About the Inaugural ‘Ian Parker Bipolar
Research Fund’ PhD
Scholarship:
The scholarship is worth a total of $87,000 over 3 years
$87,000 over 3 years equals $29,000 each year and this is made up of:
- $ 11,000 from the Funding Partner (Ian Parker Bipolar Fund)
- $ 11,000 from the University at which the Scholar is based
- $ 7,000 from Australian Rotary Health
Australian Rotary Health does the advertising, selection and administration of the scholarship. Australian Rotary Health »
BREAKING NEWS !!
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE INAUGURAL
AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH / IAN PARKER BIPOLAR FUND PhD SCHOLARSHIP
2013 WINNER!!
Australian Rotary Health are delighted to inform Carol Smit – Founder of the
Inaugural Ian Parker Bipolar Fund Research Fund
that
Emma Gliddon from Portarlington Victoria
and studying at Deakin University Geelong Victoria
has been awarded the
2013 Australian Rotary Health / Ian Parker Bipolar Fund
Funding Partner PhD Scholarship investigating Bipolar Disorder.
Emma’s scholarship conditions entail her speaking at Rotary Events and to Rotary Clubs as required.
Emma is keen to keep Carol updated with her work.
Australian Rotary Health thanks Carol for her partnership and have stated that the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund’s generosity is helping to make a difference in advancing important medical research into Bipolar Disorder.
Carol was invited by Australian Rotary Health to present the PhD Scholarship Plaque to Emma.
A Mayoral Civic Reception Presentation was hosted by the Colac Otway Shire at COPACC 5 pm – 6 pm 30th April 2013 and followed by the Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner.
Guest Speakers were Ms Annie Prideaux – Member of Rotary Club Irymple and Civil Celebrant, Ms Carol Smit – Member of Rotary Club Colac West and Founder & Event Organiser of the Inaugural Ian Parker Bipolar Fund, Miss Emma Gliddon – PhD Scholarship Winner and Professor Michael Berk – International President of the Bipolar Society of Australasia.
Emma’s scholarship is for a maximum three year period 
[with a possible 6 month extension].
Funds will be allocated as follows:
$11,000.00 p.a. from the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund
$7,000.00 p.a. from Australian Rotary Health and
$11,000. p.a. from Deakin University
$28,000.00 per annum will be paid to Emma and a one off payment of $3,000.00 will be paid once she submits her thesis.
This takes the total payment of this scholarship to an equivalent of$29,000.per annum.
As Australian Rotary Health is a registered charity
donations
Enquiries e-mail: carol@bipolarresearchfund.org.au
Inaugural Bipolar Research PhD Scholarship
Presentation for Australia!
Australian Rotary Health/Ian Parker Bipolar Fund
PhD Scholarship Award
30th April 2013 – COPACC Civic Reception Presentation Hosted by Mayor Lyn Russell of Colac Otway Shire
CIVIC RECEPTION
Carol Smit – Founder Inaugural Bipolar Research Fund for Australia
Rotarian – Rotary Clubof Colac West
Guest Speaker: Carol Smit
Good afternoon;
Mayor, CEO and Councillors,
Professor Berk, Rotary District Governor (or Assistant)
Emma, Annie,
President Maurice, Distinguished Guests,
Fellow Rotarians
To my wonderful husband Ike, incredible volunteers and all visitors.
It is such an honour to welcome Emma here this afternoon as our most worthy recipient of the ARH/IPBF PhD S/Ship.
Reading Emma’s recommendation forwarded by Prof Michael Berk her glowing recommendation filled my being with both a combination of relief, joy, pleasure and absolute gratitude that there is a student of Emma’s calibre who is willing to engage with Australia’s Inaugural Doctor of Bipolar Research and dedicate the next three years to the Fund to become the Inaugural Doctor of Bipolar Research in Australia.
I wish to acknowledge and sincerely thank all the Volunteers who have so generously given time, energy and support to this Fund. Thank you Ike, my husband, my family,
Prof Michael Berk, Australian Rotary Health and friends we would not be here today without your support.
I am privileged, proud and honoured to be able to present Emma with the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund PhD Scholarship – not only as she is a worthy recipient but also as this is the beginning of a Career path for improvement in understanding of Bipolar Research.
Emma, If only my beautiful Mum and Dad were here to share this wonderful moment and the next chapter of the story of their much loved son and my brother and the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund journey. Bless their dear souls and Ian would be ecstatic!!
