Liquid Gold: A night of culture, community and commitment

The Liquid Gold Polio Dinner united the Swan 2 Surf Rotary Community Group and wider WA community for a powerful night of culture, storytelling and commitment to ending polio.

Members of the Swan 2 Surf Rotary Community Group 2 came together at the Royal Perth Golf Club, WA, in October to raise funds for the End Polio Now initiative. The Liquid Gold Polio Dinner was a resounding success, bringing together the community for an evening focused on service, cultural understanding and the fight against polio.

The evening was opened by Noongar Elder Sharon Wood-Kenney, who delivered a culturally sensitive and educational Welcome to Country. Sharon paid respect to the wisdom of First Nations Elders past and present and acknowledged the traditional lands and language groups of Australia. Her extensive background as an Aboriginal Community Engagement Architect and the founder/chair of Djinda Bridiya Wellbeing set a reflective and respectful tone for the night.

This adaptation of Joan London’s celebrated novel is set in a 1950s Perth children’s convalescent home during the polio epidemic, linking a poignant piece of post-war history directly to the urgency of Rotary’s ongoing eradication efforts.”

Rotary’s ongoing commitment to polio eradication was powerfully highlighted with a toast to Rotary International, given by polio survivor and Rotarian Merilyn Adamson. Merilyn offered a moving acknowledgment to Rotary’s tremendous global work for the world’s children. Responding to Merilyn’s toast on behalf of Rotary International, PDG Geoff Simpson OAM spoke passionately, detailing the continued fundraising efforts required to finish the fight against polio. Funds raised at the event will support Rotary’s End Polio Now Campaign, helping to eradicate polio in the final two endemic countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Guest speaker for the night was Renee Kennedy, an award-winning Australian film producer and writer based in Fremantle. As the founder and managing director of Metamorflix, Renee is passionate about creating original factual and documentary content that focuses on humanity, transformation and legacy. Renee’s talk provided a compelling connection to Rotary’s mission, discussing her current feature film project, The Golden Age. This adaptation of Joan London’s celebrated novel is set in a 1950s Perth children’s convalescent home during the polio epidemic, linking a poignant piece of post-war history directly to the urgency of Rotary’s ongoing eradication efforts.

Merilyn then shared that she was a patient at the Golden Age convalescent home, aged four and a half. Merilyn had mixed memories of that time, being away from her parents and not really understanding why she could not see them. Her memories really brought the polio story to life.

To finish the evening on a high, the Rotary Club of Heirisson, WA, on behalf of the Homeless Hub, honoured Rotarian Judith Pinczuk with a Paul Harris Fellow for her instrumental support and financing of the Eye Contact Display at Parliament House Canberra. Judith’s efforts created significant positive conversation at the highest levels of government, powerfully highlighting the national housing crisis facing homeless Australians. It was a wonderful opportunity to thank Judith for her many years of service, particularly with the Homeless Hub.