Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children

Giovanna McKay is a committee member of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) and was very pleased to introduce Wilma McBain as Guest Speaker at the Rotary Club of Attadale meeting at Tompkins on Swan on Monday August 27.

Wilma trained as a nurse at Royal Perth Hospital and in 1988 she started work at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children as the coordinator of the Cleft Lip and Palate Unit, the only one of its kind in WA. She became the overall coordinator of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit in 1993 and in 2006 she became the Secretary of the Australasian Cleft Lip and Palate Association. In 2008 Wilma was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for service to the community through the care and support of children requiring craniofacial plastic and reconstructive surgery. 

ROMAC commenced in March 1988 out of the actions of an Australian Rotarian who,with a group of surgeons, visited Lambasa in Fiji. They found the child mortality rate as high as 25% in some places and quickly identified that lack of medical and surgical facilities and skills for children of the island nations in Oceania, was a major cause. During the next four years, eight children were brought to Australia for major, often lifesaving, surgery. Soon 20 Australian Rotary Clubs were caught up in the success of each case and assisted in various ways. ROMAC established five regions representing clubs in the west, east, south, north and centre of the country. A New Zealand region was formally established in 2004. First and foremost ROMAC is quite a rare not-for-profit humanitarian organisation being run entirely with volunteers - no paid staff, no leased offices and the small expenses are recovered from investments.
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Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to run this Rotary program that encompasses all the Districts of Australia and New Zealand, assisted by many eminent surgeons, who generously donate their time for the treatment of the patients. They need more financial assistance. To help, Rotarians and Rotary Clubs can:-

• Request your clubs International Committee to allocate $2,000 each year to ROMAC - it is not a big amount but if every Club donated that each year ROMAC would be able to 'Give Life' to another 50 children every year!
  
• Fundraise through Club activities like a Trivia Night - ROMAC can supply the format, questions and support which will not only add a great social day or evening to your Club's social calendar, but everyone participating has the joy of helping 'Give Life' to a child who would otherwise have no hope.

Individuals can also donate and benefit from their tax-deductible status.

Thank you to Wilma McBain for sharing the wonderful work done by all those involved in (ROMAC) - ROTARY OCEANIA MEDICAL AID FOR CHILDREN.

Pictured is the Attadale Rotary President Ian Pittaway with Wilma McBain and Giovanna McKay.