Australian Rotary Health

A legacy of research. For nearly five decades, Australian Rotary Health has driven transformative health outcomes by funding vital research and empowering future leaders, now placing early childhood mental health at the forefront of its national impact.

Australian Rotary Health (ARH) has been working diligently to improve the health of Australians through research funding for almost 50 years. ARH plays a unique role within Rotary South Pacific’s multi-district initiatives: connecting universities, medical researchers and scholarship recipients, it directs significant funding to support study in priority areas identified by the Board. It also assists in areas of emerging need, such as the support of rural and Indigenous students.

Inspired by Rotarian Ian Scott’s fundraising efforts to help reduce cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), ARH’s success in this field led to an initial cyclical pattern, identifying new issues every three years and funding the necessary scientific scholarships to combat each new focus. Through this system, ARH has made significant impact in multiple health-related arenas.

ARH’S current focus is on early childhood mental health. In the late 1990s, current Honorary Medical Advisor Emeritus Professor Michael Sawyer OAM, was concerned that mental health wasn’t receiving the attention it needed as a serious academic field. It also carried a social stigma that prevented people from reaching out.

Michael’s recommendation was accepted by the ARH Board and has continued ever since in various forms, covering the elderly, vulnerable and most recently infants and children. ARH is now the biggest non-government funder of mental health research in Australia.

“PhD students and post-doctoral fellows now occupy senior teaching, research and service positions in health institutions [nationwide],” said Michael. “The skills and training that these individuals bring to their positions would simply not exist if they had not received support from ARH.”

Support for ARH can take the form of a flexible array of do-it-yourself fundraisers for individual clubs as well as wider inter-club events. In encouraging fun, participatory activity, supporting events carry the double benefit of raising money for research and reducing the socially unapproachable nature of mental health.

Australia’s national Mental Health Day is 10 October, but any club can organise an ARH ‘Lift the Lid’ fundraiser on any day of the year. District 9780, for example, organised a large-scale Lift the Lid event in October 2022, posting that “there is no greater problem currently facing our society. If we are to help future generations of young Australians, we need to do something now.”

Apart from hosting an array of Lift the Lid fundraising events – which could include hosting one of ARH’s popular Lift the Lid community walk events – clubs can simply make a direct donation to the Lift the Lid campaign. To date, over two million dollars has been raised through the Lift the Lid campaign.

In 2026, under the guidance of new CEO Yvonne Keane AM, ARH enters an exciting new chapter. A strategic review is under way to refresh the brand, strengthen recognition and elevate awareness of its importance. This will include user-friendly digital fundraising and event toolkits, alongside supporting collateral and merchandise to better equip Rotary clubs and communities.

“We have an extraordinary foundation to build from,” Yvonne says. “I’m excited about what lies ahead, and making it easier than ever for people to be part of this impact.”

She emphasises that research funding is a vital aspect of service.

What matters most is not just what we fund today – it’s the future we help create. The people we support go on to lead, teach and transform systems of care, with that early investment now shaping lives, communities and the future of mental health care across Australia.”

• If you would like to support ARH, visit australianrotaryhealth.org.au
• For more information on Lift the Lid, visit liftthelidonmentalillness.com.au
• Find your nearest Walk for Mental Health, visit liftthelidwalk.com.au/event-locations