Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre  David Motta 2021-01-09 16:00:00Z 0



Hotel Engineers support Homeless Housing Project
 

A total of almost $3,500 was raised for the Rotary Supporting My Home project at a recent Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering Golf Day fundraiser, increasing the total amount raised for this project to almost $30,000.  The funds will be used to furnish 18 new small sustainable homes that will be built by My Home in North Fremantle to accommodate homeless people.
For the last three years, The Australian Institute of Hotel Engineering have offered our Club the opportunity to fundraise for a charity of our choice through a Hole in One competition run during their annual Golf Day.   The Hole in One competition is sponsored by HFM Asset Management, who put up a $20,000 prize for anyone who succeeds in getting a hole in one on the 7th hole.  This year’s event was held at the Vines Resort and a total of 181 people participated. 
Hotel Engineers support Homeless Housing Project  David Motta 2020-12-27 16:00:00Z 0

Food for Christmas

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park have long been supporters of the Salvation Army and of Foodbank.  This year we have had 2 projects to fundraise and supply them with non-perishable goods for food hampers.
 
Our first Fundraising program was a very successful Italian Night, held at the Colin Moore Community Centre, which is operated by RCOP, with support from City of Stirling.  About 50 people attended the night and enjoyed a wonderful array of Italian food; Lasagne, Ravioli and Gnocchi. 
This was matched with some delightful Italian wines, Australian grown grapes of course.  The evening was supported by 2 of our members providing home-made limoncello (very potent) with a blind tasting  competition to determine the winner. The makers were of Italian and British ancestry, the POMS won!  The fund raising was supported by an auction of various items that were donated by members.  Over $2,500 was raised and donated to Foodbank which can supply over 5,000 meals.
 
Food for Christmas Louise Hancock 2020-12-13 16:00:00Z 0

Nomination for WACOS Award
 

 
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has nominated Bruce Dufty for the WA Council of Social Services (WACOS) Community Service Excellence Award.  
 
Bruce is a dynamic Chairperson of the Rotary Aboriginal Reference Group and a key member of the Rotary Making Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) History’ Group and key Community Liaison person in the group’s work in the remote town of Leonora.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nomination for WACOS Award  Louise Hancock 2020-12-02 16:00:00Z 0

Indigenous Service Award 2020

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has been selected to receive the Indigenous Service Award for 2020.  At a short ceremony held in the District Governor’s office on Friday 19th June, the Club was presented with the Indigenous Service Award for 2020 by DG Graham Peden and DG Elect Jon Bilson. 
The award was received by President Peter Stewart, Dawn Brodie, Louise and Brian Hancock.  The Club was selected to receive the award for its sustained support of the Make FASD History project, which Graham noted would have a major beneficial impact on the future lives of hundreds of young people who will be saved from the damage done by FASD.  Louise noted that the project has been particularly beneficial in changing the behaviour of pregnant women as a result of the involvement of the indigenous community who have worked closely with the group
Indigenous Service Award 2020 David Motta 2020-06-20 16:00:00Z 0

Cambodia 2020 tour

A group 13 including 9 Rotarians and partners travelled to Cambodia in February 2020 to view the hospitals we have been supplying with medical equipment and make contact with the hospital senior staff.  We also of course set out to have fun, which we certainly did.  The trip was a great success, provided considerable inspiration and cemented contacts that should benefit the project.
 
The primary purpose of the tour was to visit the hospitals.  We visited five hospitals in total, the Siem Reap Referral Hospital, and then the Russian (formally known  as the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital), Kossamak (formally known as the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital), Kampong Speu and Centre of Hope Sihanouk Hospitals in Phnom Penh, and were welcomed warmly by the hospital managers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We were all amazed to learn of the considerable contribution we have made to the hospitals there.  We had been previously told by Dr. Tim Keenan that our contribution was substantial, and this became very evident on visiting the hospitals.  In some of the new wards, almost all of the equipment was supplied by Rotary, predominantly by the Osborne Park Club. 
 
In Pip’s words, “Seeing nine years of effort of collecting and sending hospital and medical equipment to Cambodian hospitals and witnessing the assistance we are providing public patients, has been very gratifying. It ratified our Rotary motto, Service Above Self.  
 
Cambodia 2020 tour David Motta 2020-04-10 16:00:00Z 0

ShelterBox Champion Bronze Award

Our Club has been awarded a ShelterBox Bronze Champion for 2018-2019.  Out of over 1100 clubs in Australia we are among an elite group that are dedicated to ensuring families in disaster have shelter in their time of need.
 
ShelterBox is proud to be Rotary International’s Project Partner in disaster relief, further strengthening a global circle of friendship.  This year ShelterBox has once again announced the winners of the ShelterBox Champion Awards.  This is a national awards program to formally acknowledge the amazing support that Rotary provides in supporting families that are left without shelter.
 
Natural and other disasters are inevitable and frequent, and the need is continuous. More than 35,000 people were forced to flee their homes every day in 2018 - nearly one every two seconds - taking the world's displaced population to a record 88 million.  With global Rotary support, ShelterBox provided shelter and life-saving items for 42,000 families robbed of their homes by disaster and conflict. That is 210,000 people helped on the road to rebuilding and recovery. 

ShelterBox Champions are made up of an elite group of Rotary clubs that have identified the continuing need to prepare for and immediately respond to the worst day ever. ShelterBox Champions make a lasting impact in worldwide disaster response by supporting ShelterBox annually for three consecutive years.
 
ShelterBox Champion Bronze Award David Motta 2019-12-07 16:00:00Z 0

Bohemian Rhapsody Fundraiser

Our Bohemian Rhapsody fundraiser help on the 8 November was a tremendous success.  The star of the show was Thomas Crane, who brilliantly presented as Freddie Mercury, had the crowd up dancing and singing along.  Tommy donated his time, for which we are most grateful.  
Tommy had the crowd spell bound when he was joined on stage for "Barcelona" and another number by opera singer Fiona Mariah.
 
