Rotary – End of Polio Event

The Governor was in attendance to deliver the keynote address at the Rotary – End of Polio Event.

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Their goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, they have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

“There is rarely a purpose that I have taken up as Governor that has involved a subject matter which has so impacted upon me personally. As we look at the pandemic around us, I have seen so often references to the last time we confronted anything quite so threatening.

It was back at a point of time in 1953/54, I got polio. I recollect all the circumstances of it very well and I appreciate the fact that a lot of people came to help me recover, including Sir Donald Bradman who corresponded with my father on the subject, having nursed a polio-stricken son of his own alongside Lady Bradman.”

“It is fundamentally important to eliminate polio, not only because of its various dramatic effects. It is also an important exemplar for how we treat pandemics now and in the future. I congratulate Rotarians both local and throughout the globe for your extraordinary achievement. I also extend to you my sincere appreciation for your years of service.

As we look to our current health challenges, and those within our future, let us keep in mind the words of Dr Jonas Salk, creator of the polio virus vaccine, “Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors”

The Governor

The Governor is proud to be patron of Rotary International District 9455 and Rotary International District 9465.

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