The Rotary Club of Eltham adopted the EndTrachoma toiletry kits project as a Covid Safe activity in the lead-up to NAIDOC week 2020. PP Kevin Hadingham encouraged members to participate. We had Dr Jim Poulter guest speaker to the club on the subject of "Marn Grook", the tribal aboriginal game which was a pre-cursor to Australian Rules football and some club members also subsequently accessed the online screening of "Homeland Story"
Some members purchased their own toiletries, whilst others wanted to support the project, but without doing the shopping exercise! P.E. Sally Squires offered to do some bulk buying and those members made a payment to cover the toiletries, bags and estimated shipping costs. Sally sacrificed her lounge and dining rooms for a while to sort the kit components.
The sewing production team of Chris Field, Ann Lynch and Irene Cant rolled out 35 toiletry bags in one day!
Jan Aitken of the NRG (Nillumbik Reconciliation Group) and C.A.V.E. (Community and Volunteers of Eltham) delivered 15 completed toiletry kits. A great contribution, with every bag a different colour and pattern. This coincided with Irene delivering her contribution to Kevin's place.
The iron-on Rotary labels duly arrived in the mail and Ann ironed them onto the 50 bags without any burns or bubbles in the process!
All that was left then was to transfer Sally's contents packs into the completed and badged bags. Ann again led the charge one Saturday evening with the help of Brenda Ibels, Jill Ramsay and some bubbly to add sparkle to the process!
Kevin's garage then became the holding bay for the bags, while he arranged the final step of transport to Alice Springs.
The 50 kits were packed into 4 x 100 litre HD Bunnings containers, providing protection in transport and handy storage containers for subsequent use by the school. A good quote was obtained from Pack and Send, Eltham. They offer excellent service and have given us great support with a significant discount on the transport and warranty costs. The kits will arrive at the Education Stores office in Alice Springs (as instructed) when staff are back on deck after 18 January 2021. They will subsequently be forwarded to the Harts Range School (Atitijere).
Some members purchased their own toiletries, whilst others wanted to support the project, but without doing the shopping exercise! P.E. Sally Squires offered to do some bulk buying and those members made a payment to cover the toiletries, bags and estimated shipping costs. Sally sacrificed her lounge and dining rooms for a while to sort the kit components.
The sewing production team of Chris Field, Ann Lynch and Irene Cant rolled out 35 toiletry bags in one day!
Jan Aitken of the NRG (Nillumbik Reconciliation Group) and C.A.V.E. (Community and Volunteers of Eltham) delivered 15 completed toiletry kits. A great contribution, with every bag a different colour and pattern. This coincided with Irene delivering her contribution to Kevin's place.
The iron-on Rotary labels duly arrived in the mail and Ann ironed them onto the 50 bags without any burns or bubbles in the process!
All that was left then was to transfer Sally's contents packs into the completed and badged bags. Ann again led the charge one Saturday evening with the help of Brenda Ibels, Jill Ramsay and some bubbly to add sparkle to the process!
Kevin's garage then became the holding bay for the bags, while he arranged the final step of transport to Alice Springs.
The 50 kits were packed into 4 x 100 litre HD Bunnings containers, providing protection in transport and handy storage containers for subsequent use by the school. A good quote was obtained from Pack and Send, Eltham. They offer excellent service and have given us great support with a significant discount on the transport and warranty costs. The kits will arrive at the Education Stores office in Alice Springs (as instructed) when staff are back on deck after 18 January 2021. They will subsequently be forwarded to the Harts Range School (Atitijere).