Bohemian Rhapsody Fundraiser David Motta 2019-11-09 16:00:00Z 0

Shelterbox Award

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park has been recognised as a Shelterbox Australia Emerald Club Supporter for contributing over $10,000 to Shelterbox.  The award was presented to President Peter Stuart at a recent meeting by David Brockway of the Mundaring Club, who is the district representative of Shelterbox.    
Shelterbox provides emergency shelter and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster.  Right now, around 85 million people around the world have been made homeless by natural disaster and conflict. ShelterBox Australia is working to change this.  
 
Shelterbox Award David Motta 2019-11-01 16:00:00Z 0

First Container to Women's Hospital

The first container of used hospital equipment our Club has sent to the Nokor Tep Women's Hospital has arrived and been unloaded.  This is a brand new 220 bed hospital which has been constructed with the assistance of the Tabitha Foundation Cambodia, a not for profit organisation that has been operating in Cambodia since 1994, but have not previously been involved in the heath care sector.   
 
This container, our 39th, contained mainly beds, mattresses, bedside cabinets and wheelchairs. Most of the hospitals constructed by donor organisations or countries are minimally furnished, so our contribution is greatly appreciated.  The following letter of appreciation has been received from the hospital.
First Container to Women's Hospital David Motta 2019-09-24 16:00:00Z 0

Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital Laundry Project

 
In May 2019, Michael and Jodie Flowers, owners of Commercial Laundry Solutions, travelled to Cambodia to install four reconditioned Electrolux commercial washing machines and a drier that they had donated, at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital.   This hospital is the biggest and poorest public hospital in the country and sees over 1000 patients a day.  Electrolux had provided $6,000 of parts to update and refurbish the washing machines alongside Challenge Chemicals who agreed to donate 1000 litres of detergent, which was shipped earlier in the year.   The Flower's were accompanied and assisted by  volunteer nurse educator, Kareen Dunlop, who filed this report.
Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital Laundry Project Kareen Dunlop 2019-07-03 16:00:00Z 0

Interplast goes to Myanmar

Posted by Stephen Dixon on Jul 03, 2019
 
An Interplast team of 7 volunteer medical professionals from Australia (3 plastic and reconstructive surgeons, two anaesthetists, one theatre nurse and one nurse educator) delivered a week long surgical mentoring and nurse education program  within the Department of Plastic, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery at the Yangon General Hospital in Myanmar in June 2019.  The team were sponsored by Rotary district 9455, which covers Western Australia north of the river.
 
The team worked closely alongside the local surgical unit, delivering clinical, hands-on training for the local plastic surgeons, and Masters and Doctorate level plastic surgery trainees, as well as the consultant and trainee anaesthetists and theatre nurses. Nurse educator Sarah also delivered training to the local ward nurses, focused around post-operative care. During the week, 14 patients were seen for consultation and 11 received complex reconstructive surgery for a range of conditions, including major head and neck cancers, burns injuries and conditions requiring craniofacial reconstruction. On the final day of the program, the Interplast team delivered a full-day workshop for all local trainees, with sessions both relating to their clinical focus, as well as team-building activities and scenario training to build advanced life-support skills. Overall this was a very successful visit.
 
The work Inperplast does makes an immediate and huge difference to the lives of the people they operate on, who are usually stigmatised in their community because of their condition.  In addition, the training given to the local surgeons allows their work to be multiplied and continued within the community. 
Interplast goes to Myanmar Stephen Dixon 2019-07-02 16:00:00Z 0

Changeover Night 2019

Our Changeover dinner function occurred on Friday 28 June at the Celtic Club.  Over 40 people attended on the night including many guests who were invited as they had assisted us in the “service above self” that our club does so well. 
 
Our MC for the evening was Ray Findley, who did an excellent job of entertaining us with a continuous stream of humor, and kept the meeting moving on schedule.   Pip did an excellent job of presenting Certificates of Appreciation to several of our guests and expressing our gratitude to them for their ongoing support.  David summarised the year’s considerable achievements, and incoming President Peter outlined his goals for the year, details of which are repeated below.    The evening was thoroughly enjoyable and set us on a great footing for the coming year.
 
Outgoing President David Motta stated "This year has been a fantastic year for our Club, we have achieved many firsts.  We have contributed over $47000 cash to charity, in addition to the valuable items we have supplied, held our first FASD clinic, welcomed a team from Alaska, and sent a bright student to NSF, took over the management of the Colin Moore Community Centre and we have done this while having fun and enjoying ourselves.
Changeover Night 2019 David Motta 2019-06-29 16:00:00Z 0
Bohemian Rhapsody Fundraiser bmh 2019-06-09 16:00:00Z 0

FASD Clinic in operation 

Alaskan Vocational Training Team

The Alaskan team arrived in Perth and commenced their training on 2nd April 2019. The team comprised
 
Name
Qualifications
Role
Mr Michael Jeffery            
Retired Superior Court Judge.  
Team Leader (Rotarian)
Ms Marilyn Pierce Bulger
Family Nurse-Practitioner/Certified Midwife
Coordinator/Medical Manager for the Anchorage FASD Diagnostic Team
Tami Eller
Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Psychology.
Master  Psychology
Clinical Supervisor-Treatment Foster Care Program
 
Monica Mae Charles           
Bachelor Education (Elementary Education)
Guardian ad Litem, Office of the Public Advocacy
President (2015- present) Association of Village Council Presidents (Bethel Alaska)
 
Dr Pam Hill
Fellow American College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Fellow American College of Surgeons
Retired -Volunteer specialist
 
Their training including meeting with the Aboriginal Refence group, the PATCHES team, the team at Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) - FASD is an area where TKI is a Centre of Excellence in Australia. They presented at the District 9455 conference where Professor Carol Bowers (TKI) was a keynote speaker.
FASD Clinic in operation Louise Hancock 2019-05-11 16:00:00Z 0

SJOG Hospital Donated to Cambodia Project

St John of God Hospital has very kindly donated $3,000 to pay for a container of used hospital equipment to be shipped to Cambodia as part of our Club's Cambodia Hospital Equipment Project.  On Thursday 18th April, Prof. Shirley Bowen, the CEO of the Hospital, together with Jennifer Healey , the Director of Mission Integration, presented  a cheque to Pip and I for $3,000.   This hospital has been one of the major contributors of used equipment for this project, and their staff, in particular Vivian Daniels and David Nash, have been great supporters of it.  We expressed our considerable appreciation for their support and also discussed our FASD project, which they were very interested in. 
 
