Sinclair Wilson Accountants & Advisors, Warrnambool, Mount Gambier, Hamilton and Camperdown

The Diabetes Resource Centre Inc (DRCI) is based in Warrnambool and primary has been established to provide support for those with Type 1 Diabetes and their families.  The DRCI also aims to educate the community about diabetes and therefore remove the popular misconceptions that exist and the related stigma that people may experience living with this condition.

Recently the DRCI wrote about Sinclair Wilson's involvement and in particular Felicity Melican's contribution to the founding of the organisation in their newsletter. Mylee Collins, who is a Board Member and the driver for the establishment of the organisation commented on Felicity's contribution to date by saying that "she is a great source of strength and I have regularly sought out her advice on numerous occasions."

Sinclair Wilson is proud of our involvement with organisations like the DRCI in Warrnambool. To find out more about the Diabetes Resource Centre Inc, please visit their website.

As a part of the Australian Red Cross's Blood Donor service, Sinclair Wilson is now part of their 'Club Red' corporate donor program. As a commitment to the local community, the Sinclair Wilson Partners and Staff understand the importance of this service so have committed to promoting blood donations in the Warrnambool office.

In the coming months we hope to extend the program to our other offices in Mount Gambier, Camperdown and Hamilton.  So far from the first few months running the program, we have had over 20 staff members donate, some of which it was their first time. 

If you would like more information about the Red Cross Blood Donation Service, please see their website at www.donateblood.com.au

The Board has appointed Bill Phillpot (a consultant to the Partnership at Sinclair Wilson) as the Chair of the SWH Warrnambool Base Hospital Capital Appeal Committee which has taken on the task of raising the $3.5 million needed to provide the necessary equipment to ensure the community has the most modern and technologically advanced health service in regional Australia.

He'll be ably assisted by committee members, Deputy Chair John Hunt, Mike Raselli, Dr Mike Page, SWH Board Directors Sharon Muldoon, Felicity Melican, Chris Logan and Steve Callaghan and Project Manager Deb Emmerson.

"We truly have a great health service here in Warrnambool that serves the entire South West region and we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure that it's equipped with the most modern technology regional Australia has ever seen," says Bill.

"We are obviously delighted the government has made such a significant investment in Warrnambool but there is always an expectation that the community helps to purchase equipment to complete the project."

The Capital Appeal Committee intends to call on major donors, philanthropic organisations and business to contribute to this compelling cause. The equipment the appeal will help pay for includes a $600,000 Intensive Care Unit central monitoring system and a $375,000 Special Care Nursery.

One of the largest accounting firms in regional Victoria has made the largest business donation to South West Healthcare's Warrnambool hospital for 2008. The $10,000 Intensive Care Unit defibrillator that Sinclair Wilson contributed $6,962.80 towards has arrived and is now in use.

ICU staff are thrilled with its capabilities which Sinclair Wilson partners Peter MacMillan and Felicity Melican got to witness up close and personal on a recent visit to the Intensive Care Unit (see photo below).

The much-needed defibrillator will help save lives by re-starting hearts that stop beating and by correcting dangerously irregular heartbeats. It can also act as a temporary pacemaker.

"Sinclair Wilson recognises the importance of South West Healthcare to our community", Peter told staff during his ICU tour. "'We congratulate them on their new building initiatives and are delighted to assist the expansion of their medical facilities with this contribution."

Other donors who contributed to the defibrillator appeal included the Warrnambool Charity Dance Committee, Willie Elings, Lorna Price, HM & NF Gilbert, Brigitte Benzing, the estate of Reverend Reg Peirce, S&J Burton and D&J Barr & family in memory of Andrew Green.

"We have received tremendous support for our 2008 fundraising initiatives," says SWH Community Partnerships Manager Suzan Morey.  "Without this assistance we would never have been able to purchase some of the medical equipment and aides our campuses were desperate to get hold of, or have been able to finance the vitally-needed redevelopment of the acute bathrooms at our Camperdown hospital."

Intensive Care Unit associate unit manager Joanne Brown shows Sinclair Wilson partners Peter MacMillan and Felicity Melican the $10,000 defibrillator they more than half paid for.