Well done Emma, you deserve to stand so tall and proud of all you have thus far achieved and on behalf of Australian Rotary Health and the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund I wish you every success as you undertake with sincere dedication and passion your career of bipolar research as you work toward finding the cause and hopefully eventual cure of bipolar disorder.
It is with great pride and pleasure that I Award you the
Inaugural Australian Rotary Health/Ian Parker Bipolar Scholarship!
Professor Michael Berk – Deakin University - Emma Gliddon – PhD Scholarship Winner
Carol Smit – Founder Ian Parker Bipolar Fund
Photos ‘Courtesy of Wal Slow’ – Rotary Club of Colac
Civic Reception – Presentation:
Emma Gliddon Inaugural Bipolar Research PhD Scholarship Winner
Firstly, thank you for being here. It hasn’t quite hit me yet that I am even a PhD candidate, let alone the inaugural recipient of this incredible scholarship. It continues to amaze me that Carol has been able to put this fund together in honour of her brother Ian, and that she has received so much support from the local community here in Colac. So, most importantly, I would like to thank Carol for all of her hard work in putting this scholarship together as well as anyone who has contributed to this fund in some way. I would also like to thank everyone at Australian Rotary Health for their involvement in making this possible. Thank you also to Michael Berk, and Sue Lauder (who unfortunately couldn’t be here today) for supporting me throughout the last 4 years that I’ve been working with them.
The program I’m working on is called MoodSwings, and it’s an online self-help program for people with bipolar disorder. I’ve worked on the MoodSwings program since 2009, first as a volunteer, then as an honours student, then as a research assistant, and now I get to see it through as a PhD student. I’ve seen this program develop from its first trial, and I’m excited to see what we can do with the newest version of the program.
Previous research into online programs has shown that they can produce similar results to face to face treatments, so they have the potential to be viable alternatives for people who are unable to access more traditional therapy programs. Online options for treatment in mental illness are extremely important, especially for those in rural and regional communities who would otherwise need to travel long distances to seek help. Online interventions are also important for those who may not be able to afford face to face therapy, people with small children, and those with anxiety.
Bipolar disorder effects up to 5% of the population, yet the MoodSwings program is one of the only online interventions designed for bipolar disorder, so continued research into improving the program and looking at what aspects of the program benefit people most is extremely important. My PhD project focuses specifically on the use of online discussion groups within the MoodSwings program. Research into the use of online discussion groups in bipolar disorder is practically non-existent. Looking further into this area could create new options for people seeking help, especially those seeking social support, which is often a significant issue for people with bipolar disorder.
Organisations like the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund are important for so many reasons. This is the first time a bipolar research scholarship has been offered in Australia, and I am honoured to be the inaugural recipient. Being awarded this scholarship means that I will become the first ever Australian PhD student majoring in bipolar research to complete my studies with the support of a bipolar research scholarship. Without the support of this scholarship, I would not be able to undertake this research. Postgraduate study is essentially a full time job without a wage, so scholarship funding is extremely important to allow students to be involved in full time research. This scholarship means a lot to me, as it has allowed me to continue to work on a program that I am very passionate about and have a lot of faith in. So, thank you to everyone involved and I look forward to sharing the next few years with you all.
Ian Parker Bipolar Fund – Inaugural Australian Rotary Health PhD Scholarship Fund
Carol Smit Founder & Event Organiser
Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner
Guest Speaker: Annie Prideaux
Good Evening Carol, Professor Berk, Emma, President Maurice, fellow Rotarians and honoured guests.
Carol, thank you for asking me to speak briefly this evening; an evening that is definitely a beginning – well overdue – wonderful – and the potential to be extremely powerful in the support, the education and the transformation of perhaps a collective attitude towards Mental Health Issues – by this the “Ian Parker Bipolar Fund & Australian Rotary PhD Scholarship Partnership Fund”.
My qualification to speak to you this evening includes Diplomas in different modalities; and simply life experience as a Welfare Officer, a Trainer, a parent, grandparent, an individual and a family friend of the Parker family.
Currently I work in my own Business as a Civil Marriage Celebrant and it is a privilege and pleasure to be here to share this Inaugural evening.
I sincerely congratulate Carol, Prof Michael Berk and Australian Rotary Health for acknowledging the importance of Society owning a recognizing that amongst our diverse Communities there are beautiful people who have been greatly judged and misunderstood in the past and hopefully will be lesser very soon, and that there is indeed a need for Community education and for greater assistance to empower people to live a quality life.