Pip Asphar, Jennifer Healey, David Motta and Vivian Daniels
 
SJOG Hospital Donated to Cambodia Project David Motta 2019-04-24 16:00:00Z 0

Northern Exposure for FASD Aid

Posted by Josh Chiat, Kalgoorlie Miner
Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, by her grandparents, alarm bells rang for nine-month-old Tami Eller’s carers when it became clear her head was not growing.  Her mother had a history of substance abuse, and she was later diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.  While her body did begin to grow, the disorder manifested itself in different ways. 
 
 
Ms Eller has a telltale deformity common to people who were exposed to alcohol in the womb — a short pinky finger and underdeveloped hand muscles that make writing a chore.   She only wears terrycloth socks because the tactile sensation from the seams of normal socks hurt when she was a toddler, and she distinctly remembers her joy when, later than most children, she first managed to colour inside the lines and enjoy reading a book.  Spelling and grammar rules still confound Tami, yet she has a Masters degree and is a poster child for what children with FASD — a mostly misunderstood disorder blamed for secondary impacts such as learning disabilities, anxiety, depression and illegal behaviour — can do with the right support.
 
Northern Exposure for FASD Aid Josh Chiat, Kalgoorlie Miner 2019-04-24 16:00:00Z 0

FASD needs your help

We are raising the last 40 % of the funds ($175,000) required for this 2-year project in Leonora (Goldfields District) to reduce the number of children born with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and to minimise the long-term effect of children who have this disorder.  
 
Can you or your Rotary Club please help with a donation?   
FASD needs your help 2019-03-13 16:00:00Z 0

Vivian receives award

St John of God Hospital has recognised Vivian's considerable contribution to charity with a Pomegranate Award.  On bestowing Vivian with the award, Jennifer Healey, the Director of Mission Integration, stated "Vivian works in the Engineering Department and has been nominated for his exceptional commitment to the values of SJGSH over many years. Vivian is respectful towards all and carries out his duties in an exemplar fashion. Vivian believes in helping those less fortunate and  generously gives of his own time to assist in the relocation of used equipment from SJGSH to those in need both locally and overseas through Rotary."  
 
Congratulations Vivian, your efforts are greatly appreciated by Rotary as well.
Vivian receives award 2019-03-13 16:00:00Z 0

Make FASD History up and running

Posted by Louise Hancock
Rotary Clubs in Western Australia have partnered with District 5010 Alaska International and the Rotary Club of Thimpu (Bhutan) to be awarded a Rotary Foundation grant to pay for the infrastructure costs of our “Make FASD History” project in Leonora.
 
The Rotary International grant will provide the logistical support to the staff of PATCHES Paediatrics. We have undertaken the community consultation to evaluate if the project is viable and sustainable and meets the community requirements. The Leonora  community are excited about the project and looking  forward to April 2019, when  it  starts.
 
With the grant funds we will pay for the lease of office space in Lenora for the Aboriginal Health workers.  We have purchased a car to be used by the PATCHES Staff to travel between the local towns and to visit the clients.  We will purchase the equipment for the child development testing and provide the staff training for the project.
 
This program will provide the diagnostic and therapy support as well as the ongoing health education and coordination support required.  We will provide communication equipment that will allow for teleconference /video conferences facilities, thereby offering greater access to support, to the local community and the aboriginal health workers, from staff who are located in Perth, approximately 850 kilometres from Leonora. 
 
The project goals are to facilitate increased awareness that focuses community and service provider attention on preventing FASD. Secondly to offer clinics that will provide precise diagnosis that generates community and service provider “wrap-around” and “whole-of-community” initiatives, and to provide individualised early intervention treatment and management strategies to minimise the impact of FASD on children with this diagnosis, plus their parents/carers, siblings and the community.  
 
Make FASD History up and running Louise Hancock 2019-02-25 16:00:00Z 0

Nic Naitanui fundraiser

Nic Naitanui was our very special guest at a function that was held at Central Park on Friday 15th February.  Nic was interviewed by Peter Kennedy, who is well known for his many years with the ABC as their political reporter.  The interview was informative and inspiring with the conversation and friendly bantering between them being revealing, amusing and entertaining. 
 
Nic was practically mobbed when he entered the venue, posed for lots of selfies and signed lots of memorabilia.  He made a point of going over and speaking to the two disabled supporters who came from the Ability Centre; they were truly chuffed.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Louise Hancock commented that  “Nic is  an  extremely  generous  person  who  went  out of his  way to make  the  guests  feel  very  welcome and  at   ease.  HIs  generosity  sharing  meaningful  insights  of his  career and life and attending to the needs  of the  community in particular the  aboriginal people  was enriching.  HIs support for the FASD program that we are doing was encouraging.”
Nic Naitanui fundraiser 2019-02-25 16:00:00Z 0

No Dirty Laundry

Commercial Laundry Solutions has donated four reconditioned Electrolux commercial washing machines and a drier to Cambodia for use in their laundries.   Electrolux are providing ~$6,000 of parts to update and refurbish the washing machines.  
 
These units will augment the single washing machine currently at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital, the biggest and poorest public hospital in Cambodia, which has over 800 patients through its doors every day.  With only one washing machine, the linen is not being properly cleaned, so the new machines will greatly assist in reducing disease transmission.
 
In addition, Michael Flowers and his wife Jodie, who own the business, have offered to travel to Cambodia at their own expense to install the machines and train the locals on their use.  Michael has also managed to obtain a supply of chemicals for the machines that will be included in the shipment.
 
Thanks Michael and Jodie, what a great effort, your assistance is greatly appreciated by us at Rotary and the people in Cambodia.
No Dirty Laundry 2018-11-17 16:00:00Z 0

More Glasses

Another 230 pairs of glasses from Dog Swamp Specsavers - heading to the Pilbara for Red Dirt, Blue Sky, who work with Aboriginal people in the Pilbara.  
More Glasses Dawn Brodie 2018-10-26 16:00:00Z 0

Cambodia Hospital Container 35

The 35th container of hospital equipment for Cambodia was packed on Saturday 13 October with 42 beds, an anaesthetic machine and various other items.  26 of the beds were donated by the St John of God Hospital in Bunbury, which Goldstar Transport collected from Bunbury for us at no costs.   Had these beds not been collected, they would probably have been cut up and dumped!  Goldstar have been a great supporter of this program and their assistance is greatly appreciated.  
 
