Celebrating supporters of ROMAC NZ

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon Richard Wong She who is Clinical Leader for Burns at the National Burn Centre of NZ, receiving a PHF certificate for the Burns Unit Team at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland from DG Peter Garnett

More than 70 people attended a special Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) function on October 9, in West Auckland, NZ to recognize some non-Rotarians who have made special contributions to the work of ROMAC in NZ.  Doctors John Stirling and Kirsten Finucane spoke about the work they do in the Pacific Islands, particularly in Vanuatu and Fiji.

ROMAC also presented PDG Trish O’Reilly with a special plaque recognising her role in bringing ROMAC to NZ over a decade ago.  She was the first NZ ROMAC Director and battled bureaucracy to enable ROMAC to bring children to NZ for surgery.  It was no mean fete as initially the Ministry of Health was very resistant, but with her persistence she succeeded, so much is owed to Trish for her effort and dogged determination.

Also present was past ROMAC Chairman in Australia PDG Terry Grant who convinced Trish to bring ROMAC to NZ.  Trish handed over the reins to PDG Geoff Dainty and of course the rest is history.  From very humble beginnings where only a few children received surgery through ROMAC’s efforts, the numbers have grown to over 20 in the past year. This has only occurred through the help of Rotary clubs, Rotarians, Rotary International grants and of course all the numerous volunteers.

ROMAC is indebted to these people who so willingly donate their time and expertise, allowing ROMAC to allocate almost 100 per cent of the money raised to ROMAC’s work, restoring dignity and prospects of a full life to so many children from the Pacific.

First Chair of ROMAC NZ PDG Trish O’Reilly (centre) receiving a plaque, with past ROMAC Australia Chairman PDG Terry Grant who encouraged Trish to bring ROMAC to NZ with current ROMAC NZ Chair Angela Bowey

Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon Kirsten Finucane after speaking on her work was presented with PHF recognition from DG Peter Garnett

Paediatric Cardiologist John Stirling receiving PHF recognition from DG Peter Garnett

Vicky’s repair

On the day of her return to Fiji

Victoria is an 11 year-old girl from Labasa, Fiji who was badly burnt when her father deliberately set fire to their home.  Victoria’s mother sadly died from the disaster and Vicky, with help from Rotary Overseas Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC), was flown to Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital in New Zealand for emergency surgery.  She had burns to over 60% of her body, including severe damage to her left ankle.  Medical Director for ROMAC Dr Eric Horne, of the Rotary Club of New Lynn, took special care of Victoria while she recovered in Auckland, and personally ensured that she returned safely to Lautoka Hospital after extensive surgery and recuperation.

But Eric always wondered how Victoria would cope after such tragic circumstances and whether she would ever be able to walk and laugh again.  

The following update was written by Eric one year later in June 2015:

“I have just returned from a winter break in Fiji and while there, went up to Labasa for the day to visit Vicky.  

The visit was with some degree of trepidation, as I was not at all sure what to expect.

Vicky and her brother Gavidi and their aunt met me at the airport.

I was truly delighted to see that she could walk really well, although with a slight limp.

She is a totally different child from the one the Burns Team at Middlemore looked after so wonderfully.

Victoria, as she now likes to be called, is really a rather extroverted child who never stops talking and sings in the choir at school.

She had arranged for me to visit her school which is about 15 minutes from Labasa in lovely countryside, and about 1km from their very nice house that her aunt and uncle own.  She walks to and from school every day.

The school put on quite a show with singing and dancing.

Despite missing a whole year at school, Victoria has caught up and is in the correct class for her age. Her teacher, who knew very little of her experiences, told me she was easily the best reader in her class, but needed to catch up on her maths.

When she left Lautoka Hospital in May 2014, her brother bought a wheelchair and they flew up to Labasa.

Victoria took her first steps in October, and was determined to walk without her stick by the time she started school in January.

Four weeks ago she was admitted to the local hospital for two weeks and had 21 pieces of wire removed from her ankle, and since then her walking has improved hugely.  Her ankle remains swollen and she can only wear crocks, but has no pain at all.