There are insufficient words for me to express my knowing of Ian Parker – Ian had a beautiful nature, glorious soul and was a sensitive man with sensitivity to others, thoughtful, unselfish and by nature a fun loving, warm open human being who lived with an illness that all too soon restricted his unknown potential as a Dux of honours in quantum Chemistry, Physics and Science.
To share a little of myself: unknown to me at the time of my birth I was a gift to my parents, as my mother was an insulin diabetic married believing she could not have children.
As a four year old her pancreas was collapsed by a kick to the stomach by a horse and her languidness initially undiagnosed; she went into a coma and then her life as an insulin diabetic began.
We were observed annually at the then Queen Victoria Hospital Melbourne until I was 10 by her specialist Mr Bridle.
In turn the gift my birth gave me was; I was able to accept what I believed for many years was the norm in other families; that when people who had a chemical or medical imbalance their personality and behaviour could change in moments and often beyond their control and with horrid consequences.
And sadly, that change of behaviour all too quickly categorized people; they were viewed as odd or irresponsible perhaps dangerous or simply different and by placing them in an acceptable “box” made others feel comfortable and a little more accepting of the occasional “bad” time.
I believe by the age of ten I was an amateur psychologist as many a time I used my practised strategies to get milk and sugar into mum after school and her work before she was “onto me”.
Sound familiar!? Yes, mmm it does, Yet a different “illness”.
Mum was unique as she lived her life best as she could; champion in swimming and netball – left out of representative teams – discrimination. Worked in responsible positions; the Royal Children’s which had been like a second home to her as a child, a Legal Secretary and when with Arnott Brockoff Guests broke the discrimination in employment for Diabetics. My wonderful role model and teacher.
Many years later and with a family of my own whilst Co-ordinating a
Youth program through SuniTAFE I came across another illness where a chemical
imbalance changed a behaviour – that is when Ian Parker came into my world and has never left my
thoughts and heart as a friend – that is why I am here tonight to support this Fund.
I was short of Tutors; and also as a Probation Officer Ian was offered to me as a Tutor while on his probation; because of his qualifications and my background. My only question to the department was Ian’s suitability to work with youth.
For the next twelve months Ian worked with the program as a Maths and Cooking Tutor; his quiet, pleasant, reserved, conservative nature with a cheeky sense of humour; he was a perfect role model for the troubled youth of the program, with his positive effect on the groups approach to learning by his engagement, was a joy to witness with usually reluctant individuals.
One morning I was in the office as usual prior to classes beginning with young people around me and while speaking on the phone Ian’s face appeared at the door, he was elated, jumping around and I noticed he looked different, his clothing was very different, he wore a brown suit far too small as the sleeves and pants were very short and he was also barefoot.
I am trying to listen to my phone and he yells to all full of joy “I am off to Israel!”
I had many thoughts going through my head; “must hang-up” “what is he on about” What is going on” as by now the group were following elated Ian down the stairs as he repeated “I am off to Israel!” I immediately ceased my call and tried to catch him. I was unsuccessful.
This is when I met Carol, I phoned her as Carol was Ian’s registered contact person;
I shared what had happened and asked if I could be enlightened with what was happening with Ian as I had students waiting and needed to know for obvious reasons.
At 4pm when Carol and I spoke I learned of Ian’s condition; Manic Depression and that he had entered beginnings of a manic stage, I was shattered; this beautiful man with so much to offer the world and all he had given the program was not a well person.
To this day I truly don’t know why- I instantly decided that if Ian were to make contact with me I would support him in whatever way I could and I didn’t really know what I meant by that, I did know that I appreciated who Ian was and what he had given all within the program and that he was ill.
That evening I announced to my family the events of day and my intent; it was accepted as we were both in the Welfare Industry; yet neither really knew of the journey that was ahead.
Maybe it was the experience of my upbringing, or the fact that Ian had given excellent service to the program and a delight to all around him or all of these and more.
Ian did behave out of the Character that he had been perceived to have around the town, he brought unwanted attention and the Law into his world and the reaction of people was one of the criticism; he is “nuts” we don’t want him around like this he could be harmful!”
Fear and ignorance are awful tools – yet common.
This included my own household, I felt deep down the Ian I had come to know would never harm anyone; my household only knew Ian briefly and understandably there were reservations – yet I was supported in supporting Ian.