 
Pip recently caught up with Professor Lim Taing from the Khmer Friendship Hospital in Perth who was attending a Medical Conference.  He stated that there are still 200 patients sleeping on mats on the floor so the requirement for beds and hospital equipment is still urgently required.
 
Cambodia Hospital Container 35 2018-10-13 16:00:00Z 0

Stirling Stars 2018

On Thursday 13 September, Terry Jones and David Motta attended the Stirling Stars employee of the year awards at the City of Stirling Civic Centre to present the award.  The Rotary Club of Osborne Park was instrumental in setting up this program almost 30 years ago and has remained involved since.   The award was initially presented at one of the Club's regular meetings, but the City has done a marvellous job of transforming it from its relatively humble beginnings into a prestigious affair. Awards are now presented for length of service, with one employee having worked for the City for 50 years, and to a number of team leaders.  The Stirling Star of 2018 was awarded to David Parker, a Team Leader in the Waste Services department.  Shown below from left to right are Chief Executive Officer Stuart Jardine, His Worship the Mayor Mark Irwin, David Parker, David Motta and the Director of Planning and Development Ross Povey.
 
Stirling Stars 2018 2018-09-23 16:00:00Z 0

Property Council Golf Day

Dawn, Louise, Brian and David, together with Andrea and Peter from HFM, manned Quarry hole 7 at the Property Council golf day on Tuesday 11 September.   The event was well patronised with about 200 people attending.  HFM  https://www.hfmassets.com.au/ sponsored a prize of $10,000 for anyone getting a hole in one on the selected hole.  To participate in the competition, the players had to donate to the nominated charity this being Make FASD History.  Although no one succeeded in winning the prize, a few players got within 5 metres of it.  Some even tried to ricochet the ball off the adjacent trees, but to no avail.  The weather turned out to be fine and everyone seemed to enjoy the day.  We succeeded in raising $2,695 on the day, thanks to the support of HFM, the Property Council and all those who donated.
Property Council Golf Day David Motta 2018-09-15 16:00:00Z 0

Leukaemia Foundation

Our Guest speaker on 21st August was Renee Jagger who spoke to us about the Leukaemia Foundation, which provides support to Leukaemia and other blood borne cancers patients and their families. The organisation is supported by volunteers and has specialist nurses in the major hospitals near Perth.  They rely on fund raising activities such as Shave for a Cure (held in March) and donations, with no funding from the government. Renee told us about their brand-new accommodation in Innaloo for people living with a blood cancer and their families.  They provide free transport to hospital appointments for their patients. If you would like to volunteer as a driver contact Karris at kperrin@leukaemia.org.au / 6241 1025. Their beautiful signature event Light the Night is on Friday 5 October at Elizabeth Quay.
Leukaemia Foundation Louise Hancock 2018-09-04 16:00:00Z 0

Container 34

ANother container

On Saturday 25 August, members of the Club together with a number of volunteers, packed the 34th container of used hospital equipment for Cambodia.  Present on the day were Kareen & Stu Dunlop, Sam Jenaway & Sandy, Vivian Daniels, Mike Bando, Chris  Samios, David Motta, Brian Hancock, Peter Stuart, Les Norrish, Nathan O’leary, Wendy & Jerome Wisniewski, Mandy Reberio, Pip Asphar and Zac Tan & Andrew Parker from Hale School.  The container was packed in a record time of one and a half hours thanks to all the helpers.
Container 34 David Motta 2018-08-25 16:00:00Z 0

Indigenous Award

Osborne park recognised for contribution

 
 
At the Rotary District 9455 Changeover function on 30 June 2018, the Rotary Club of Osborne Park was presented with the Indigenous Award by the Governor of District 9455.  The Award is given for the best Aboriginal project undertaken in the district during each year. The Aboriginal Reference Group provides advice to the Governor for the projects undertaken in his/her year. The Governor selects to project that he/she considers to be most worthy of the award.   In 2017-2018 the FASD project initiated by the Rotary Club of Osborne Park was selected for the award.
Indigenous Award David Motta 2018-08-12 16:00:00Z 0

Greenbatch

Rotary Supports Greenbatch

The Rotary Club of Osborne Park is supporting GreenBatch who are working towards building Western Australia's first plastic recycling facility.  GreenBatch has been set up by Darren Lomman, who you may know from his previous venture, Dreamfit.  The plant will recycle PET bottles into the filament used by 3D printers, which is in high demand and fetches a premium price tag.
 
Darren is working with the primary schools to collect the recyclable PET bottles, the schools will get the 10 cents refund for doing this.  The bottles will be collected from the schools  with the assistance of various Rotary clubs and members.  Some of the finished product will be returned to the schools to be used by their 3D printers, closing the loop.
 
The project is particularly impressive for its holistic approach.   By recycling the plastic bottles GreenBatch is reducing the environmental damage caused  by their disposal.  The project provides a resource to  assist children to learn about an emerging technology, 3D printing.  It encourages the younger generation, and through them their parents, to recycle and it enlists Rotary in the process and exposes the participants to the great work we do.  
 
Greenbatch David Motta 2018-08-10 16:00:00Z 0

Christmas in July 2018

A Christmas in July function was held on the 24 July to raise money for the Club and its two main charities, the Cambodia Hospital Equipment and Make FASD History projects.  The event was held on level 50 of Central Park, offering commanding views over Perth at night, and was attended by 180 people.
 
 
 
Christmas in July 2018 David Motta 2018-07-24 16:00:00Z 0

Cambodia Container 32!

