2020 Members Update | 1 CEO’S Report Activity Review
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the national charity for organ make donation and transplantation themost oflife! ✓ Living with a Transplant ✓ Australian Transplant Games ✓ Getting Active ✓ Fit for Life! ✓ Your ✓ Promoting voice to Organ Donation Government ✓ Celebrating 2020 ✓ Social Support Members ✓ Networking ✓ Phone Advice Update Chairman’s Report This year we have moved to a videos about How to Stay Healthy emanated out of Royal North Shore Members Update as opposed during the Corona Virus Pandemic. Hospital. We are very excited by to an Annual General Meeting in this work. Matty Hempstalk has also been Our line with our obligations to the Vision working hard to connect our As our nation emerges from Australian Charity and Not For community through social media COVD-19 there will need to be Profit Commission. Committed to promoting and both Matty and Julie Edwards significant focus on re-engaging No matter the forum, the underlying take many calls from recipients with the public about donation. organ donation and message is one of concern for our needing help, advice or just Donation numbers are significantly members across Australia during someone to chat with or to ask down this year. We will need all this unprecedented COVID-19 questions. Governments, both State and improving the quality of life Pandemic. Federal, to recommit their energies This advice is part of our ongoing and focus to helping Australia to For the general population this core assistance to the nation’s of all Australians on their get back on track. interruption to our daily lives is transplant recipients. It is almost transplant journey. unprecedented. Lockdowns, home a ‘silent’ or ‘hidden’ undertaking Transplant Australia, with our schooling, difficulties with work and that gets no acknowledgement advocacy and communication restricted opportunities for physical and certainly no funding. But it is skills, with the leadership of our activity and sport, it is a strange crucial to helping people along their CEO, Chris Thomas, and the time we live in. transplant journey. support of the whole Board is ideally placed to underline this But it is also worth acknowledging We are fortunate to have Matty work. the resilience of transplant Hempstalk, a two-time kidney recipients who, for the majority, recipient, as our Membership and Yes, we too are facing some would be very familiar with such Sports Administrator. He has an challenges. However we have a type of interruptions. understanding that cannot be committed staff in Chris, Ian Atkin learned, it must be lived. Equally our very professional Finances The journey of waiting for a Julie Edwards as our Office and Consultant, Julie, Matty and the transplant is different for every Donor Support Manager, provides support of Vivienne Lee , a kidney individual but I imagine the a valuable insight from her own life transplant recipient, who is helping challenges the general population as a living donor. She takes regular with fundraising and administration. are facing look very similar to calls each week from people We have also been joined by the lives of anyone waiting for a considering living donation and can Kristen Finnigan who is helping to transplant. Interruptions to careers, share with them her own real-life keep our Games’ dreams alive. challenges with finances, restricted experience. to home, I can’t really begin to We look forward to emerging on appreciate the very personal There is much more than can be the other side of this pandemic. difficulties our members faced. done to promote living donation In the meantime know our team in Australia. If you like it has been is here to help you and everyone And so if there is one group of the missing ingredient in the reform affected by organ donation and the population that knows how of organ donation and is still very transplantation. to navigate through these times, I much hospital or transplant unit imagine it is our members. based. I am pleased Transplant Australia Jason Ryan Transplant Australia has recently has been at the forefront of trying taken under its wing the Living Chairman to make that journey somewhat Kidney Donor Program which easier with the release of a series of 2020 Members Update | 1 CEO’s Report Activity Review This Members Review covers the opportunity to connect with to celebrate the gift of life through World Transplant Transport: period of January 2019 through our membership and see the at this time. Transfers to and from the Airport & to June, 2020. And what a successful of the WA Committee. We remain committed to staging Games Train Station were excellent. contrasting period of time. It is a team effort no doubt but led the Games in Launceston, brilliantly by Julie. Newcastle The metro, train & buses were The year was punctuated by the Tasmania, and are very thankful of used to get to most of the sporting