How lovely to welcome PP Bill Mack and Sue from the Rotary Club of Chicago Lakes, Minnesota, who presented us with a lovely banner as a memento of their visit to Melbourne. 

I’m sure they enjoyed Associate Professor Geoff Sussman’s talk on skin and wound healing: we all learned something, and wished he could continue for longer.  When Geoff mentioned surgeons packing wounds, I had an olfactory flash-back to my student days, to the smell of BIPP, (Bismuth Iodoform and Paraffin Paste).  Once experienced, never forgotten.  Thanks Geoff for your instructive talk: where do you find the energy?  I’m sure local sales of hand sanitizer and moisturising cream will increase this month.

I heard at the District Conference that PDG Jack Ings has joined the e-club of Melbourne, so I e-mailed him to rejoice.

He replied to my note:

Gordon,

Yes, I am in the Club but don't know much about it yet.  This Sunday we are holding a Club Visioning seminar.  So I hope to come away from that with a much better idea of how I can contribute.  I am sorry I cannot go so far as attending Conferences but maybe in the future. Who knows? Nice to hear from you.

Regards 

Jack

You can contact him at jack.ings@bigpond.com 

Rotarians at Work: last week, about twenty Rotarians started preparing for the renovations at the Romana Centre (Servants Community Housing) Henry Drury, Ngaire and Ralph, and I all chipped away at the bathroom tiles, which Camberwell Rotarian Peter Allen had described as “falling off the walls”.  Boy, were we suckered in!  Nevertheless, we had lovely tea and lunch breaks to make up for our efforts. 

Next work sessions for this Boroondara Cares project will be on Wednesday 26^th, Thursday 27^th March and Wednesday 2^nd April: check with me to get on the roster.  BYO tools and gloves.

Don’t feel bad if you can’t make to the Romana Centre to help: there are lots of opportunities to help at Donations-in-Kind at Footscray: Tuesdays and Thursdays, occasionally Saturdays. Can we organise another working bee?

Relay for Life:  David Rush reports on his team’s efforts: members came along at various times during the day to do their laps as suited their other commitments, and so far have raised $1,375 for a skin cancer research project named after Neil Roberts.  Andrew Donald holds the Club record for the most completed laps, so well done everybody!

The Board has adopted a Project Evaluation Policy, which describes how projects should be with community based  non profit, arts, cultural, educational, recreational, volunteer, public service or Rotary approved social service organisations.  Consideration cannot be given to those applications for projects which have a primary purpose to promote sponsorship of a specific religious, social, political or economic view.

The Board also adopted Conflict of Interest Guidelines for Directors, Trustees and Committee Members relating to Community Grants and International Grants Committees.

Details of these policies shall be circulated to all members, and are available from Secretary Brian Reid.

Next week's speaker is Robyn de Crespigny, who is coming from Sydney on a speaking tour. (Film maker, author etc.).  She has spoken at other Rotary clubs... who say that she is excellent.  Her biography is on the RCH website.

After Professor Geoff’s talk on our skin, I couldn’t resist closing with a quote from General Douglas MacArthur:  “Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.”

 

Geoff Dumayne introduced Associate Professor Geoff Sussman by outlining a wonderful and extensive CV of research, education and clinical activity in the area of wound management and skin health.  Presently linked to Auckland and Monash Universities plus some past stints at St Annes in Oxford, Geoff has had key roles in many medical societies across his areas of expertise and interest. He was awarded at OAM in 2006 for his efforts.  Despite a passionate and still highly active role in his work at 77 years, Geoff has found time to be a Rotarian, and be involved in gymnastics and  diving as personal pursuits!

His address at the meeting was on the care of the skin.   So we learnt of the basic structure of that organ, many facts about it and hints and his observations for maintaining skin health.  Perhaps simply catalogued under the following four captions this summary attempts to condense the full presentation which is available on our web link.

SKIN pH   In brief the skin has an intrinsic acidic state.  So Geoff's view is that it is essential to ensure as the skin ages that appropriate measures are taken such as not using soap or other alkaline pH products that will increase the drying and therefore cracking of the skin.  Contrary to conventional soaps which are alkaline, pH neutral cleaners  include Dove, Cetaphil Bar, QV Bar and Dermabeen.                      