Help is catching on!  Nine members and friends of the club packed our 32nd container for Cambodia on Saturday 16 June 2018.  Donations were received from St John of God Hospital Subiaco, Fremantle Hospital, St Johns Ambulance, Carmel School and Glengarry Hospital.   Included in the container were two theatre microscopes having a replacement value of approximately $100,000 each, a suite of opticians equipment, two examination chairs, 5 stretchers, 6 examination tables, 40 computers, 50 Wheelchairs for Kids, pallets of sterile gloves and various other items.  
Cambodia Container 32! David Motta 2018-06-15 16:00:00Z 0

Ride Against Domestic Violence

 
A number of Rotary Clubs in WA assisted Tony Buti, MLA, in running the Ride Against Domestic Violence.  The ride commenced on Saturday in Busselton and ended at Parliament House on Sunday 27 May at 12:10 pm.  A total of 39 riders participated, many of them members of Parliament, including the Deputy Premier Roger Cook, the Treasurer Ben Wyatt, and opposition leader Mike Nahan.  While the total funds raised has not yet been finalised, the organisers were confident in exceeding $100,000 with the last minute donations being made.  The Rotary Club of Osborne Park provided a light sandwich lunch for the riders and support crew at parliament house at the conclusion of the race.  The event was used to promote the FASD project to a number of parliamentarians, most of which were very familiar with the issue.
Ride Against Domestic Violence David Motta 2018-05-26 16:00:00Z 0

Sky Dive for 5 at Hale School

 
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park sponsored the Sky Dive for 5 event that was held at Hale Scholl on 5th May.  Lou Marchesani and his team of nine set up a marquis at the event and promoted the Club and its projects.  A large crowd, including a contingent of disadvantaged people, turned out to watch the jumpers land spectacular in the centre of the Craig Oval.   The day raised $20,000 for the charity organisations who were to benefit from the day. 
Sky Dive for 5 at Hale School David Motta 2018-05-05 16:00:00Z 0

Making FASD History

 
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong condition caused by consumption of alcohol whilst pregnant which results in the infant having permanent brain damage. This often happens even before the woman knows she is pregnant. 
 
 
 
 
The Aboriginal elders in the remote Fitzroy Valley in the Northeast of Western Australia requested support from Dr James Fitzpatrick, a local paediatrician, as they did not want their grandchildren to have the same issues with FASD as their children. Dr James, as he is affectionately known by the children, established PATCHES Paediatrics (PATCHES) and, working collaboratively with the Aboriginal people, set up a pilot study.
 
 
 
 
Incidence of FASD in the Fitzroy Valley
 
In the early stages of the study, 19% of infants in the Fitzroy Valley were diagnosed with FASD, utilising the co-ordinated team assessment approach. The PATCHES-June Oscar (Local Aboriginal Elder)  intervention model was unique because it crossed traditional service boundaries, co-ordinating local community, health, disability, child protection, education, police and justice to achieve results.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
50% Reduction of women taking alcohol in pregnancy
 
This collaborative approach and having Aboriginal people supporting the community has led to the successful decrease of alcohol consumption from 65% to 15% over 8-years for Aboriginal (First Nations People) & non-indigenous pregnant women.
 
This approach is successfully being utilised in a limited number of other areas in the Kimberley, Pilbara and Perth, however funding was limited to only children with an intellectual or physical disability including severe FASD.
 
To help more children and their families in another area of WA receive these specialised services, with the support and collaboration of local people, the model needs to be tailored to the local population and supports replicated.
 
 
After consultations with Aboriginal people, WACHS, and a number of local agencies, Rotary Clubs of WA (Led by the Rotary Club of Osborne Park) chose to support a community in the Leonora area, 237 Kms from Kalgoorlie.  The local community and service organisations were consulted and were keen to work with Rotary and PATCHES in ‘Making FASD History” in their community.
 
Rotary involvement – Moving forward in Leonora/Goldfields to Make FASD History
 
The Rotary Club of Osborne Park, in collaboration with a number of other WA Rotary Clubs and Rotary District 9455’s Aboriginal Reference Group, set up a Project Management Committee and established a pilot project in Leonora in January 2019.  Rotary is working with PATCHES and the local people to prevent, diagnose and support up to 100-120 children.
 
Community participation, including the employment of a local Aboriginal support worker, is a key part of the project. If successful in this community, then, with local involvement, similar supports could be expanded to other Goldfields communities.
Thanks to our sponsors, especially the Children's Orchard Foundation, Healthway, Minara Community Foundation, Stan Perron Foundation and the Goldfields Australia Foundation, Rotary will be working with Patches Paediatrics over a total of 2 years from January 2019 to September 2021 (extended by time lost during the Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown in WA). The program being implemented  is comprehensive, holistic and wrap-around in nature, consisting of the following elements:
  • Strong community prevention services that will minimise foetal exposure to alcohol,
  • A recognised diagnostic service that identifies children with FASD,
  • A treatment service that individually tailors early intervention to minimise the impacts of FASD,
  • A network of support services to families and carers, regional service providers and professionals that ensures relevant support and appropriate local service responses, and
  • Through the use of evaluation the project will identify improvements while demonstrating that the holistic program can achieve effective outcomes for children, their families/carers and the local communities at an economic cost.
 
The members of the Project Management Committee are:
  • Louise Hancock (Chair & Past President Rotary Club of Osborne Park)
  • Brian Hancock (Treasurer and Past President Rotary Club of Osborne Park) –
  • Bruce Dufty (Chair of D9455 Aboriginal Reference Group, Rotary Club of Western Endeavour)
  • Dawn Brodie (Rotary Club of Osborne Park & Member of D9455 Aboriginal Reference Group)
  • Bob de Bijl (Rotary Club of Mandurah)
  • Darren Wallace (Representing the Rotary Clubs of Kalgoorlie & Boulder, Rotary Club of Boulder)  and Frank Andinach (who replaced Darren as the representative for the Rotary Clubs of Kalgoorlie & Boulder when Darren was transferred by his employer to York, WA)
  • Fiona McFarlane (Rotary Club of Kalamunda) – she has resigned in 2020 and has not been replaced.
 
A number of Rotary Clubs in Western Australia are also raising funds and donating regularly to the project.
 
Budget
 
The Rotary ‘Making FASD History’ project was planned to operate for 2 years at a cost of $525,000. However, when Healthway joined the project as a sponsor in late-2019, they funded additional preventative options which meant the total budget changed to $583,006. PATCHES has developed a plan to ensure ongoing funding of the project after two years, should it be demonstrated to be a success.
 
