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Everyone Enjoyed the 40th Anniversary Celebration |
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Much planning went into the celebrations of our 40th Anniversary on May 5. Our office is situated in an historic area of Sydney and there are many historic buildings which have played an important role in Australians history – so the day began with a tour organised by the Parramatta Historical Society which covered a number of sites including Elizabeth Farm home of the McCarthar family. The tour ended at Old Government House and lunch had been organised at Lachlan’s Restaurant, in the grounds there.
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During a delightful lunch we heard from a number of speakers including Ken Simpson, Life Member and past Board Member who recounted stories from the early days of the Foundation & a number of colourful popularities associated with the Foundation. |
| Ruth Robertson, an Alison Watson Memorial Award recipient from 1997 spoke about her life with Rheumatoid Arthritis and how the award she received was an important part of her achieving her teaching qualifications from Wollongong University. |
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The last speaker at the lunch was Mabs Powderly, the chair of our Wagga Wagga branch who described the challenges she has met in her role at a diverse country branch & how it has changed her life. |
After the lunch we transitioned into a medical seminar and the first speaker was well known Westmead Rheumatologist & former board member Dr Graydon Howe who presented a fascinating & entertaining look at the changes in the treatment of arthritis through the ages.
Assoc. Prof Nick Manolios followed with a passionate talk about the research he is involved with in his research unit at Westmead, particularly looking at innovative drug delivery systems.
Everyone agreed that the day had been enjoyable and it was great that many branch members supported it, a bus load even coming from Warilla/Shellharbour.
Our evening Dinner Reception was held at the Sebel Hotel, Parramatta. Guests began arriving at 6.30pm with background music by the sextet Transmission. Our President, David Riches acted as MC for the evening & welcomed nearly 100 guests to the celebration.
| One of the highlights of the evening was the launch of our new website by director Diana Aspinall, who chaired the committee responsible for this extremely complex job. |
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One of our recent past presidents, John McGregor AM spoke about the early days of the charity & the struggle for funds & recognition by the community, as well as donors.
After John spoke the current President, David Riches presented him with the Foundation’s highest honour, the Golden Hip Award, recognising John’s incredible contribution to the Foundation over more than 20 years. |
| The keynote speaker Dr Chris Needs, current state president of the ARA, spoke about treatment and new approaches to support people with arthritis – a thought provoking speech enjoyed by all. |
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The day of celebration ended about 10pm with many tired but happy people still discussing highlights of the day. Arthritis NSW appreciated all those who travelled distances to help us celebrate & to Jacqui MacDowell who organised all the activities.
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