Chair's Message: Board and Regional Chair volunteers wanted

The first thing I want to do is to acknowledge the work and commitment of our past Chair, Glenys Parton. She has been one of our most loyal and hardworking volunteers in each of the roles she has held over the past 11 years.

Even now, she has agreed to remain on the Board as an additional director while we work to rebuild our Board. She and I represented ROMAC at the NZ Multi-District Summit in Napier this month. Thank you Glenys for your passion and huge support for ROMAC.

We are actively working to encourage more volunteers to join the Board, and to Regional Chair and committee roles.

I am pleased to advise that Mariam Fergusson, a current member of our Eastern Regional Committee, has accepted the role of Director of Fundraising and Engagement. Miriam joins the Board from 1 April, bringing a wealth of governance and senior executive experience.

Members of the Operations team participated in a successful face-to-face workshop at Rydges Sydney Airport over the weekend 6 to 8 March. Worthwhile discussions identified several positive suggestions for improved procedures for the future.

Our dedicated Regional Chairs and their teams supported several children this month:

• Janewly, who arrived in early February, was repatriated home to Vanuatu on 19 March following successful surgery in Sydney on 24 February. She was supported by the Eastern Region members.
• It has been a busy month for the Eastern team with Tom arriving on 15 March.  He is now recovering in Ronald McDonald House Randwick following successful surgery on 23 March.
• Aviana arrived on 28 February, underwent surgery on 5 March and returned home on 14 March

Aviana is an example of ROMAC operating at its best and of the extraordinary impact ROMAC can have on the lives of children of Oceania.

We received a very urgent referral for her on Saturday 21 February, with a request to have her at The Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, in a week.

Despite her, her mother and two medical escorts all needing passports and medical visas, they flew to Adelaide on 28 February. Following her successful surgery on 5 March she returned home on 14 March.

With special thanks to Operations Manager Pam for her many long hours, numerous phone calls and messages, to Central Chair Judi and her team for their pastoral care provided at short notice, and to Rob Wilkinson for arranging air travel.

I encourage Rotarians from Australia and New Zealand to please consider joining our wonderful team of ROMAC Volunteers; to become part of one of our regional committees, or the ROMAC Board.  

Please send an expression of interest to our HR Coordinator.

Peter Garnett

Acting ROMAC Chair