When factors such as COVID impacted District 9820’s District Foundation Grants program, they turned to two shovel-ready projects in support of their emergency Services

Article by Assistant Governor Tim Wills, Rotary Club of Drouin

In 2019-20 the District Foundation Grants program was thrown into some turmoil by a number of factors, foremost being COVID. This meant that many projects could not go ahead and funds were not being used. Rotary Club of Drouin had a number of shovel-ready projects to put forward and, with involvement from other Rotary Clubs and the local Lions clubs, for projects were supported by a District grant.

The following two projects were undertaken in support of the Drouin Emergency services.

AMBULANCE VICTORIA (Drouin) PROJECT

This project was supported by a District Grant of $4,000 which was matched by Drouin Rotary ($3,000) and Bunyip-Garfield Rotary ($1,000), plus an additional $240 each from the Lions Clubs of Drouin and Warragul.

The project was in two parts:

1. The purchase of one ‘HoverJack’ heavy-lift device ($7,830) and companion equipment for the Victorian Ambulance service branches in Baw Baw Shire. The closest nearby device is located in either Heyfield or Dandenong which, if required, results in a wait time of up to sixty minutes before any patient weighing above 100 Kgs (which would require a second crew to attend) or above 140 Kgs (which requires specialised equipment) is able to be moved; and
2. The purchase of shelving ($765) and assembly in the Ambulance Victoria Drouin Branch facility to hold equipment, together with boxes of used uniforms, collected from around Victoria, which will be de-badged and re-used. The clothing has subsequently been delivered to RAWCS Rotary’s ‘Donations In Kind’ organisation; Lions Club of Drouin project in Sudan; Ambulance Victoria project in Nepal; bushfire recovery in East Gippsland and Aboriginal communities in Central Australia. Two pallet loads are being dispatched to the Rotary Club of Mount Warning (Murwillumbah) to aid flood recovery efforts in Murwillumbah and Lismore.

DROUIN CFA AED MACHINE for the Second Appliance

This project was supported by a District Grant of $900, which was matched by Drouin Rotary, provided a new AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine for the second appliance/vehicle at the Drouin CFA (Country Fire Authority)  branch to compliment the one previously purchased for the main vehicle.

Two years later this new device saved the life of the Brigade Captain – John Atkins, as reported in the CFA News of September 2021.

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