While there, she said to me, “I am going to run in the next school sports. I know I will be last but I am going to run!”

She is very happy living with her mother’s brother and his wife and two younger children. This is the uncle who rescued her from the fire and who was also quite badly burned. 

Vicky particularly mentioned Dr Richard and wanted me to thank all the lovely nurses who looked after her at Middlemore Hospital and the ROMAC team that made it possible.  She mentioned lots of other names which I have forgotten.

It was a very humbling day, and to be honest one of the very best of my life, to see Victoria so well and happy.”

Are we really good Samaritans?



The Rotary Club of New Lynn multi-cultural collection brigade.

Each year Rotary Club of New Lynn, NZ members and friends wave charity boxes at passing motorists next to a busy set of traffic lights, asking for funds to help local disadvantaged youth. The collectors are a multi-cultural mixture of all colours and genders. But it’s interesting that the most generous people, those most willing to part with their loose change, are inevitably our Pacific Islanders. Few cars driven by these folk pass without giving, yet disappointingly, the least likely to part with money are, like myself, our more mature Caucasian male elders, many not even happy to acknowledge the presence of the collector. 

It’s certainly hard to fathom why our island born neighbours, many on the minimum wage and trying to support large families both here and abroad, should be so generous, and equally hard to reason why those of us, who are purportedly more educated, certainly with a larger share of disposable funds, should be among those who are the most close fisted. 

Why is it that we in the more mature brigade don’t reciprocate our neighbours generosity. Perhaps we haven’t suffered enough hardships, endured unemployment or incurable illness and poverty. Maybe in our daily lives we only see light-hearted, bright, well fed kids and when we travel to their shores, only blue lagoons, swaying palm trees and sun. Perhaps we have become too insulated from the huge imbalances and growing inequalities in our own society and with our neighbours.

Certainly, every day we read stories of children living in our Pacific Islands without adequate health or educational needs. Tales of children suffering from floods, endemics or tsunamis, without doctors or teaching provisions; children enduring unbearable ailments leading to early deaths. Our own Rotary service activity, Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) for example, receives many more requests for help from island children needing surgery to prevent an early death or a vestige of dignity than they could possibly satisfy. Yet this same Rotary charity seriously struggles to secure adequate funding, especially from our own kindred sources. 

But when those same Pacific people settle in NZ, they are our most generous and certainly when asked, top the group who will give the highest portion of their income to our local kids. When we flash our charity boxes at them and ask them to help our youth in need, we invariably report more social connection and spontaneous generosity than with any other group. Perhaps as mature Caucasians we need to likewise reciprocate our neighbours generosity and when similarly faced with a donor box at the traffic lights or pay-pal request for funds on ROMAC’s webpages www.romac.org.nz and www.romac.org.au, we too need to be more altruistic.

Because this philanthropic magnanimity is essential, especially if we are to have a prosperous future in our part of the world, irrespective of colour, creed, religion or race; and if we are to truly fulfill our own Rotary Objectives of being part of an organisation united in the ideal of service and providing service above self.

 - Words: PDG Geoff Dainty, Past ROMAC Chairman

Robert's story - a life transformed

Robert was born on 7 February 2007 with two club feet.  In New Zealand or Australia this would have been dealt with shortly after birth.  The problem for Robert was he was born in a small remote village on Tanna Island, Vanuatu.

Although he had his legs in plaster for 6 weeks after his birth that did not correct the deformity.  Robert had to be carried everywhere by his Parents although he could walk to a limited extent on the tops of his feet.

In April 2012 an Australian Blindness Prevention Project team visiting Robert’s village identified his condition as one that could not be treated effectively by local medical facilities and referred to him to Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC).

Robert and his dad arrived in New Zealand on 15 January 2014.  They were hosted by the Rotary Club of Waikato Sunrise and home hosted by Club member Michele Rees-Williams.  Robert and Ialulu experienced many new things while in New Zealand courtesy of Rotarians.

Robert was treated at Waikato Hospital Orthopaedic Clinic.  He had plaster casts on both legs until 28 May 2014 when surgeon Richard Willoughby and his surgical team, who volunteered their time and expertise, operated on Robert’s feet.

