Page 2 - Rotary Matters - November

The wonderful work of ROMAC was illustrated, under the directive of two D9510 members, D’Arcy Walsh
and Stephen Noble, both of the Rotary Club of Adelaide.
D’Arcy and Stephen conducted the ROMAC Annual General Meeting,
in a very efficient manner, all the formalities and necessities out of the
way within ten minutes. This allowed for a special presentation involving the meeting of the most
recent little girl helped by ROMAC.
AGM attendees were introduced to the gorgeous little girl,
with her loving Mum from Tonga. Baby Melenaite was born
in Tonga by emergency caesarian section on the 17th June
to Michelleanne a young lady of 22-years. Melenaite had
a huge very vascular sacrococcygeal teratoma on her bottom
which extended from the hip joint to lower lumbar posteriorly,
also extended from buttock to buttock. The Canberra
Centennial Women and Children’s Hospital accepted the care
of Melenaite through the Memorandum of Understanding
between ROMAC and the Canberra Health Services which was
re-signed for another 5 years in May this year. After surgery
lasting over 12 hours, when the tumour was removed it
weighed the same as the baby. Now 16 weeks old Melenaite
has undergone a further 9 hour surgery and will need
additional treatment before she can return home.
Donations to ROMAC click here.
RI President Elect Gordon McInally

with Melenaite and her mum
But she will return home. For this angelic doll like girl, ROMAC have altered the her chances. Her story
tugged at my heart, looking at a photo of her before surgery and to look across the table into the eyes of
this enchanting little girl with her little pink bow in her dark locks, brought tears to my eyes, but made me
proud to be a Rotarian. It proved that through ROMAC, we can be People of Action. As I Imagine Rotary –
I imagine what life will now be for this dear little girl.

Again, thinking of the Conference theme Better Together, I also considered that in greater numbers, we
can achieve more. It was Helen Keller who said, Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.
This is certainly real when we look at the collective work of Rotary.

I have heard on more than one occasion as I travel around our District “we’re only a small club”, a
comment made sometimes as a perceived excuse - but an excuse for what? How large or small, the
contributions from clubs collectively are making a huge difference across the respective communities
of our District and the wider world. Collectively we make a difference.

While at the conference, there was a barista - he was providing coffee for a “gold coin” donation.
After a day’s effort, he donated $552 to the Rotary Foundation. It was a great illustration that if 1.4 million
Rotarians donated a cup of Coffee each week to our charity, the Rotary Foundation, we would accumulate
$145,600,000.00. A huge amount of money that could do so much – individually not a big contribution,
but collectively it is “mind blowing”!

This is also the same with what our clubs are doing. Recently over one weekend I visited the Rotary Club
of Coromandel Valley and their Plant Sale, it was amazing to see how this novel fundraising activity
attracted people from near on sunrise to purchase plants. The commission that the Rotary Club receive
will significantly help that clubs service efforts.

continued over....