ROTARY OF PERTH PRESIDENT UPDATE - 31ST OCTOBER 2017
If you were one of the many members, guests, skippers, and/or hosts who joined us for our annual Blessing of the Fleet on Monday evening, I think you will agree that once again, fellowship team along with our gang of inspired boating enthusiasts did a superb job. The numbers of attendees and the diversity of backgrounds from which they came added to the comradery on the night. From having the Rotary Club of Heirisson join in with a boatful of their members, to our young Rotaractors with guests in attendance, to members we haven’t seen for some time, to having some of our newest members join in, it was great to take the opportunity to spend some time outside of our busy routines. A huge vote of thanks to our skippers who donated their time and their pleasure craft for the event.
This week, we’ve got a very special speaker organised to provide our club with an update.
Two years ago, almost to the day, we launched our Reflections Project. “Reflections Through Reality” is a not-for-profit organisation which promoting medical research into a cure for mesothelioma, a terminal cancer associated with asbestos exposure. We know only too well the impact of this insidious disease.
This Friday we welcome Dr. Willem (Joost) Lesterhuis back to our club to provide us with an update on his medical research. Yoost is a Research Fellow with the School of Biomedical Sciences and the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) at the University of Western Australia. Joost works in collaboration with Professor Bruce Robinson AM at UWA and has a background as a dual-trained medical oncologist and basic researcher in immunology and cancer biology. Joost’s research focuses on mesothelioma.
Joost will discuss new treatments that unleash the immune system against cancer, which are giving promising results in some patients with mesothelioma and other cancers, but unfortunately not in everyone unfortunately. Joost will focus on some of the research being undertaken at NCARD that aims to improve the effects of those treatments and will also talk to us about a machine they need to assist with their vital research.