On 4 July 2014 the plasters came off. Richard Willoughby was happy with the result and gave the all clear for Robert to go home.  Robert was issued with special support “splints” to wear inside his first pair of shoes.                                                                                                             

When Robert and Ialulu left on 9 July 2014, Robert was able to walk through the airport departure doors unaided. 

ROMAC’s intervention has changed the lives of Robert and his family.  Robert can now look forward to the normal activities of a young boy and can grow up to be an active member of his village.  His exposure to English and formal education for the first time opens up other possibilities for him and his family.

Robert is one of the lucky ones.  There are hundreds of children identified every year in the Oceania region who could benefit from treatment through ROMAC.

By - Colin Sanderson, ROMAC D9930.

Web:  www.romac.org.au

LYDIA KO - ROMAC Ambassador

LYDIA KO, New Zealand’s most successful golfer and one of the world’s most successful female golfers, has become an ambassador for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children ROMAC), Rotary’s multi-District project which brings children from Pacific Island countries to Australia and New Zealand for life saving and dignity restoring surgery that is not available to them in their own countries.

Lydia is very well known in golfing circles and the recent announcement of her intention to turn professional at the young age of 16, means that her profile can only get bigger.

This news comes on the back of a developing Rotary relationship between NZ and Korea, with Rotary Districts 9910 and 3730 having partnered a successful ROMAC Matching Grant project in 2012/2013 and having agreed to repeat this with an even larger Global Grant project partnership in the 2013/2014 Rotary year.

Both Matching Grant projects support ROMAC’s work with the high incidence of congenital heart defects in children in Vanuatu and sits alongside a number of other Global Grant partnerships between D9910 and other Korean Districts that are underway to benefit the health and education of the Vanuatuan people.

ROMAC is extremely grateful to Lydia for her interest in supporting its work in the islands and looks forward to a partnership that will raise its public profile and financial support which ROMAC needs to continue its work giving more children lifesaving surgery.
Professional tour wins as an amateur: 

2012 - Womens’ NSW Open at age 14 (the youngest player to win a professional golf tournament) and winner Canadian Women’s Open.
2013 – NZ Women’s Open, Canadian Women’s Open.

Website: www.romac.org.nz
Email:  info@romac.org.nz 

The Pillow Fight was immense fun and great publicity for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC)

The 'Pillow Fight' was a huge success in terms of the publicity for Rotary and ROMAC.

As a first time event in Auckland, the 'Pillow Fight' was a total success in almost every possible aspect, from the planning and organisation, the team building (3 Rotaracters, 2 ROMAC Committee members and a marketing friend of one of them), the enjoyment of the participants and the positive feedback from all quarters.

 

Everyone went home happy and the stage has been set to make this an annual event. In fact, with the resources developed this year, the ROMAC organisers believe they can run next year's event at almost no cost!

It established a platform established for this to be an annual Pupuke Rotaract event to raise funds for ROMAC and promote ROMAC, Rotary and Rotaract. They will be looking to stage this elsewhere in NZ, with local Rotary and Rotaract Clubs to run it from the template developed.

So Kiwi Rotarians - pencil in Sat 5th April 2014.

 

Additional Information:

ROMAC is a humanitarian program that provides urgent, life changing medical treatment to children who need it the most. We have changed the lives of more than 300 children from 20 countries, since 1988.

www.romac.org.nz

Also for hints on doing good publicity in Rotary go to http://public-image-action.blogspot.co.nz/

 

 

Ten kids with a better life thanks to Rotary and volunteer medical assistance

The following are photos of ten children from the Pacific Islands who have received lifesaving treatment in the last six months as the result of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) and the kindness of medical staff in New Zealand who have donated their time to do the operations.

 

ROMAC Mission Statement:

“To provide within Australia and New Zealand, medical treatment for children 15 years and under, who are from developing countries, for life saving and/or dignity restoring surgery not available to them in their own country”

 

For more information go to www.romac.org.nz

 

Related links:

 

 www.interplast.com.au