Ian had fled the area quickly, his was on a mission; Ian was off to Israel swiftly and on his own resources – no monies or clothes – several days passed and then I developed a headache; something I don’t suffer from thankfully to this day, then in moments of recognizing a headache the home phone rang and it was the police in Melbourne as Ian had said I was his Welfare Officer – not quite the truth at the time. This experience for me was often repeated.
I accepted the call simultaneously wondering how he knew my home phone number as there were no mobiles back then.
That call was the beginning of several years of intermittent contact with Ian; it could be prior yet usually after his mania a call from Police or from a Hospital.
Ian did not make Israel and nor did he return to Mildura; he moved on and took his different personas and aliases with him.
Ian’s life led me to different institutions and hospitals from Melbourne area to the Northern Rivers NSW; these visits that gave me the privilege to meet with many beautiful souls and engage in perhaps the most enjoyable and honest conversations I have had.
I always came away humbled, full of compassion and appreciation of my life, coupled with a feeling of sadness that the people who had given me so much in a short time were suffering an illness that insisted they be locked up and at no time did I hear malice, harshness or resentment.
Ladies and Gentlemen, over the next month’s unknowingly, by the experiences I had whilst supporting Ian (and will eternally thank him for what I learned) as it gave me the opportunity to try to survive my own medical and personal crisis – finding my mother deceased – eight months of undiagnosed by five Drs very premature menopause and all that goes with that condition until finally, with diagnosis and appropriate medication – I was accepted as normal again which came all too late to keep my Marriage.
That time the behaviour change was my own; and not much support information on the condition; too hard for a husband to cope with – oh for a visual broken limb!!
I moved onto Northern Rivers to begin my own healing and establish a new life.
It would have been another year; summer time and then each year at same time; Ian would make contact by appearing at our front door, usually very flamboyant in dress, a huge smile and a lovely lady on his arm and calling himself by one of his aliases.
They never stayed long, Ian just connected with me so I could see where he was at and it was usually the lead up to a manic episode.
I will share how he used our connection as what I called “Ian’s protection of himself”.
This particular summer Ian had called in for a cuppa and for me to meet his then partner, a lovely lady and they were both living in Sydney and then were heading off on a holiday further up the Coast.
It was the very next day that I received a call from a Real Estate Agent from Surfers Paradise as my name had been given by Ian (using one of his aliases – usually ABBA or GABRIEL) as a referee for him to purchase what was then a $250 thousand dollar Apartment on the Gold Coast.
I took a deep breath and thought wow that didn’t take you long Ian!. I continued to share with the Real Estate Agent that the reason she had been given my number was so we could have the following conversation.
I proceeded to say the gentleman is not known by that name, he is on a pension and has no monies, also he has a medical condition known as Manic Depression and he is entering a manic phase and I am to tell you he does not have the capacity or ability to buy!.
The Agent was adamant that Ian was genuine and really who was I!? The Agent stated that the man’s parents had been given as guarantors, again I informed her they are pensioners and do not have the monies.
Eventually my information must have been accepted as the sale went no further. Mission accomplished!
A few months passed and then Ian appeared at the door; he looked shattered and broken; thin and weak, it was obvious he was crashing fast and had managed thankfully to get himself to our home.
For the next six weeks with constant communication with his beautiful mother Ivey Jean in Colac, Ian stayed with us where his only activity was to sleep and eat until he gained enough physical strength and balance in mind to travel back to Victoria by bus.
As he was gaining strength Ian revealed that he had been in Boga Road Gaol, the very evident pain that was in his tone and facial expression as he embarrassingly and quietly told me – I decided to never question him about that experience.
I can only imagine how it would ben been, entering Gaol in a manic stage and after weeks leaving on the brink of deep depression.
I provided shelter, food and care for Ian at different times in our connection and never once did I feel myself or my children were in danger, ill and well, Ian was respectful and honest and I give thanks that his illness provided firsthand opportunity for my children so see and hear the different personas that came from one person and understand to the best of one’s ability “the why”.
I could share many more experience; that is not necessary as you are aware of what manic depression is and now diagnosed as Bipolar.
Ian often referred to the polarities of life; he would say it is like “up down” hot cold” “soft hard” It is all about the balance Annie and that aint easy”
Ian then married and lived in Geelong and it was then he would appear at our door again near the end of the year; I only had contact with Ivy Jean so I would always let her know so that his family could follow through with what they wanted for him and usually it was for him to return to Dax House Geelong for treatment. Ian and his family moved to Cairns and I no longer had contact with him.