 
Project Progress
 
The project consisted of three components, a diagnosis element which was primarily to provide the research on the prevalence of FASD, a treatment program to assist those affected by FASD and teach the local health practitioners how to treat them, and a community educational program to reduce the incidence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and consequently prevent FASD.  To date, diagnoses have confirmed our suspicions, close to 20% of the children in the under-12 years cohort have FASD. FASD education for service providers, teachers and the local community has been ongoing since April 2019 (excluding the Covid-19 lockdown). The early intervention support program for children with FASD and their families was delayed until there was a critical mass of referrals to the NDIS/NDIA program for support funding. Management of NDIS/NDIA funding is problematic and negotiations are occurring so that these support services can commence.
 
Bruce Dufty is a Community Change Agent and has been visiting Leonora every 6-9 weeks. He is working with the entire community (Aboriginal and Non-indigenous). His primary focus is working with elders and local Aboriginals to develop their trust and voluntary input into the various components of the Program to ensure that each element is culturally appropriate and tailored to the unique requirements of the Leonora community. The major tasks have been the establishment of the Leonora Aboriginal Residents and Community Group that is aimed at empowering the aboriginal community to take ownership of local issues, to be a voice for the community; to reconnect people to their different cultures according to the strength of cultural identification; and to pursue strength-based community development initiatives that permit the community to re-instate their values-base and be in a position to make positive decisions for themselves – in short, to increase their feelings of self-worth and confidence in their expertise to make positive decisions for themselves. 
 
While the Community Group is being established as an Aboriginal Corporation, a range of consistent initiatives have been put in place:
 
  • The Shire, Aboriginal community and liquor outlets have been encouraging responsible drinking with varying degrees of success though:
  1. The use of a Federal Government supported Cashless Welfare Card,
  2. Voluntary agreements to restrict access to take-away liquor to specified hours during each day, and
  3. Exploring an electronic tracking model developed in the Kimberley that restricts access to Liquor.
  • FASD Education of Leonora District School’s teaching and support staff on “how to work with “Children having FASD”.
  • Preparations to produce four to six television/internet 30-second advertisements providing general FASD education and promoting responsible drinking. The films are being made by an animator and a media teacher and film producer in Kalgoorlie who will use his students in the production of the film as part of their general education.
  • Supporting the local Youth Group to offer strength-based teaching to Aboriginal and Non-Indigenous children 7-14 years on an ongoing basis. Attendance numbers have increased. During the past four years this program has significantly reduced the number of children wandering the streets of the town each night.
  • Supporting the Youth Group to offer “Hip Hop Dance” training as part of their program.
  • Supporting the local “zoo” to offer animal care and horse-riding experiences in collaboration with the local Youth Group.
  • Supporting two trainers in the conduct of sex education programs to offer 10-week strength-based teaching to two groups, i.e. 8-14 year-olds and 15-19 year-olds. The 15-19 year-olds have already completed the course.
  • Supporting the local school and an Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officer (AEIO) to introduce some cultural education in the school (e.g. culture, animal care and language training). Two impacts already noted are the improved relations between Aboriginal and Non-Indigenous families and the increasing number of girls pursuing a secondary High school education.  Most boys continue to leave school when they complete their primary education. The school’s inability to attract male teacher role models does not help in addressing this issue. On the other-hand, the Youth Group’s male role models have sustained some continued male attendance in their programs, which will probably increase further if the Youth Group can achieve financial sustainability and offer a more sport oriented 15-19 year-old program.
  •  Encouraging existing services to offer Aboriginal Support groups (e.g. Men’s Group) and encouraging a naturally occurring Women’s Yarning and Craft group.
  • Encouraging employers to offer part-time employment to Aboriginal people in the town.  The Aboriginals are able to assist these providers with advice in respect to tailoring their services to the client population. However, well-meaning Social Security and Housing policies continue to impede most potential employees from working more that 0.5 to 2 days per week. Over the last four years the number of largely part-time Aboriginal workers have increased from 14 to 32, and Aboriginal workers in Mining industries have doubled.
  • Asking questions of the Water Authorities regarding the water quality for Leonora has resulted in nitrate filtering being put in place in both Leonora and Laverton.
  • Engaging with the Federal Government to examine options for tailoring  social security support to Aboriginal people in remote communities.
  • Supporting Aboriginal representatives to commence discussions with the State Department of Housing regarding policies that impact negatively on Aboriginal residents in remote communities. 
 
Community development is not free of difficult issues that seem ever-present:
 
  • A high proportion of Aboriginal Residents have experienced significant transitional stress (including Post-Traumatic Stress) in their lives. This means that they are susceptible to misjudging social Interactions, perceiving threat where exists which leads them to destructively attacking their peers.  Modelling and teaching of critical community members appear to be producing changes, but it only takes a single incident to destroy mutual trust, necessitating a whole new process of training and support.
  • Many, if not most, Government policies, plans and implementation strategies have been prepared from a Western Cultural perspective and therefor are not tailored to culture and the unique characteristics of remote communities.  Many policy makers do not know how to engage with a different culture – hence, there is no Aboriginal voice - the culture has little to input into what is designed and imposed on them. This is very destructive on their feelings of wellbeing, motivation and expressing their aspirations.
  • Skilled role models and leaders are few in number, because whilst some community members have a reasonable knowledge base appropriate to their culture, few have been able to get the experience and the recognition necessary to perform as experts in their own right.
  • Some Aboriginals have genuinely not thought through their aspirations when asked to express them – because being asked to do so is foreign to them. Often they need a period to discuss the request with the person asking and to consult community peers, before they can a firmly and confidently  expression their aspiration/s.  Sometimes they may give a hasty answer reflecting what their culture was like as opposed to their culture’s current developmental stage, which leads to them making significant changes to their initial response at a later date (e.g. recommending the use of a language which is used by many members of the community but later realizing that some targetted people in their community are not sufficiently fluent to understand the language in its verbal and/written form).
 
Making FASD History David Motta 2018-01-30 16:00:00Z 0

More Hospital Beds!

The 66 beds and mattresses that we sent from Brisbane have arrived in Cambodia and been put to good use in  new wards at the Khmer Friendship Hospital, which was built by the Chinese government.   This container was financed by $5000 sent from the Cambodian Health Department so cost Rotary nothing.  
 
