CSL invited Rotary Melbourne on a site visit to its new Head Office at 655 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. This was in recognition of our Club’s support of the PNG Snakebite Partnership. Anna Schulze, Director, Corporate Government and External Affairs, and Dr Matt Wenham, took us on a tour of CSL’s R&D facilities, relocated from Parkville to what at first glance appears to be a city office tower. We learned there are nine floors of the most sophisticated laboratories and advanced equipment housed in this building.
CSL is strongly committed to social enterprise activities. We viewed its Jumar Bioincubator, a whole floor that’s home to 38 biotech start-up companies, each provided with fully-equipped laboratory space, equipment and consumables. RCM is a valued part of CSL’s social enterprise initiatives, through our support of St John PNG, the organisation responsible for managing distribution and clinical use of CSL’s donated snakebite antivenom.
Anna presented on the background to the Snakebite Partnership, the difficulties of operating in PNG and the successes achieved. She outlined the partnership’s future, strongly linked to CSL’s relationship with St John Emergency Services PNG. Anna told us of her family connection to Rotary, her father being a Paul Harris Fellow, and of her absolute enthusiasm about RCM’s involvement supporting the Snakebite Partnership.
A meeting of the Snakebite Partnership is scheduled for 19 May 25 in Port Moresby, to which Rotary has been invited. Port Moresby Rotary Club agreed last year to support RCM’s snakebite project and will likely represent us at this meeting.