In 2004 as a grandparent of two in Mildura I moved back there and Carol believing I was still in Northern Rivers was unable to contact me at the time of Ian’s tragic departure from this life August 2005.
I, as many people who knew Ian am devastated at losing this clever, gracious, caring, sensitive, very intelligent man who demonstrated tremendous courage, perception and insight and lived in a world where sustainable “food” for his mind was scarce.
Ian gave many people great joy and insight by just being himself whatever that self was at the time of meeting him.
I am so glad Carol persisted and found me as in my own way it will be a pleasure and privilege to assist Carol honour Ian by sharing this Fund with fellow Rotarians and Mental Health Agencies in my Community.
I applaud Australian Rotary Health for offering a partnership with Carol to Fund raise for the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund.
Also as this program
- Puts mental health out in the open
- Education is being provided as a statistics show we need it!
- Through Ian – the reality of many sufferers is shared
- It provides an opportunity for Communities to stand up and be supportive of their own
- It provides a medical person “Emma” the opportunity to research, learn and eventually implement assistance to Bipolar patients
- It is founded on the Carol’s unwavering of Professor Berk and The Australian Rotary Health PhD Scholarship
Thank you for allowing me to share a small insight into my life of living with a
Person with Bipolar – I wish continued success in the research and
development of this much needed Ian Parker Bipolar Fund.
Dearly loved and forever in our hearts Ian – your beautiful soul always connected –
Rest in peace Ian – your life was not a waste – it was a gift for all who met you.
Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen.
Annie Prideaux
Civil Marriage Celebrant
Rotarian – Rotary Club of Irymple Victoria
Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner
Guest Speaker - Carol Smit
Good evening;
Professor Berk, Emma, Annie,
President Maurice, Distinguished Guests,
Fellow Rotarians
My lovely daughter Michelle, my wonderful husband Ike,
my incredible volunteers and all visitors.
Tonight is a proud moment for me as I have devoted much soul searching hours to find a way to fulfil a ‘purpose’ for Ian’s many years of so much suffering.
Ian had shared with me how there must be a ‘purpose’ for his suffering. I had promised him only one week before his death that I would find that ‘purpose’. Little did I know, I would not be filling this ‘purpose’ without him by my side, but alone.
Establishing the ‘Ian Parker Bipolar Fund’ was my only way forward to make some “sense” of his suffering and give real meaning to his often so fractured life, and therefore help to fulfil his purpose.
Until Bipolar researchers are able to find the cause of Bipolar disorder, treatment will remain limited and often quite problematic and not always delivering a successful outcome with a “mood balanced” lifestyle.
Sometimes bipolar sufferers are not always willing to continue with the prescribed medication once overcome by the ‘feeling of wellness’ or sometimes due to intolerance to the many prescribed medications.
Unfortunately for Ian, both of the above situations were often prevalent throughout the management of his illness.
I do not want others to suffer like my beloved brother Ian, my family and all other sufferers and their families.
It is such an honour to welcome Emma here tonight at our Rotary Dinner as our most worthy recipient of the ARH/IPBF PhD S/Ship awarded to her this afternoon at the Colac Otway Shire Mayoral Civic Reception.
Reading Emma’s recommendation forwarded by Prof Michael Berk and two other Drs to ARH and myself, her glowing recommendations filled my being with both a combination of relief, joy, pleasure and absolute gratitude that there is a student of Emma’s calibre who is willing to engage with Australia’s Inaugural Doctor of Bipolar Research and dedicate the next three years to the Fund to become the Inaugural Doctor of Bipolar Research in Australia.
Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner
Inaugural PhD Bipolar Research Scholarship Winner
Guest Speaker: Emma Gliddon
Firstly, thank you for being here. It hasn’t quite hit me yet that I am even a PhD candidate, let alone the inaugural recipient of this incredible scholarship. It continues to amaze me that Carol has been able to put this fund together in honour of her brother Ian, and that she has received so much support from the local community here in Colac. So, most importantly, I would like to thank Carol for all of her hard work in putting this scholarship together as well as anyone who has contributed to this fund in some way. I would also like to thank everyone at Australian Rotary Health for their involvement in making this possible. Thank you also to Michael Berk, and Sue Lauder (who unfortunately couldn’t be here tonight) for supporting me throughout the last 4 years that I’ve been working with them.
