"Thank you Richard and good afternoon Rotarians and guests ( and of course fellow Demon supporters )
We are all saddened by the ongoing impact Covid 19 is having on our elderly citizens particularly in aged care facilities .
Many of us know friends and loved ones being cared for in these facilities and our thoughts go out to some of our current and past members in this regard , including Past Presidents Jack Melbourne and
Murray Campbell , as well as other fine Rotarians Keith Brierley and Jill Hibbins.
It is extremely disappointing to hear the constant criticism of the aged care sector when the very large percentage of operators , their management and caring nursing staff are committed to supporting our frail and elderly ,
many of whom are suffering with dementia.
We thank and give encouragement to our own Sandra Hills as CEO of Benetas and Robyn Syme for his extraordinary commitment over many years with Mecwacare .
The Rotary Club of Melbourne through our Health and Ageing Committees have and continue to support numerous projects for the elderly , including Claremont Home in South Melbourne ( now known as CaSPA Care and Emerald Hill Residential ).
Our wonderful involvement with Claremont Home dates back to 1974 and it is interesting to note that $166,000 was raised at this time as our first “ cluster project “ in conjunction with The Rotary Clubs of Melbourne South , Port Melbourne ,St Kilda and Prahran .
It has been a fine example of ‘service above self ‘ by so many of our members for over 40 years , including Past Chairs of Claremont - John De Veer , who employed their first nurse in 1988 , John Kendall , Max Barr and Peter Manger . Jack Rutter was Treasurer for 12 years.
I recall the CEO of Mecwacare addressing our club well over 10 years ago , about the need to ensure aged care was a happy and rewarding experience for every individual and let’s hope we can move from negativity surrounding the sector , to something far more positive , as most of us are heading down this track !!"
