Not a trivial matter - $3000 raised for ROMAC

Gerringong Rotary’s recent Rotary Trivia Night was a huge success, raising $3000 for ROMAC (Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children).

All the money raised goes to bringing kids in the Pacific region who really need medical help to Australia for treatment.

In 1988 a Rotarian in Fiji realised that the Pacific nation had about a 25% child mortality rate because it lacked medical facilities, a situation that was repeated throughout Oceania.

ROMAC was formed and now about 40 children each year come to Australia for medical treatment at no cost.

Medical services are donated, airlines sponsor their travel and billets house the family while the patient is in Australia.

ROMAC addresses issues like birth malformations, tumours and burns that would otherwise result in the child being hidden away, unable to live a full life with dignity.

Quizmaster Andrejs Medenis put together the questions and led the night. He put almost 70 participants through their paces including conducting them in singing some of the music questions. A terrific night was had by all.

Massive thanks to everyone who came along, to the Rotarians that worked so hard in the background planning and bringing the night together, to all the generous local businesses who supported the night with prizes (34 Degrees South, Daily Grind Coffee Roasters, Siang the Bali Shop, Natural Necessity Surf Shop, Khan’s IGA, Gerringong Bowling Club, Beyond the Beach Lifestyle, The Core Store and Belinda Doyle) and especially to Gerroa Fishermens Club, who hosted the event.

Together, they have helped change lives across the Pacific.

A journey through science, policy, strategy and investment in pursuit of fairness

Dr Zara Fulton’s varied career has taken her through a BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics, a master’s degree in public policy and a PhD in Structural Biology to a varied career working in science and consulting and her current position as Head of Investment at Remarkable, the start-up accelerator run by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

Her desire to make a difference was formed at a very early age when one of her primary school friends died of leukaemia.

Her choice to study molecular biology was driven by a desire to understand disease.

From there, she became interested in the policy behind the research and worked in the Department of Industry, Science and Resources in Canberra.

Her next move was back to academia to research drug-resistant TB at Monash University, looking at the structure of proteins with a view to designing molecules to block disease-causing proteins.

Next, she moved to the Schipps Research Institute in San Diego to do research into a possible HIV vaccine and to Johnson and Johnson to work on a universal flu vaccine and a vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease.

Working on a project to discover a vaccine against an illness (Alzheimer’s) - the causes of which are not yet understood - led Zara to question how decisions are made as to what research to fund, who makes those decisions and why?

Often the answer came down to what could be profitably marketed.

Her interest in the financial decision-making side took her into strategy consulting and ultimately to where she is now, back in Australia with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA), formerly the Spastics Centre, as Head of Investment at Remarkable, CPA’s startup accelerator.

CPA is the oldest cerebral palsy centre in the world, started in 1945 by a group of families who believed that there was a future for their children with cerebral palsy.

CP is caused by a stroke in a baby and early intervention and therapy can make a huge difference to outcomes.

CPA provides medical support, schooling and other therapies such as speech therapy.

CPA has set up the Remarkable Impact Fund that raises money and invests its funds in early-stage startups that have the capacity to make a difference to the lives of people living with disability.

Many of the inventions we now take for granted in everyday life started as aids to make life easier for those with disability, for example, the touch screen and SMS messaging.

Innovations that CPA is exploring include a self-driving ramp to help people in wheelchairs get on and off public transport and wearable head computers that can turn thought into action.

Inventions initially directed at disability make life better for everyone and Rotarians were spellbound listening to Zara’s tale of her journey through science and academia to consulting and now investing for impact.

New members and friends always welcome - see www.gerringongrotary.com.au or contact [email protected].