SKIN MOISTURE   A dry skin is to be avoided. While stressing the need to keep the skin moist with appropriate creams etc, Geoff pointed out that one needs to understand the components within them and the marketing behind such lists of contents. Products from Ego, Hamilton, Dermatech and Nivea are examples of simple products with few preservatives and few ingredients but which offer beneficial  moisturising of the skin.   Common aqueous based items provide little.

SUN DAMAGE  UV protection creams (stronger is better) are important but care is needed to ensure that they are regularly reapplied as they wash off  and on all areas of exposed skin.

THE USE OF  SKIN ADHESIVES  was a particular focus in Geoff's analysis of simple wound care as may prompt one to access the '"First Aid Kit".   With updated knowledge of the damage which perceived old popular remedies such band-aids, and old-fashioned antiseptics can do especially to the skin of older people, Geoff recast the content of our "First Aid Kit" by introducing a range of modern products which posses the characteristics to encourage healing with little or no detrimental impact on the skin.                 

The audience was kept fascinated and interested by the magnificent blend of simply described medical technicalities and Geoff's skill in keeping the common touch to his address.  See Geoff's presentation, click here.

Many thanks to all the members who supported this event.   To date we have raised $1,375.

As we had mentioned in our emails to members, we had a special goal to raise $5,000 to have the Cancer Council name a particular research project after Neil Roberts.  So with the club contribution of $2,000 we are presently $1,625 short of our target.

We also contributed to Relay for Life by supporting the effort of the RFL committee in providing lunch and afternoon teas.

Another day, cleaning up at Romana Centre in preparation for new tiles.

Henry Drury, Richard Logan and myself hard at work, and then the best part of the day: the coffee break!
Work is on schedule for the home to accept 24 residents in May.

The proceeds net of that portion to the winners will be shared between the nominated charities and the Hawthorn Rotary Club to use in our own programs.    

Over to the prospective entrants.  Just go to www.aussiefootytips.org.au  

We are closely associated to the Camberwell Salvation Army and mostly and especially through Norman Gale and our Second Bite food collections each Saturday afternoon.  Norman has alerted us to opportunity to help them see below.

Our project involves providing weekly gentle exercise classes for people from low income groups - for those who are familiar - typically people who attend our lunch program.

In Rotary there are regular meeting attendance goals for each member.  On Tuesdays the front desk does more than take our money it records our presence for this purpose.

Also a member can undertake other Rotarian activities (maybe visit another club or spend time at some project outing) which actually can be recognised hence the phrase "Make Up".

Norman Hall collates all this information (when he is given it) to build up an attendance record of a member.  Clever as he is he cannot know of all non-meeting efforts of members so invites us to let him know of these "make up " events which we attend.

Following Bob Glindemann's recent address most were taken back as to the effectiveness of simple labour support to DIK and the actual value reward which it creates.  Economic rationalists would have a tough time finding a more efficient use of effort.

And so as the photos show a couple of members have been giving their time.  Richard Logan's singular effort can't be matched with an official photo but note reward for helping could manifest as a poster character (see below).    There is still a great need for labour support, I refer to the the Donations-in-Kind meeting on 20^th February:

The store operations report was presented. A very busy time over Christmas was reported with 2x40 containers to The Philippines, 2x40 of hospital beds to Chile and The Philippines and 2x40 completed for East Timor with 2x40 currently being completed.

 We have also received almost 100 pallets of new clothing including 40+ of new school clothing. We know that we have another 110 beds available in mid to late March and these are also destined for The Philippines and Chile.

 There is an immediate need for more assistance at the store. Despite being officially open Tuesdays and Thursdays, the store is effectively a 5 day and often 6 day a week operation and this simply cannot continue. There is an immediate and pressing need for more participation in the day to day store operations. Every DIK Inc Club is asked to appeal for some support from their members to assist. This can be for any period BUT it needs to be a continuing activity not an occasional thing. 

As members of DIK Inc, Hawthorn Rotary Club contributes to the rent at the DIK store.  Several of our members have contributed to working bees at the store, whereas many have never visited the site, which is an eye-opening experience. Who would like to join me on a Thursday, for a half or whole day’s easy work?  The regular volunteers there are struggling to keep up.

Call me on 9500 2359, and join me for a once-off or recurrent job.  Gordon Cheyne.

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