Projects of the Rotary Club of Wynyard.

Music Hall 1972 to 2009

The Music Hall Story......more......

Tasmanian Rural Health Week

Wynyard Rotary is becoming known locally as a significant contributor to the promotion of rural health. The Club recently won the Tasmanian Rural Health Week Group Award for 2009 in recognition of many years of initiatives, including the introduction of Bowelscan into Tasmania, Mental Health Forums and Scholarships to encourage medical students to study rural health at the UTAS*,Burnie Campus, Rural Clinical School. A new project this year, Pit Stop, came as a result of a very successful partnership with the Waratah-Wynyard Council, Tasmanian Department of Health and Aging, and Wynyard Rotary. "Pit Stop" is aimed mostly at men and uses the analogy between maintaining their vehicle and their own body, both requiring regular check-ups and servicing for optimum performance. In the publicity it uses expressions like - "If you were a car- would you be a "hot rod" or a "clapped out bomb???" It is designed to attract the sort of people who don't visit their GP regularly and is held in a non-threatening venue, like a Community Centre, close to a main highway, to minimise time lost from employment.
Work stations are set up using titles such as Oil Pressure (blood pressure) and Head Gasket (stress test) and Extractor (bowel cancer) and people move around the stations having plenty of time to talk about their concerns and receive valuable information. The local Council sent out letters to all the nearby employers and households informing them of the event and the Department of Health organised a team of health professionals to provide the health assessments. Rotary used their own channels to promote attendance, including publicity in the local newspaper and the local ABC Country Hour journalist, Eliza Wood. She did some live interviews and also recorded more to go out the next day and was so impressed she stayed on to have her own health checked! A healthy lunch was provided free of charge to participants and was prepared as a fund-raiser for the Myalla community where the event was held. Members of Rotary were on hand to welcome visitors and serve the refreshments. The results were very encouraging and while the numbers may seem low, they were double the previous Pit Stop event in a neighbouring community (not supported by Rotary). Of the 25 assessments, 18 were male and 7 female. 8 people had borderline blood pressure and 3 smokers were encouraged to quit. There may well be longer term benefits and the ripple effect from the publicity make it a very worthwhile exercise.
A grant was obtained from the University of Tasmania's Rural Health Department to cover expenses so the only cost to Rotary was the time of the small project team involved.
*UTAS - University of Tasmanian

Pictured below: Representatives of Wynyard Rotary Club receiving the
Rural Health Week Group Award 2009 from Professor Judy Walker, UTAS RCS.

Local identity with the WOW factor receives unexpected recognition!

The Wynyard Rotary Club has awarded Richard Muir-Wilson, Community Development Officer with the Waratah-Wynyard Council, its Vocational Services award for 2009. Richard was lured to the Wonders of Wynyard (WOW) Information Centre under the pretext of discussing a new exhibit.

Imagine his surprise when a number of Wynyard Rotarians sprang out from behind a screen! Well known for his quiet and unassuming nature, Richard was momentarily speechless, which allowed Janet Sell, Vocational Services chairman, Wynyard Rotary, to explain why he had been chosen for this prestigious award.

Richard's job title is Community Development Officer, which is a very broad description but very apt in Richard's case as he really does seem to be involved in everything! It is hard to know where the job ends and his personal interests and hobbies start - and perhaps that is why he does the job so well.

Richard is regarded as a great communicator with all ages and groups of people, from children at the Child Care Centres, to teenage skateboarders, the business community, sporting groups, the artistic set and to senior citizens.

He is genuinely passionate about our community and goes well beyond what his job description entails. Behind his quiet ways, he has a maze of talent and knowledge and is always open to new ideas and innovations. While it is difficult to measure his value in commercial terms, there is no question that by developing and maintaining so many diverse community facilities in this area, he has helped to attract newcomers and retain long-standing residents. We are very fortunate to have someone of Richard's calibre and vocational commitment in Wynyard!