The following was provided by George Blenkhorn and is one example of what our club has been involved in in the past.
In 2006 The Rotary Club of Pakenham decided to raise funds for ROMAC. We ran a Dinner Auction and raised $20000. This provided funds for the average cost per child. Shortly afterwards two boys arrived from The Republic of Kiribati, Tenimakei Boota (Tony) and Mikaere Toariri (Mike) along with Mike's aunt Tutana Tun. Both boys had intra ventricular septal defects,( holes between chambers of the heart).
We met them at Tullamarine and both boys were in wheelchairs, ROMAC had arranged for them to be taken to an apartment near the Royal Children's Hospital.The car was a Hummer, you should have seen the boy's eyes- on stalks. The apartment was stocked with food for them and the Manager of the building was introduced to them.
We visited them the next morning and started the normal routine of health checks, dental appointments and specialist appointments..ROMAC has a group of dedicated supporters in Melbourne and the patients are visited twice daily on a roster organised by Sue.The apartment was only about 200 metres from the hospital. We took them to the specialist appointments and both had to walk there very slowly.
Both boys had their heart defects repaired with catheters inserted through a blood vessel in the groin. After they left the hospital they were cared for by people from the Kiribati community in Melbourne
.Both boys came to the Club a couple of times during their recovery and both were very active, running and playing with a football.
Tony was given the all clear by the surgeon and left for Tawara, three weeks later Mike and Tutuna went to the 9820 District Conference in Bairnsdale and Tutuna spoke in support of ROMAC. A week later Mike and Tutuna left to go home. When they arrived in Tawara they met Mike who was still waiting for a boat to take him back home. ,
Two photos of the boys taken by Ken will follow
George,
