My father was a keen Rotarian, first with Keilor and then with Carlton, and from him, I developed respect for what Rotary does.
I was active on a humanitarian project in Timor Leste involving eye-surgery, and was asked to fill in as guest speaker on this topic at short notice at Rotary Glenferrie. I liked the club, joined 13 years ago, and have great admiration for my colleagues.
The International Director at the time asked me to find an offshore project. I had been to Timor Leste with a team twice, but the 2006 uprising made it unsafe so I went to Indonesia instead. I discovered that Sumba needed considerable help.
At first Rotary was a little reluctant to become involved, but were persuaded and I have been visiting with Kew Rotarian and optometrist Peter Stewart every six months since 2007. We have taken another Rotarian and worked with a team of eye-care nurses. It is one of the best projects I’ve ever done in my life, and I have Rotary to thank for it.A project like that, though, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Once, a visiting Rotarian accidentally mixed his anti-malarials with constipation
tablets and was in trouble for some days! Whilst COVID-19 has restricted personal interactions, projects and fund-raising, I believe we will still see some later benefits, such as better use of technology. Rotarians are different individuals, but they are all volunteers, selfless and genuinely want to help.I still work as an ophthalmologist almost full-time, golf at Kew with Rotarians from other clubs, and sometimes find time to play saxophone and guitar. Even if you are time poor, Rotary is a great organisation and there are so many different ways to get involved and to continue learning.
My key message is: the more you put in the more you get out!.