Author: RCOB

Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children

Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to run this Rotary project that includes all Districts in Rotary International Zone 8. This humanitarian project has provided life giving and/or dignity restoring surgery to over 500 children from more than 20 countries, with medical treatment not available to them in their own countries. It is assisted by many eminent Australian and New Zealand surgeons who generously donate their time for the treatment of patients.

The Team

ROMAC is quite a rare not-for-profit humanitarian organisation run entirely with volunteers. It has no paid staff and no leased offices and so, it has minimal fixed costs. Generally, every dollar donated goes to patient care and the small running expenses are recovered from the investments.

The process begins with a referral of a child from overseas (or visiting Australia/New Zealand doctors) directly into the ROMAC database on the website. From this single form, the Medical and Operation Directors evaluate whether the referred child meets the ROMAC guidelines and which Region may be able to provide the necessary surgery, in collaboration with specialist Regional Medical Consultants.

All in all, the team in Australia and New Zealand is nearly 200 totally voluntary individuals plus Rotarians and medical personnel who support ROMAC in the nations we serve. These are people who help with passport and visa applications, finding and communicating with the potential patients, organising medical checks and ensuring they are on time to board their plane.

ROMAC is a shining example of what can be achieved through the combined effort of selfless individuals. ‘Service Above Self’ at its best.

Our very most favorite thing to do at our club meeting is to induct a new member, and today we were thrilled to welcome newest Member, Mark Allen.

Every new member adds to the dynamic of the club, & Mark has already added a vibrant & enthusiastic element to our meetings & is a most welcome addition.

Mark’s wife, LJ, has already joined the ladies on one of their monthly lunch outings & we look forward to enjoying her company at many more.

Lynne Phillips has been appointed as Mark’s mentor, & as a long-standing member with a wealth of experience, will no doubt show him the ropes!

Welcome to Buderim Rotary, Mark!

Despite the horrible weather, thousands of locals flocked to the Buderim Village Park to share our love of Australia with others in our community. Around 6 months in the planning, but all paid off with a seamlessly run event. Our Club is so proud to be able to organize this celebration which brings so much joy to so many people. Good on you Buderimites for supporting it!

The kids had a ball! With Facepainters, Clowns, plenty of food & room to play.

No need to go hungry with delicious food vans & even a licensed bar for those after a cold beverage.

Fantastic entertainment with the likes of Frankie Rae, Fiona O’Shea, Sugarbag Blonde, M7 & a spine-chilling rendition of the national anthem by local soprano, Michelle Bull.

It’s been said that Buderim Aus Day fireworks are the best on The Coast due to the proximity to the audience. You literally feel that you are standing right under them. What a brilliant way to finish the night.

Our photographer ‘Images by Ellen’ did an amazing job capturing the spirit of the celebration, & there are plenty more wonderful images to see. Just follow this link:

ROTARY CLUB OF BUDERIM AUSTRALIA DAY PICNIC IN THE PARK ’24 IMAGES

If you would like to order high-res images for printing or publishing, Images by Ellen can be contacted at imagesbyellenenquires@gmail.com

Friday night saw our club once again gathering together to celebrate Christmas & another great year. These Christmas parties seem to come around quicker each year, which isn’t such a bad thing seeing as they are so much fun!

A couple of weeks to rest up & then full steam ahead for Australia Day.

President Clive reflects on a great year for our club.

What a wonderful night as thousands of locals packed the Buderim Village Green to join with our community in celebrating Christmas together.

Full accolades to BWMCA, Andrew Butterworth & all the volunteers for working tirelessly to ensure the success of the night. Great job guys!

Buderim Rotary was flat out sizzling up delicious hamburgers for the hungry hoards. Whilst we all worked hard & rumor has it that most of us hit the cot VERY early that night, particular praise has to go to Ken & Malcolm who started the day at around 1.00 with Buderim Muscle, & worked tirelessly through to around 8.30.

And now…brace ourselves for Festival on The Green this weekend.

Buderim Gardens puts on a Christmas fair each year selling some fabulous crafts & treats. The homemade cakes & slices are absolutely delicious.

Our club was invited again to fire up the BBQ for a sausage sizzle with all money raised going to support Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre’s ‘Sleep Bus’. This a great initiative of MNC & our club is always keen to do what we can to support it.

Despite being a very hot day, as usual, we enjoyed ourselves!

What a great Guest Speaker at Friday’s meeting! Cath Manuel is a Horticulturist specializing in Therapeutic Horticulture. Through her business ‘Soil to Supper’, Cath delivers onsite garden-based programs to enable people from all walks of life to access garden, engage in activities, grow fresh food, build connections & cultivate wellbeing.
Cath has a great passion for sharing her vast knowledge, & many years of experience, in the Horticulture & Therapeutic Horticulture fields to encourage people of all ages & abilities to experience the joy of gardening & growing healthy food in any setting.

Thanks, Cath, for a wonderful presentation. The photos in your presentation indicate what a difference your program can make.

If you’d like to hear interesting speakers such as Cath, feel free to contact us to book a place for lunch at our Friday meeting.

Most of our Buderim locals would have either seen or heard of Ross Eason’s recently released book ‘4556’. We enjoyed having Ross as our Guest Speaker at Friday’s meeting to tell us more about the book & how it came to be.

Ross explained that it took approx. 4 years to complete his book ‘4556’, so called because it covers the whole postcode area: Forest Glen, Sippy Downs, and Buderim. Some of the photos in the book were provided by the Historical Assoc., however, Ross took all the recent ones, some using a drone.

All proceeds from the book, which is available at the Old Post Office, will be returned to the Community.

What a great meeting we had today: induction of a new member & a very interesting guest speaker.

Our club readily welcomed Paul Marek as our newest Member. Paul has already been contributing to Club life by helping out at our Jazz in The Park BBQ, as well as putting in a stellar performance as OC Vegemite Toast at our Buderim Mountain SS Breaky Club assistance.

Paul is our 3rd new member in the past few months, &, along with the others, adds a welcome new dimension to Club life. New members create a dynamic atmosphere. Welcome Paul!

Our Guest Speaker, Adam Barrett, is the Director of Buderim Mountain SS OSHC, & his presentation on what an integral part of the school system OSHC is, & the vital support it offers families at the school was very interesting. A recent audit audit of the program confirmed how lucky we are to have Adam & his team providing this service.

Adam is also a foster carer, & the brief glimpse he gave us into some of the tragic circumstances surrounding children entering in to this system was heartbreaking. It is wonderful to know that people of Adam’s caliber are providing a stable, loving family life to some of these children, offering them the chance of a very fulfilling, happy & successful future.

Thankyou to Maureen & Christine from Sunshine Coast Dementia Alliance for coming along to our meeting on Friday to tell us more about this very important initiative. Christine is the Community Liaison Officer for the organization, & Maureen is the interim President.

We heard how the organization has been successful in gaining formal recognition from Dementia Australia as the first Qld Dementia Alliance as actively working towards becoming a Dementia Friendly organisation. Their vision is to promote this status to other local Sunshine Coast communities and support and assist them to create their own local Dementia Friendly recognised Community.

With the wider area becoming more Dementia Friendly, Dementia Alliance envisage being leaders in this space and further influence the Sunshine Coast Council, Chamber of Commerce members and Sunshine Coast transport & travel services in becoming Dementia Aware and Dementia Friendly. The ‘Big Picture’ is to have the Sunshine Coast destination known and respected for being inclusive for all disabilities and especially for those Living with Dementia.