Rotary members achieve a record-breaking World Polio Day
Rotary members raised awareness about polio eradication and showed their support more than ever on World Polio Day. Participation in activities and events and donations to PolioPlus both increased this year.
Clubs registered more than 7,600 virtual activities and events in 146 countries, surpassing last year’s 5,900 events. We had a variety of awareness promotions and online presentations as part of our registered events, with many virtual events that featured high-profile speakers and attracted large audiences. Donors contributed more than $920,000 online - totaling more than $2.7 million with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2-to-1 match - which is the most ever raised online for World Polio Day.
A new social media campaign inspired members and supporters to share their best End Polio Now photos using the hashtag #MyEndPolio. So far, more than 1,000 photos have been uploaded and shared. Rotary’s World Polio Day Online Global Update has been watched nearly 300,000 times and downloaded by thousands of clubs to communicate the critical need to end polio for good. Learn more about polio eradication achievements and the challenges ahead to protect all children from polio.
Extract from the End Polio Now Newsletter, December 2020
Supporting Excellence in Road Safety - BOC Champion Award
District Governor David Clark was privileged on Thursday the 12th of November to attend the BOC head Office in North Ryde to receive a plaque in recognition of District 9685 being involved in the RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program now called Road Safety Education from its conception in 2000 The lovely glass plaque was handed over by the CEO from BOC as they have been a major sponsor from the start. These awards are given in Road Safety Week usually to individuals who do extraordinary things to promote Road Safety, but when it came to Road Safety Education they thought it best to give it to the whole District as RYDA was first started here in District the then 9680, and hundreds of Rotarians all over the District contribute to the program year after year some in a big way and some just going along to the day's event to help marshal the kids.
Whatever you have done to promote and help in the RYDA program be such a success this is for you.
Congratulations on 20 years of helping to save kid's lives through Driver education.
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| District Governor David Clark | David Terry and District Governor David Clark |
Click on the picture below to view the presentation ceremony
ABC News, Monday 26th October, 2020
Reproduced from ABC News - A story by Tahlia Roy (Posted 4 hours ago, updated 1hour ago as at 10.30 am, 26.10.20)
Donated surgeries in Canberra save Solomon Islands baby born with detached oesophagus
Solomon Islands boy Vincent Toto now
has a chance to have a healthy life
Not yet two years old, Vincent Toto's life was set to end before it really began. But a mother's love, goodwill from 3,000 kilometres away and an unforgettable year in a foreign country have saved the Solomon Islands boy from certain death. "If he was left in Honiara, he would have been dead in a few days to maybe a month," paediatric surgeon Celine Hamid explains. "Because these kids are born without the food pipe, which is the oesophagus, they drown in their own saliva. They aspirate. They get lung problems."
Charity Group (ROMAC) Saving Dozens of Pacific Islanders
Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) has saved dozens of Pacific Islanders by bringing sick babies and children to Canberra for critical care, which is donated by the hospital under a memorandum of understanding.
Vincent underwent three significant surgeries, dozens of gastroscopies and ended up in the neonatal intensive care unit on a few occasions.
After 16 months of treatment in Canberra, he has become well enough to eat — with an appetite that draws him to the backyard veggie garden to munch on snow peas.
Although they were born over 24 years ago, it was the Bosin Twins that laid the foundation for ROMAC as we know it today.
Eaustina and Eaustocia were conjoined twins born on a small island near Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, which at the time was war-torn. Half way through her labour, and the first baby’s head showing, mum Magdalene was transported to a larger island over 400 metres of water by boat, where two little girls, conjoined at the chest were born. A power failure half way through the caesarean operation meant the operation was completed under the light of a full moon. The next day they were flown to Port Moresby, from where ROMAC arranged for them to go to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, where they were successfully separated.
They are now 24 years old and have just graduated from University. A wonderful testament to the work of the Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) team, and the impact of Rotary in the world.
 The Bosin Twins when they were born 24 years ago |  Eaustina and Eaustocia at 16 years of age |
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Rotary District 9685
