We have made it to the start of “living with COVID” and can re-join the world, and after a very successful Farmers Market for the Club, we are off and running. Thank you to all members who helped at the Farmers Market and were part of the outstanding Fund raising. Everybody slotted back into the normal regimen as if nothing had changed and the BBQ was flat out for much of the day. Nine days later we will be back at Bunnings doing it all again. A great effort by us all.
We will also recommencehaving some face-to-face meetings although the details still need to be finalised. Toorak is still our preferred option but we have also investigated CB’s and other venues.
I encourage members to join with the other clubs in our cluster to attend the film night at the Rosebud cinema to support the Foundations drive to End Polio. $10 of the $20 ticket price goes to this cause. The movie Duke has had good reviews and wont be on general release until later in the year. Tickets are booked through Humanitix but you pay $20 to the club. The Humanatix ticket gets you your seat but it is a “free ticket” you cannot pay via Humanatix! The club and the cluster gets a report from Humanatix to know how many and who is coming from each club.
Our AGM will be held at the end of November and we will be calling for nominations for next year’s Board. If you are interested or would like to support someone else taking a role in the club, print off the nomination form and fill it in. Remember nominations need to be submitted to Pauline. All the information will be emailed to you this coming week.
It was good to see Mike on zoom and hear he is well on his way to a full recovery. We all wish him a speedy return to a fit and active self. John Paterson is also on the road to recovery after his procedure and at home under the close care of Libby. He should be back with us shortly after his treatment is complete. I hope everybody survived the ferocious storm on Thursday night/Friday morning. My place was littered with tree debris. It looked like a giant had taken a huge battle axe to all my pines. There were pine needles and branches for up to 100m from the trees. I have never seen anything like it. I suspect tidying up will be the order of the day all next week.
Take care and I hope all the power is back and your clean up is not too onerous, cheers, Neil
We have a Club Yearly Calendar which Neil and Pauline are the authors and editors. The calendar outlines every meeting with whom is the Coordinator, Speaker, Sergeant etc. If you would like to add something please email Neil or Pauline.
Guest Speaker, Brendon Gardner, CEO of the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
The RE+EH is Victoria’s 3rd oldest hospital, being founded in 1863, and for 158 years has been a Public Tertiary Hospital treating eye, ear, nose and throat. It is the home of the bionic ear and the bionic eye.
A major redevelopment of the hospital is under way and due for completion in June, 2022. It is a State wide service provider, with numerous Clinics set up in regional hospitals. From the regional hospitals, patients are assessed by internet, to ascertain if the can be treated locally, or require to come to Melbourne for their treatment. The operating budget for 2020 was $130 m. There are 930 staff and 7,000 volunteers. There are more Doctors than Nurses. The Cochlear Implant program forms a large part of the Hospital’s work.
Alessandro Volte, in 1790, was the first Doctor to introduce stimulation of the ear. Professor Graeme Clark began research on 1960, inserting a blade of grass in to a cochlear shaped shell. With engineers, he developed a microchip for a sound processor, and in 1978, the 1st patient received the cochlear implant. A microphone is connected by cable to a sound processor, and converts the sound to a digital code, which is transmitted via coil to the implant. It is a different type of sound from normal hearing, and it takes time to learn to hear with the implant. There are 6,000 people with Cochlear implants in Australia, against a total of 185,000 people under 50 who would benefit from the device.
The device gives improved clarity, better hearing ability in the presence of background noise and better awareness of environmental sounds. The device is switched on 2 weeks after surgery. Sound at first is robotic. The age range of patients with the implant is from a 7 month old baby to a gentleman over 90. Once installed, the implant should last a lifetime. The rejection rate is 0.2%. The sound processor, (the external piece), can be upgraded without surgery. The cost of the implant ranges from $30k to$50k, plus hospital costs With a public patient, there are no out of pocket expenses. With private patients, there are normally some out of pocket expenses, dependant on your Health cover. The process starts by talking to your GP or Audiologist.
With Blue tooth and wireless technology, there have been advances in the technology, improving the performance of the implants. The Bionic Eye has the potential to be as successful for eyes as the Cochlear implant has been for hearing.
Rotary in Australia was charternd one hundred Years ago here in Melbourne. Subsequently, our organisation has spread throughout the Country. Rotary is not a bank. We are a service club and to that end we support our communities. Commonly, we provide labour, materials, logistical support and equipment according to our ability. Clubs are formed into Districts; the Mount Eliza Club is in District 9820, governed and coordinated by Bill Degnan from Traralgon.
Every Rotary Club pays its own expenses by member subscription. Not ONE penny of the funds we raise is kept; the entirety of our raised income is provided to our projects. Werely on the expertise of our Members to facilitate the administration of our Club via donated time and service. You may imagine the paid staff needed to run a COMPANY of our size [around sixty people].
When the demands are great, Bill and his team ensure that we all provide all we can, and avoid the duplication of purposes.This process was on show during both the Gippsland fires, then the floods. Mount Eliza supplied knitted clothing, power and manual tools and appliances, power generator sets, school supplies and household goods.
When there is major action, like the Fires and Floods in Gippsland and the Earthquake in New Zealand, the dedication and liaison between District, our Club, Emergency Services and other Clubs has to be seen. [We add apart from the Local CFA and Bunnings] …. Another Gratitude Award must go to Victoria Police Mornington. Year in, Year out.
Our close relationships with OfficeWorks and Bunnings facilitated both gratis and discounted supplies to be delivered. Indeed, we are fortunate enough to have Rowan [Biggles] Miller as a Member, 16 Years and going strong. Not only does Rowan own a transport Company, handy for State - wide pick up and delivery of donated goods, Rowan is also an Air Ambulance pilot!
When not otherwise engaged, Rowan can be discovered at our scheduled Farmers‘ Markets in Mount Eliza overseeing our barbecue and related equipment. You‘ll know Rowan by his perennial shorts and Hi - vis top. Come over and HELLO him.
District Governor Bill Degnan and Judy, together with the Rotary Club of Traralgon Central, invite you and all your members to come and join us in beautiful Traralgon, where the D9820 Conference will be held on the weekend of February 25-27, 2022, in the new Gippsland Performing Arts Centre.
Registrations are now open, and we look forward to seeing many of you in the Valley for a Conference filled with inspiration, fun and fellowship.
This conference will focus on environmental sustainability and what part Rotary can play.
We also have Dr. Fiona Wood, AM FAHMS, as our keynote speaker. Professor Fiona Wood is one of Australia’s most innovative and respected surgeons and researchers. A highly skilled plastic and reconstructive Surgeon and world leading burns specialist, she has pioneered research and technology development in burns medicine. Professor Wood’s greatest contribution and enduring legacy is her work pioneering the innovative ‘spray-on skin’ technique, which greatly reduces permanent scarring in burns victims.
Friday activities will be a Golf tournament, a winery tour and self-drive drive tours of the beautiful Latrobe Valley.
Saturday night’s ‘Celebration 101’ will be a dinner dance at Morwell’s Kernot Hall, where we will be entertained by The Baker Boys. Dress code is ‘Cocktail’, so bring out your pretty party dresses and suits for a night of fun.
Further information about our speakers, tours and entertainment will be posted on the District Conference Facebook page and the District Website.
Thanks to all our sponsors, particularly our Platinum Sponsors, Maryvale Private Hospital and Latrobe Health Services, and Latrobe City Council, for their support and assistance.
We look forward to seeing you all in February 2022 DG Bill, Judy and the Conference Committee Click on this link for registrations: -
