For a Rotary Club that doesn't very often do BBQs, our team excelled themselves last Sunday!
The big effort was in support of Ronald McDonald House Randwick's big fund raiser for the year -"Walk Me Home", when more than two thousand people walked the 25 km from Rose Bay via the very scenic Coastal Walk - Watsons Bay, Bondi Beach, Coogee, finally arriving at the Randwick House to be greeted by Rotarians handing them a sausage sandwich.
It was truly amazing to see how everyone just got stuck into the various roles - delivering supplies from the fridge, stacking bread and napkins, cutting sausages strings, cooking onion and sausages, refilling sauce bottles, serving, cleaning up, etc.
With the three BBQ's running flat-out, the hungry walkers didn't have to wait long to pick up their reward after their 25km walk from Rose Bay.
The Botany Randwick Rotary Club has a long association with Ronald McDonald House and has been sponsoring a Family Room for many years.
The House provides vital, and free, accommodation for the families of children from Regional NSW whilst their children are undergoing treatment at the nearby Sydney Children's Hospital. Without this facility, these families would be left in desperate circumstances at a time when there is already a lot of trauma in their lives.
Our support of the House is reciprocated, with the House also accommodating children from the Pacific islands who come to the Hospital for treatment under Rotary Australia's ROMAC Program https://www.romac.life/.
It was also great to see our ROMAC Child, 2-year-old Tom, and his Mum Marie come down to say hullo. They are staying at the House whilst Tom undergoes treatment for his club feet at the Sydney Children's Hospital. ROMAC District 9675 Chair Jenny Pedley also popped in to say whilst she was visiting them.
The Board and staff of Ronald McDonald House have expressed a very big thank-you to all involved - it was a very successful day for them.
Two-year-old Tom, from a remote island in Vanuatu, arrived in Sydney in early March for treatment at Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick.
Tom has now had surgery for bilateral club feet, and he was discharged from the hospital last Wednesday, with both legs in plaster casts, from his thighs to his toes.
For a little boy used to having the run of his home and village, the casts are restricting him somewhat, but he is facing up to the challenge!
Tom and his Mum, Marie, are staying at Ronald McDonald House, close to the hospital. The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick has been a long-time supporter of the House, and we currently sponsor a family accommodation room.
Tom and Marie are expected to stay in Sydney for about four weeks. During their stay they will be supported by members of the local Vanuatuan community, together with the ROMAC Eastern Region and District 9675 Team. Members of our club will be assisting.
It is somewhat of a challenge communicating, as Marie speaks Tok Pisin and some French. However, Google Translate has proved of enormous benefit, with a lot of laughs at some of the “close” translations.
We look forward to following Tom's progress and hope that it won't be long before he is up and running around on his two new feet!
For more information on the great work of ROMAC, visit https://www.romac.life/
This project, by the Rotary Club of Botany Randwick (District 9675, Australia) in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kampala City (District 9213, Uganda), aims to renovate existing dilapidated classroom blocks and construct two new classrooms at Bukono Primary School in Namutumba District, Eastern Uganda.
The school, originally established in the 1920s, now serves over 1,500 students in severely overcrowded and unsafe learning conditions.
The proposed works will include the repair and replastering of existing classrooms, construction of two new brick classrooms with iron roofing, painting, and installation of water harvesting systems.
The initiative will be implemented by AMPE Foundation Africa (Uganda) under the supervisory oversight of the Rotary Club of Kampala City, ensuring transparency, accountability, and sustainable community ownership. Local community members will contribute labour, sand, and bricks, while Rotary and AMPE Foundation will provide funding, coordination, and governance.
Upon completion, the improved facilities will directly benefit over 300 students and indirectly impact more than 1,500 families in the surrounding villages.
For details of how to support and donate to this project, see https://directory.rawcs.com.au/45-2025-26
For further information, please contact Peter Gleeson (M) 0411 407 935 Email: petergleeson@ampefoundation.org