The program I am working on is called MoodSwings, and it’s an online self-help program for bipolar disorder. I’ve worked on the program since 2009, first as a volunteer. I was in my final year of my psychology degree when Sue was a guest lecturer for one of my classes. She came to speak about bipolar disorder and online treatment options. At the time she was co-ordinating the first ever trial of the MoodSwings program and it was the first time I had ever heard of online self-help programs for mental illness. I found at all very interesting and offered to work with her as a volunteer. Once I finished my degree, I ended up studying the MoodSwings program for my honours project. During this time I conducted a pilot study on an updated version of the website and took a much more serious interest in online interventions and bipolar research. Following my honours year, I was employed as a research assistant on the program and worked for over a year in re-developing the program in collaboration with Stanford University in the United States. Now, here in 2013 I get to see this project through as a PhD student.
Previous research into online programs has shown that they can produce similar results to face to face treatments, so they have the potential to be viable alternatives for people who are unable to access more traditional therapy programs. Online options for treatment in mental illness are extremely important, especially for those in rural and regional communities who would otherwise need to travel long distances to seek help. Growing up in a small community on the Bellarine Peninsula, I didn’t know what mental illness was until I was a teenager. I grew up in Portarlington, where there was no psychologist, no psychiatrist and as far as I’m aware this is still the case. People don’t talk about mental illness or therapy, and to get access to therapeutic services you would need to travel into Geelong, which for some people just isn’t feasible. The MoodSwings program helps to break down some of those barriers to access, which is particularly important for those in rural and regional areas.
Bipolar disorder effects up to 5% of the population, yet the MoodSwings program is one of the only online interventions designed for bipolar disorder, so continued research into improving the program and looking at what aspects of the program people benefit most from is extremely important. My PhD project focuses specifically on the use of online discussion groups within the MoodSwings program. These online discussion groups allow our participants to post messages to each other under the supervision of our research staff. These groups are intended to provide an outlet for people to seek or offer advice, to share stories and experiences, or to simply have a place to communicate with others, as perceived social support is often lacking for people with mental illness.
Research into the use of online discussion groups in bipolar disorder is practically non-existent. Looking further into this area could create new options for people seeking help, and especially those seeking social support, as the results of this research could support the use of openly available discussion groups for those with bipolar disorder.
Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner
Guest Speaker: Professor Michael Berk
Department and Institute of Research: School of Medicine, Deakin University
Academic Qualifications: MBBCh, MMed[Psych] Cum Laude, PhD, FRANZCP
Bipolar affects the brightest people disproportionally.
There are currently 10-15,000 people in Geelong with the illness and it has far reaching effects on their families and the wider community. Mental health is the major cause of disability in the community. Rotary Health has made an important contribution to making Australia a world leader in research and treatment.
THANK YOU:
On behalf of the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund and Australian Rotary Health I wish to convey my sincerest appreciation to Mayor Lyn Russel of Colac Otway Shire for hosting the Civic Reception Presentation for the Emma Gliddon Inaugural PhD Scholarship Winner of Bipolar Research for Australia. My thanks also are extended to CEO Rob Small of Colac Otway Shire and all Colac Otway Shire Councillors who attended this event. All support given leading up to and during this very special event for the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund and Australia Rotary Health was so much appreciated.
The Civic Reception Presentation was followed by a Rotary Club of Colac West Dinner. On behalf of the Ian Parker Bipolar Fund and Australian Rotary Health I wish to convey my sincerest appreciation to President Maurie Oates, Guest Speakers; Annie Prideaux, Emma Gliddon, Professor Michael Berk, to my lovely group of loyal volunteers, my wonderful husband and family and to all who attended this very special evening. All support was gratefully received and very much appreciated.
Thank you
Carol Smit
Carol Smit and Australian Rotary Health Partnership
Supporting healthier minds, bodies and communities through research, awareness and education
About Carol Smit as a Rotarian
Carol Smit was elected to Rotarian Membership of the Rotary Club of Colac West
Tuesday, 23rd October 2012
The Magic of Rotary is that it allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things”
Rotary has been in Colac for 78 years. Rotary supports projects where people are in need, both at a local and global level.
Rotary delivers many programs for students and young people that support both their personal and professional development, through leadership programs and scholarships that take them to other places in the world.
Rotary is about making the world a better place by combating poverty, promoting health and working for peace.
