Berrima Banter - 31st July 2019 (Jul 31, 2019)

“Hi Lee, thanks for the positive, it helps to achieve many things, but the flipside is time for the mind can have an impact. Keep finding people to help us helps you. I look forward to helping you and others.”
“Put all the relevant links on one opening slide so that you can find them more easily. Emphasize the pathways to better mental health for sufferers.”

We wish you all the best in your various activities Lee, and look forward to seeing you at our Rotary get-togethers more often in the future.

At our meeting on the 17th July we learned more about the hospital redevelopment than we bargained for. Stephen Clark is the Bowral Hospital representative in charge of the project, and he regaled us for 45 minutes on the detail of the upgrade (interspersed with a wide variety of questions from the audience) and could have gone much longer. If you were not able to attend, and would like to know more yourself, please visit the relevant website at https://www.swslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/bowral/redevelopment.html. I can assure you we are getting quite a bit for the current budget of $65 million, including seven extra beds and much better facilities for the Emergency area and for Neo-Natal and Intensive Care units amongst others.

It was interesting to note that the hospital will not be officially opened until two months after the Practical Completion of construction, to give the hospital time to familiarise the staff with the new layout and procedures as well as train them in any new equipment that is installed. This includes video links to a number of Sydney hospitals so that emergencies can be managed by video link from a relevant expert while awaiting transfer to a suitable facility in Sydney.

The thought of new equipment raised the possibility that the unwanted existing items might be a good fit for the MAfO program, and this will be pursued further by John Macpherson and Barry Barford in due course. Stephen concluded by noting the three main issues that the public will face in the interim period:

Parking
Access
Information

He said that parking will always be an issue because they could not afford the expense of basement or high-rise parking, and they would always have to share the available space with the private hospital. However, he did say there are discussions taking place with Council to make Ascot Street a one-way thoroughfare which would open up greater possibilities for angled parking along there.

He noted that the new hospital would only have one public entrance compared to the 15 we currently have. Also, the construction work will make any access somewhat confusing for the time being. If anyone has any problems with this and/or with information signage around the site, please ring the hospital on 4861 0281 and ask for Stephen. He is looking for continuous improvement in this area.

We all look forward to this great new facility being finished towards the end of 2020, and to finding out what is planned for the additional $15 million that has recently been allocated to the project by the NSW Government.

Doesn’t the Southern Highlands have so many interesting people in its midst?! On the 27th July Frank brought along one of the people who has been actively supporting the Vocal Muster, in the form of Bill O’Gorman. Bill is the mastermind behind Southern Highlands Jazz which conducts a series of high- end jazz events at the Bowral Golf Club on the first and fourth Sunday of each month (www.shjazzinc.com). The next one is a Mini Jazz Festival on the 11^th of August from 2-6 PM starring the Adrian Cunningham Quintet all the way from New York, as well as Bill’s professional jazz playing group. For tickets, visit or contact the Bowral Golf Club (4861 1042), but hurry up as it is likely to be an early sell-out.

However, there is much more to Bill’s story than just a passion for jazz. We did not have enough time to cover all the ground that Frank had in mind, but some of the highlights were:

Introduced Formula One Grand Prix motor racing to Australia in 1985 with the help of the SA Government and the co-operation of the famous Bernie Eccleston;
Being a successful car racer himself, including winning the Celebrity Event at a Grand Prix;
Negotiating with the NSW Government for a $15 million guarantee to develop the Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney (https://www.sydneymotorsportpark.com.au/);
Developing the feasibility study and scoping the design brief and concept for the Cardinia Motor Recreation & Education Park in consultation with Drew Price Engineering, the Cardinia Shire and the Victorian Government (https://www.facebook.com/cardiniamotorsports/);
Consulting to the Australian Karting Association for the redevelopment and upgrade of a new international-level karting circuit at Eastern Creek;
Involvement in a myriad of other motor sport activities.

How good is that! Thank you, Bill and Frank, for another entertaining RCBD luncheon.

Berrima Marketplace Playground Upgrade

I made a brief presentation at the Council Meeting this week (24^th July) in support of the Draft Master Plan for the Marketplace. The Plan was approved by Council with many positive comments about the project and Rotary’s involvement. However, because of the fact that we will be removing a couple of (insignificant) trees, and in light of the heritage sensitivity, the WSC Planning Department has insisted that a DA be obtained before starting work. This suggests that another couple of frustrating months will go by before a sod is turned.

Wingecarribee Vocal Muster

At the Changeover, Richard Lane kindly fought off the after-effects of the ‘flu to sing the National Anthem for us. This also gave him the opportunity to promote the big Awards Night coming up on the 27^th of July at Gibraltar Hotel, Bowral. Tickets are $60 each, but he has arranged a special discount for RCBD members, family and friends if we can put a table or two together for the night. A request for attendees has been circulated but we are still looking for a few more to make up a table. A reminder has recently been sent out.

SHBG Kite Flying Workshop

International

This week we report on the outcomes of some of our aid shipments. MAFO client African Bush Camps Foundation reports that goods from the two containers shipped recently to Zimbabwe and Zambia are now being distributed. The brand new Maunga Health Centre near Livingstone will be fitted-out and equipped with the contents of the Zambia container, once the building is completed by ABCF volunteers. The Centre will then be handed over to the Zambian Government to operate.

The ABCF Board inspects the nearly completed health centre at Maunga Village, Zambia.

And in Democratic Republic of Congo, 150 pairs of eye glasses purchased with a Pink Umbrella Foundation grant and air-freighted to DRC as a RAWCS project have been distributed to residents of the remote Lotumbe village, greatly improving the lives of those who were suffering from impaired vision. Lotumbe can only be reached by canoe, with a trip to the provincial capital taking several days. Poor vision and other health problems seriously affect the mobility of the villagers in an environment where self-reliance is necessary for survival.

Public transport to Lotumbe on the Congo River.

Not that we were trying, but MAFO seems to be heading towards a new record for aid shipments within a given period. Just three weeks into the new Rotary year and five separate projects are underway. Hospitals and medical institutions in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands (2) and Kenya will be the recipients. And as of today, 25 July, date we have received two new orders for air freight shipments, one from a Swiss supplier of water treatment equipment that serves the Asia-Pacific region, and one from Rotary’s own Lucy Hobgood-Brown for emergency medicine skills training equipment to her beloved Democratic Republic of Congo. During the same period we hope to add a third air freight shipment, that of Grant Hannaford’s optical lenses to Nepal.