John Gibbs posted on December 08, 2010 11:34
SIR Clem Renouf born in Ingham (North Queensland) on April 19, 1921 became only the second Australian to be elected president of Rotary International in 1978
Inspired by the World Health Organisation’s eradication of smallpox, he came up with Rotary’s Health, Hunger and Humanity program that would initially see 6.3 million children immunised against polio in the Philippines at a cost of just $760,000.
Another offshoot of the project was providing free tetanus vaccines to 390,000 expectant mothers. Suddenly Sir Clem realised there was a real power for good in the form of the ready-made Rotary network spanning the globe.
“A lot of people say I spearheaded the eradication of polio campaign, but that’s not right. I just happened to know the right person to talk to,” Sir Clem said.
The “right person” was Rotary district governor Dr John Sever, who was head of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Health in Washington DC.
Sir Clem put the question to him – was there another disease that could be eliminated?
He pinpointed polio, which was crippling 1000 people every day while an oral vaccine could be given for about 10 cents a dose.
“I had no idea where that simple question would lead us – others would build on it, none more so than John Sever whose commitment to the goal of eradication has not wavered for more than 30 years,” Sir Clem said.
Sir Clem has been to India and other polio hotspots and helped give the oral doses, which WHO officials were not interested in when he and Rotary first offered to help.
“I guess they didn’t really think a non-government organisation should get involved, but they didn’t have our network,” he says.
“After they saw the effectiveness of our campaign in Central and South America, they came to us and asked us to work with them.”
Sir Clem said one story that hasn’t left him was the time his Rotary International successor was giving a dose to a girl when a boy crippled by polio said “thanks Rotary – that is my sister”.
“I couldn’t help thinking why we couldn’t have started sooner to spare victims like that boy.
“None of this could happen if people did not get together around tables on Tuesday nights at Rotary meetings.”
“I used to say it would be eradicated in the next few years, but it gets harder the closer you get. But I intend to die in a polio-free world.”
The above is an extract from;
www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/02/21/how-one-mans-vision-could-eradicate-polio/
An inspirational history of Sir Clem is then available as per the following link;
www.rotary9790.org.au/info/ftp/clem_renouf_history.pdf