Hello Mark

Thank you for your kind wishes, and my sincere apologies for not getting back to you sooner.  While I am in Darwin and not in the cyclone area, we have suffered the vagaries of two weeks of persistent monsoonal rains and lost our internet connections for close to a week when they became waterlogged, before they were finally repaired by technicians on Monday. It has been catch up for me ever since.

 

I very much appreciate your thoughts and offers of assistance. 

 

As you are aware, parts of District 9550 in North Queensland suffered severely due to Cyclone Larry in the early hours of 20^th March. Four of our D9550 Clubs are in towns that have been devastated, being right in the path of the cyclone. They are Rotary Clubs of Innisfail, Fitzgerald-Innisfail, Mission Beach and Tully. Members of some Cairns Clubs were also affected but to a much lesser extent. The immediate need in the cyclone devastated areas has been road access, power, food and water. However more than two weeks later there are still many areas without power, and many scenes where people are living in tents adjacent to destroyed homes, with no water or power, and in conditions of continual monsoonal rains.

 

Our DG Peter Kaye is an insurance broker in Townsville, and our DGE Craig Bowen is the area manager for Wesfarmer Federation Insurance based in Ingham, right next to the immediately affected area. While there was no loss of life, a major problem is economic as the complete crop devastation of the tropical fruits (especially bananas) and sugar cane mean that thousands of jobs have disappeared.

 

District 9550 has set up a Disaster Fund and the details are on the District website, at  http://www.d9550rotary.org.au/

 

 However we really won't know the full effects of the cyclone for a while to come. We are certainly aiming at the needs that are not addressed by the authorities. We realise that many community groups will need assistance, and we would like to see Rotary respond to their needs when they are better known. At present the concentration of immediate relief aid and assistance has been on the essentials like food, clothing, shelter and power. We will be relying on the advice of the Shire coordinator and local senior Rotarians to assist in identifying the needs that aren't met by Governments and relief agencies, to best use the funds we are collecting. There is no doubt that these needs will be significant. The District will use the local committee to determine how best to use all money received into the cyclone fund, and to ensure that the monies will benefit as many as possible in addressing community needs.
 

On behalf of all of us in D9550 thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes, which are shared by numerous clubs around Australia that have contacted us.  It is heart warming to feel the support from the extensive family of Rotary at these times.

 

Best wishes for your year Mark, as President of the Rotary Club of Parkwood.

 

With kind regards,

Joanne

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Joanne Schilling
District Governor Nominee 2007-08
District 9550 Treasurer 2003 - 2006
PO Box 42428
Casuarina  NT  0811
Phone  08 8948 0230 (home)
Mobile  0419 835 461
DistrictTreas@d9550.rotary.org.au

5 April 2006