Accreditations Australian Team’s participation In my capacity as President of the support we continue to receive events, which seemed to work very Gateshead were much better in the World Transplant Games, the World Transplant Games from the Organ & Tissue Authority well. Newcastle, heralded as one Federation I attended the World and Events Tasmania. than Malaga 2017. England 2019 Pick- ups at accommodation of the most professionally run Winter Transplant Games in Banff, Team Managers had Team We also continue to develop were used for Golf, Ten Pin games, particularly from the sports Canada. Arriving home in early Team Manager Report: Manager on their accreditation our capacity to deliver the World Bowling, Cultural Evening and Gala management point of year. February, the world changed. Margaret Hill which made it possible to gain Transplant Games in Western Celebration. There were brilliant performances Between February and June (and Australia in 2023 and look forward These games were second that access to sporting events. I represented Australia as Team The LOC should be congratulated from two juniors at the Games – through to September when this to providing members with an Functions: Manager. the transport. Dana Carroll with five gold and report was compiled) our role has update on those plans. Thank you to Transplant Australia Jemma Neilson, three gold. And been two-fold – to support our Pre-Games Organisation: Accommodation: for sponsoring the Australian Team three adults – Michelle Daley (five members through the COVDI-19 The pre games registration was These games were the first that welcome dinner, a great night was gold), Robert Kirkbride (one gold) Pandemic and to navigate through Chris Thomas very good. there was a choice with the had by all. The joint Flag Bearers and Ross Minichilli (four gold). Ross the pandemic to ensure the CEO registration system. were named – Josh Yates & Nigel Ordering uniforms through the was a wonderful new addition to ongoing viability of Transplant Goldsworthy. the team. Australia. online shop seemed to work well. That being Accreditation only, University, Standard Hotel, The Opening Ceremony, Cultural Overall Australia ranked ninth out I am pleased with the work to Uniforms were received in plenty of 4* Hotel, Family Self Catering Night and Gala Dinner were of 43 countries. help recipients in their journey time to be posted out, I only had to Apartments. enjoyed by all. The Opening & and we continue to develop tools take a few items with me. Transplant Australia continued Gala Ceremonies were good as to complement the Living with a The Australian Team chose the to develop our Living with a Working with Ian Atkin on the the speeches were not as long, Transplant Program. following: Transplant resource last year and financial side worked well. as at previous games. The food Accreditation Only: 5 this is available online at transplant. What has been more challenging is I think having Julie, Matty, was a problem i.e. At the opening ceremony the ques were very long org.au. keeping the Australian Transplant Ian and myself working University: 24 Games alive. A significant portion for the food trucks and at the Gala We also had a full football calendar together worked well. of our income is derived from Standard Hotel: 42 there was not enough food. while our State Committees sponsorships associated with the Travel: held many events to engage our 4* Hotel: 3 Sporting Events: Transplant Games yet as we report This year the Team members. to the members the games have did not travel Family Self-Catering Overall the sporting events were I was privileged to be invited by been postponed from 2020 right together. Apartments: 14 run very well. Julie Edmonds, our WA State through to 2022. We continue It was agreed that These options were good and Darts - There was a problem Committee Chair, to participate to monitor the situation but it is everyone would made it more affordable, some with only having 8 dart boards, it in the WA Family Getaway in the just simply not possible to bring do their own travel members commented that they was not enough. I had to pull our Margaret River. It was a wonderful transplant recipients together safely arrangements. missed the Team staying together. triple team out of the competition as it was 7pm and the singles The main reason for this Registration: had not finished. They had been was the cost, as now Registration was up to the there most of the day and had no you can purchase Airline individual. This worked quite medication with them that they tickets online it works out a well and was well organised on needed to take. lot cheaper than going through registration days. a travel agent. 2 | 2020 Members Update 2020 Members Update | 3 Activity Review - continued Activity Review - continued Swimming - A 9am start would Esther Scott (1) Summary: this year from August 30th to have been better than a 10am and September 5th.