More Hospital Beds! David Motta 2017-12-29 16:00:00Z 0

Hale School embraces Rotary

Dave Reed, the Director of Community Engagement at Hale School has proposed that Hale School enter into a partnering with the Rotary Club of Osborne Park to encourage their students to participate in our charitable projects.  The Club has welcomed the offer and will work with Dave to progress this.  This could be a win/win arrangement, with the school gaining an opportunity for the students to participate in a meaningful way in projects that will be of invaluable assistance to those in need, and the Club gaining needed manpower to collect and packing the hospital equipment that is donated to us for shipment to Cambodia. 
 
 
At our final meeting of the year, two Hale School students, Arun and Matt presented to our members their plans for the Skydive for Five fund raising event which they will be holding on 5 May 2018.  The presentation was very professional and Dave Reed provided further information on the marketing program envisaged which will utilise the considerable reach of Hale School old boy’s network. 
 
During the course of the meeting, Dave advised us that he had organised a number of student to assist us with the collection of hospital equipment for our Cambodia Project.  On Wednesday 19 December, Hale School students Jordan Alabakis, Hudson Delves, Robert Molkenthin, Harry Clape, Jake Thompson, Andrew Parker (Year 11), Egan Brooks (year 11) together with Mike Bando and Pip Asphar, collected 40 beds from St John of God Hospital in Subiaco.  These will be packed into container number 29 for shipment to Cambodia early in the New Year.  The help provided was greatly appreciated, we could not have collected the 40 beds in one day without their contribution.
 
The proposed association also offers us the opportunities to have Hale students participate in one of the excellent youth development programs available through the Rotary organisation, which other schools have been slow to take up.  These include leadership training through the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment programs, science inspiration through the National Youth Science Forum and The Science Experience and political knowledge through the Adventures in Citizenship programs.
We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Hale School.
Hale School embraces Rotary David Motta 2017-12-22 16:00:00Z 0

stamps-etc

Please remember to bring in your stamps, ring pulls and spectacles and give them to Terry for recycling.  Please ensure that stamps  have at least a 5 mm edge of paper around them or provide the full envelope.  The stamps and ring pulls are sold to raise money for various charities and the spectacles sent to third world countries and provided to people that would otherwise not be able to afford them.
stamps-etc David Motta 2017-09-02 16:00:00Z 0

Cambodia Container # 26

On Saturday 19 August we packed our 26th container of good that will be shipped to Cambodia.  
 
 
Included in this shipment are 40 beds and 5 sets of operating theatre lights.  The replacement value of these items is around $250,000.  Thanks to the tremendous support of HFM Asset Management, Westpac Bank and Tim Ward from Central Park, we were able to stack the beds vertically and fit more into the container.   A great success story thanks to the support of St John of God Hospital in Subiaco and all our volunteer helpers.
Cambodia Container # 26 David Motta 2017-08-19 16:00:00Z 0

Make FASD History Launch

Rotary is linking with Dr James Fitzpatrick, Paediatrician and Director of Patches Paediatrics to expand Making Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) History in WA.  James was recently made WA Professional of the Year in the WA Day awards.

At the launch of the Rotary 'Making FASD History', James presented on this 100% preventable, life shattering condition that affects 20% of children in the Fitzroy Valley and over 30% of youth in Banksia Hill Prison.

The Rotary Aboriginal Reference Group and Rotary Club of Osborne Park are working with Rotary in Kalgoorlie to raise the funding necessary to help prevent, diagnose and treat children with FASD in Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields.

Can you help us? Tax deductible donations can be made by clicking here: Donate Now

Make FASD History Launch Louise Hancock 2017-06-17 16:00:00Z 0

Rotary Team Challenge 2017

Posted by David Motta
The fifth Rotary Team Challenge on 6 May was another successful event.  Although the numbers were down, the event succeeded in raising over $28,000 for MSWA.  Over the five years that this event has been run, the Club has raised approximately $200,000 for MSWA.  
 

The Rapid Relief Team again provided great support with free food at the Swan View finish line.
 
 
St Johns Ambulance crew also assisted us again with first aid, although thankfully they were not needed.
 
 
Rotary Team Challenge 2017 David Motta 2017-05-26 16:00:00Z 0

25th Container Shipment

Osborne Park Rotary has sent its 25th 40 ft Container to Cambodia filled with hospital beds, bedside tables, Ultra Sound Machines and other hospital equipment & medical supplies. Also included are Wheels Chairs for Kids from WA which are highly sought after.  They are destined to the public hospitals in Cambodia and selected NGO’s, who struggle to provide basic health care to many Cambodians.
Our Club also financially assist volunteering nurses & medical technicians travel to Cambodia to train Cambodians in utilising and repairing medical equipment and also implement basic hospital infection control programs. The latter has resulted in lowering post-operative infections substantially.
25th Container Shipment Pip Asphar 2017-05-26 16:00:00Z 0

RYLA 2017

Our Club sponsored two students, Kye Wheldon and Dylan Garac, to attend this years Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp which was held in Bickley in January.  We received the report attached on the camp, which was a success as usual.  Kye and Dillan have commitments on Tuesday morning which have prevented them coming to one of our meetings, but they are keen to do so and we are working with them to sort out a suitable time.
 
RYLA 2017 Chris Samios 2017-04-15 16:00:00Z 0

Wheelchair for Kids in Kampong Thom

We included in our last shipment to Cambodia ten wheelchairs donated by Wheelchairs for Kids.  These are special wheelchairs custom built for children with disabilities.  One of the wheelchairs was sent on from Phnom Penh via Safe Haven Outreach, Siem Reip, to to her village.  The following email and photos were received from her support staff.
 
Greetings from Siem Reap, 
I thought you might enjoy these photos of another happy WFK/SH customer! 
Thank you to everyone for providing us the opportunity to help this child and her family. It was a well-spent afternoon.
Jessica Whitney
Nurse & Country Director
Safe Haven Medical Outreach
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Wheelchair for Kids in Kampong Thom David Motta 2017-04-07 16:00:00Z 0

Cambodia Hospital Update March 2017

The latest container of hospital equipment has arrived safely in Cambodia.  We received the following note of thanks from them.
 
"Dear Philip and David,
 
I received hospital supplies this morning. All these materials will be put to good use in our hospital as our new ward and OR are starting to receive patients. All these materials are very fit to our needs. On behalf of Preah Kossamak hospital staffs,  Director Dr Tan Sokun and I, would like to deeply thank you for your support. 
 
