GUEST SPEAKER: Paul Bell is a former member of the Rotary Club of Albury North and is currently spokesperson for Interplast in in District 9790.  Interplast Australia & New Zealand provides surgical and allied health services in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region by providing free medical treatment and training. Paul outlined  the workings of Interplast illustrating his address with informative photos. Each member of an Interplast program is fully qualified in their field of expertise and volunteer their time to participate in an Interplast program. Interplast volunteers provide free treatment to people living with a disability from a congenital condition such as cleft lip and palate, or an acquired condition such as burn scar contractures. Treatment targeted to the indigent population who would otherwise not be able to afford to access services. Interplast assists with developing local capacity to provide surgery and ancillary services by providing training and mentoring programs for medical and allied health professionals.  All Interplast programs are training programs — leaving a legacy long after the team has gone. Founded in 1983 as a joint project of the Royal Australiasian College of Surgeons and Rotary District 9800, Interplast Australia & New Zealand is a charity that sends teams of fully qualified surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied therapists to developing countries in the Asia Pacific Region to provide free surgical treatment and medical training. Interplast works with the countries Ministry of Health, senior medical and training officials to facilitate the delivery of Interplast programs, all Interplast volunteers are fully qualified in their field of expertise. Interplast has a Board of Directors drawn from a cross section of expertise, and takes recommendations from the Rotarian and Surgical Committees.  Interplast is a non profit company and a Deductible Gift Recipient. Interplast sends 25 – 30 programs to 12 – 17 countries each year, and has earned an enviable reputation for quality outcomes and is known for its high level of industry support.  The need and support for Interplast services is high and limited only by funding. Interplast has sponsored over 70 doctors and nurses to continue part of their training in Australia and sent 600 volunteers on nearly 500 programs to 24 countries, performed over 30,000 consultations and over 18,000 life changing operations.

 Albury has a new head of police …         Superintendent Beth Stirton began her new role in charge of the Albury Local Area Command recently. She’s spent most of her 30-year career in stations in and around Sydney, but is a country girl at heart having grown up in Orange. Supt Stirton  joined the NSW Police Force as a trainee in 1982 at the NSW Police Academy in Redfern. She was stationed in Central Sydney in 1983 as a probationary constable and confirmed as a constable in 1984. Supt Stirton served at Sydney district personnel, eastern suburbs personnel, Hornsby, Establishment Control, North region command, Endeavour region and Kuring-gai until 2002 when she was promoted to the rank of inspector (duty officer) at Eastwood. She also served in this role at Parramatta and Kuring-gai before she was promoted last year to her latest rank as superintendent of the Albury local area command … she has been awarded an Australian Police Medal for services to Policing in NSW.   Supt. Stirton gave us an insight into Policing in Albury with particular reference to alcohol related crime and the pleasing report that this has reduced over the last two years. Progress in this area has been assisted with on-going successful negotiations with the various licensed premises in central Albury.

At last week’s meeting we welcomed District Governor,  John Gatt and his wife Eileen …John was born in Malta in 1949 and the family migrated to Australia in 1951. His family lived in the La Trobe valley until 1955 when they moved to the Western suburbs of Melbourne. He attended St Paul’s Primary School, West Sunshine and Sunshine Technical School. John’s working life started in 1967 as a Production Trainee at the sports goods manufacturer AG Spalding. John met Eileen when she answered a local newspaper ad for anyone interested in Rotary. As the Diamond Creek Club President at the time John inducted Eileen as a member in December 2005.In his address John encouraged us to follow this year’s theme, “Peace Through Service” …  reiterating the words of Sakuji Tanaka, RI President, 2012–13 … “Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal and a realistic goal for Rotary.  Peace is not something that can only be achieved through agreements, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple ways. Peace has different meanings for different people. No definition is right, and no definition is wrong, however we use the word, this is what peace means for us. No matter how we use, or understand the word, Rotary can help us to achieve it.”

Eileen introduced us to her project for the year …the ‘Learn Grow’ nutrition programme and urged our club to become involved in this worthwhile programme.

Learn Grow Program Launched in Solomon Islands. The Learn Grow Program, which promotes the growing of local food crops, took a major step forward with the launch of the program in Solomon Islands on 17th August 2010.  Forty people were expected to attend the launch, but one hundred turned up.  The event received wide media coverage in Honiara with reports and photos in the three Honiara newspapers and a report on the evening news. Centrepieces of the launch were the three high quality Learn Grow publications, the reference text “Food Plants of Solomon Islands”, and two field guides, “Good Gardening and Growing Root Crops in Solomon Islands” and “Leafy Greens and Vegetables in Solomon Islands”.  Such was the demand for publications that some rationing was necessary.  Reprinting of the publications is anticipated for future stages of the Learn Grow Program

Great first meeting of our club year with a trio of speakers Nikki Grae, C E O of Country Hope, cancer sufferer Breanne Shaw and her brother Tyler Shaw, captain and head prefect of James Fallon High  school, who is the fund raiser for his school for Country Hope. The speakers were exceptional with Breanne’s talk inspirational.  Country Hope is a country based family centered support organisation for children diagnosed with cancer and other life threatening illnesses …Nikki Grae gave us an insight into Country Hope and its many success stories … her presentation was supported by Breanne and Tyler Shaw speaking of their challenges … sister survivor and brother supporter.  Breanne and Tyler are Grandchildren of our arry Young. Country Hope is continually seeking assistance to support the year round programs, so if you are interested in helping  in any way, please contact 1800 007 880.  At the conclusion of Nikki’s presentation Albury Hume presented her with a cheque for $500.00

Jane Cartwright and Belinda Wells gave us background information on the operation and success of the many programmes conducted by PCYC. The variety of programmes include Boxing, Kidzcare, Zumba, Judo, Karate, Lifeball, Roller Derby, Driver Education and Midnight Basketball.   Jane’s and Belinda’s address  concluded with a couple of factual DVD’s.  As our members are aware, Albury Hume has been keenly involved with  Midnight  Basketball.

Jane and Belinda accepting a donation from the Club to PCYC