This week I will summarise last week’s Board meeting, the last Board meeting before January 24th next year.
International – We have decided to abandon our plan to place a general X-Ray unit in Timor Leste. Recent upheavals at the Bairo Pite clinic have meant that we no longer have the support structure to make this project work. The machine will be scrapped after recovering the X-Ray tube (which costs over $50,000 new).
The $5,000 given by our Club and the $5,000 from a Foundation Matching Grant will be swapped to the Lautoka Fiji Catheterisation Laboratory. This machine was removed from Tauranga NZ by Peter Koens with the assistance of Mary and Joe Vanaria and help from Philips NZ and Tauranga Rotary Club members.
Both decisions have been discussed with Graeme Richardson, the District 9810 Grants coordinator, and our Board. The motion to cease the Timor project and move the funds to Fiji was passed unanimously by the Board.
Lesley Arnolda is coordinating the Club’s involvement with the International Women’s Day breakfast being run by Box Hill Central on Thursday 8th March. We have decided to make our meeting on Wednesday 7th March a night when we put together “show bags” for this event.
We allocated $500 to the development of a Malaria vaccine at Griffith University. The vaccine is entering human trials after successful animal studies. See flyer in the Bulletin.
Community – We have supported the Whitehorse Men’s Shed by paying for a concrete slab and racking for their new extension. We were able to do both projects due to Neil Ibbott’s great work in having many of the materials for the Aurora planter boxes donated at no cost. A great example of the multiplier effect of good management and using the Rotary name for good. Well done everyone!
Youth – The board has agreed to start an Interact club at Blackburn High School. We will use Judith Eadon’s skills as both a past teacher and District Youth Coordinator to make this happen with Kevin Thomas and his committee. McGrath Real Estate have offered to run an “Auction Training Competition” as a part of developing the confidence and skills of the year 10 & 11 Interact members.
An integrated approach to Blackburn High School with MUNA, NYSF, RYPEN and Whitehill trust bursaries being offered as a package should give good results and improve our Club visibility at the school.
Membership – Dates in the week of 15th April are proposed for a cluster “Volunteering with Rotary” forum. This will be a Whitehorse cluster event with District funding.
Fellowship – Harvey and his team are powering on with the Box Hill Golf Club Christmas breakup, Len Brear’s breakfast on the 20th December and the President’s BBQ at Wayne and Judi’s on the 13th January.
Fund Raising – Thanks to the many Club members who have responded at short notice when our regular BBQ’ers have called in sick. This is a great team effort and yields around $600 per month to our coffers.
Three-year plan – I had discussions with our PE Janette and PN Gabby and the Board. I will give you my feeling next week in the Bulletin and we will discuss the plan after the AGM.
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A returned serviceman from Vietnam, Tony Bowden OAM has been President of the Box Hill RSL for 19 years and has lived in Nunawading for the past three decades. He served with the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment in Vietnam in 1968 and through that service he become involved with the RSL community.
After another year of dwindling polio cases, Rotary leaders, top health experts, and celebrities said on World Polio Day 2017 that the paralysing disease has never been closer to being eradicated globally.
Sue Warmington attended the Conference Launch last month.