Best Regards,
Duong Bunn"
 
Pip attended a Donations in Kind get together in Melbourne chaired by Greg Hudson, an independent business consultant, and briefed the group on our Cambodia Project.  They were very impressed with the work we are doing and Greg made the following comments.  
 
"Your business model in the west is fundamentally different to everywhere else…it’s a truly lean model reliant on a strong network of interconnected businesses.  Very ’new age’ because it keeps all the resources and speciality skills with this, who are best at it and not draw them into the business."
 
We can all be justly proud of the great work the Club is doing.
 
 
Cambodia Hospital Update March 2017 David Motta 2017-04-01 16:00:00Z 0

Wheelchairs for Kids

Wheelchairs For Kids are a group of retiree volunteers in Australia who use your donations to make and distribute up to 300 wheelchairs per month for poor disabled children in developing countries. Millions of wheelchairs are needed, but every one makes a difference. Every $200 raised gives a child the freedom of mobility and liberates a carer. The project is run by  the Rotary Club of Scarborough WA, and supported by a number of organisations.  Our club has assisted by transporting 10 wheelchairs to Cambodia in one of our containers.
Wheelchairs for Kids David Motta 2017-03-11 16:00:00Z 0

Camp Kulin

Established in 2013 and located on the WA wheatbelt, approximately 283 km south east of Perth, Camp Kulin is quickly gaining national and international recognition for its innovative program.
The Camp Kulin program list includes activities for children living in the wheatbelt; general camps are open to any child in WA while scholarship camps are for children affected by childhood trauma.  While at camp, campers and camp counsellors learn essential life skills, such as leadership, respect, trust, self-confidence, perseverance, persistence, respect, anger management and communication skills.
 
Camp Kulin David Motta 2017-03-11 16:00:00Z 0

Interplast - update

Due to the contributions from 20 Rotary Clubs within the 9455 district in the last Rotary Year D9455 were able to fund an Interplast program to Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, which was undertaken in September 2016. 
Interplast’s programs to the Philippines are focused on surgical service delivery. With the majority of the patients seeing the Interplast team for repair of their cleft lip and palates and burn contracture releases. This year, the team was led by Interplast Philippines Country Coordinator and surgeon, Kevin Ho. The team included another surgeon, 3 anaesthetists, 2 nurses, an Interplast programs staff member and a medical observer. The team consulted 53 people and operated on 40 patients with 57 procedures performed. Important training was also undertaken.
Rockson, a young boy from a remote part of Solomon Islands, had his first operation which repaired a severe cleft lip and reconstructed his nose with a bone graft from his ribs. On a follow up trip Interplast Surgeons performed the next stage of surgery to repair Rockson’s cleft palate.
The program was a great success. Our district 9455 has set a target of raising sufficient funds with support of clubs within the district for one medical team to Asia/Pacific each Rotary year. D9455 clubs have been able to fund a programme in each of the last four Rotary Years. 
Interplast - update David Motta 2017-03-11 16:00:00Z 0

Bowelscan - Saving lives in our local community

Posted by Lou Marchesani
Cancer of the bowel is the most common internal cancer to affect men and women in western society. Over 9,000 Australians will be diagnosed as having bowel cancer this year and over 4,500 will die of the disease.
Bowelscan is an initiative of Rotary to reduce the number of lives lost to bowel cancer.  Bowelscan is a Community awareness program developed in 1982 in New South Wales and now supported by over 300 Rotary Clubs across Australia.
 
Bowelscan - Saving lives in our local community Lou Marchesani 2017-01-07 16:00:00Z 0

Rotary Team Challenge

Posted by Brian Hancock

Rotary Team Challenge Fund Raising Event in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA.  The Rotary Team Challenge event has been the major fund raising event for our Rotary Club over the last 4 years.  The event is run in partnership with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA (MSWA) with Rotary organising and running the event, the operating costs being shared equally and all donations received going 100% to MSWA.  The event involves teams of 2 to 4 people either cycling, running or walking along the beautiful, leafy Kep Track and the Railway Heritage Trail between Northam and Swan View in early May each year.  Teams can choose to cycle 75km from Northam, cycle, run or walk 50km from Bakers Hill or run or walk a half marathon from Chidlow to Swan View.  
Rotary Team Challenge Brian Hancock 2016-12-31 16:00:00Z 0

End Polio Now

Since 1985, Rotary and its partners have reduced the number of cases by 99.9 percent worldwide from 350,000 annually to 70 cases in 2016, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and they remain committed until the disease is eradicated.  When the disease is eliminated, it will be only the second infectious disease to achieve this distinction, the first one being small pox.  Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects young children, under the age of 5. Most know it as poliovirus or just Polio. The virus is spread person-to-person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners used to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
End Polio Now David Motta 2016-12-30 16:00:00Z 0

Interplast - Repairing Bodies and Changing Lives

Posted by Steve Dixon
Interplast is a charitable organisation that sends teams of highly qualified plastic and reconstructive surgical volunteers to developing countries in the Asia Pacific region to deliver programs of treatment and training.  The main type of surgery undertaken are cleft lip and palate repairs, removal of tumours and the releasing of burn scar contractures. Interplast currently does approximately 1,000 life changing surgeries a year, the majority being on Children. A 2 hour operation can change a child’s life from being ostracised by their community, to growing up normally and healthy; they can go to school; they can have friends; they can contribute to their family’s income and they become independent. 
Interplast - Repairing Bodies and Changing Lives Steve Dixon 2016-12-21 16:00:00Z 0

Rebuilding Cambodia's Hospitals

Posted by Pip Asphar
The Rotary Club of Osborme Park’s principal charitable project involves the recycling of used hospital equipment to Cambodia, where the public hospitals have very little and patients often do not even have beds provided for them.  Our club has shipped 22 x 40 foot containers of used hospital equipment & medical supplies having a replacement value of over $12 million to Cambodia over the past seven years.  The two C Arms recently sent have a replacement value of $300,000 each & the 16 Defibrillators new would have cost close to a $1 million.
Rebuilding Cambodia's Hospitals Pip Asphar 2016-12-09 16:00:00Z 0