Patrons
There are many people who contribute to the success of Operation Cleft.

Bangladesh Patron, Mr Asif Moyeen, Managing Director, Far East Knitting and Dying Industries Ltd
The Operation Cleft Australia Foundation Trust is managed by a committee of nine Rotarians, the majority of whom are from the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central.
There is one full-time staff member in Bangladesh who takes care of in-country administration and one part-time Fundraising Officer in Australia, who with the support of a team of volunteers, manages the project from our Melbourne office.
We also have a team of Operation Cleft Ambassadors at various locations throughout Australia and overseas who promote the project in their districts.
These are the people who administer and promote the project but without the surgical team in Bangladesh who perform the surgery, and the hospitals at which they operate, there would be no project.
Each of these groups make a valuable contribution towards ensuring the growth and sustainability of Operation Cleft.
Committee of Management
Committee of Management
Operation Cleft is a project of the Rotary Club of Box Hill Central (District 9810) and is administered by the Operation Cleft Australia Foundation Trust.
The trust is administered by a management committee.

Bruce McEwen
Committee Chair

Geoff Limmer
Assistant Chairman

Kath Ronan
Secretary

David Routledge
Treasurer

Kevin Dobson
Committee member
Ambassador Coordinator

Olive Aumann
Committee member

Ashley Coleman-Bock
Committee member

Andy Shaw
Committee member

Janine Scott
Committee member
Ambassadors
Ambassadors
Our Ambassadors are very important members of the Operation Cleft team. Ideally, we would like to have at least one Operation Cleft representative in each Rotary District in Australia (in some cases two, depending on the size of the district).
These babies need our help and the only way we can help them is if you help us raise awareness of Operation Cleft and the essential funds needed to provide this life-changing surgery.
If there is no Ambassador in your area, please consider taking on this role yourself or nominating someone you feel would love to get involved with this unique Rotary project. You can help us make a huge difference to these children.
How do I become an Operation Cleft Ambassador?
You can become an official Ambassador by completing an application form and submitting your information to the Operation Cleft office either by email to ambassadors@operationcleft.org.au or by mail to PO Box 631, Box Hill Vic. 3128. Once your application/nomination is approved by the management committee, you will be sent an Ambassador Kit which includes current marketing materials – posters, brochures, newsletters etc.
If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador, please email to request an application form to complete and email back to us.
If you would like to hear more about Operation Cleft, our Ambassadors will be happy to have a chat to you and some are available to speak to your club/group about the project. Please check the list below to see if you have a local Ambassador in your area.
Name |
Suburb |
State |
Contact |
Email |
Rotary Club |
District |
Gail Freeman |
Kingston |
ACT |
02 6295 2844 |
gail@gailfreeman.com.au |
Canberra South |
9710 |
Peter Lee |
Wodonga |
NSW |
0409 956 251 |
petjam42@gmail.com |
Albury-Hume |
9790 |
Bruce deGraaf |
Naremburn |
NSW |
0411 130 000 |
bdegraaf@optusnet.com.au |
Crows Nest |
9675 |
Patti Berrigan |
Wauchope |
NSW |
0409 079 745 |
patti.mach@bigpond.com |
Wauchope |
9650 |
Paul Pollett |
Pappinbarra |
NSW |
0419 424 575 |
suzanne_pollett@hotmail.com |
Wauchope |
9650 |
Cath Lyndon |
Cooroy |
QLD |
07 5472 0114 |
nhsclinic@bigpond.com |
Cooroy |
9600 |
Lawrie Beacham |
Hervey Bay |
QLD |
0419 700 350 |
ljb@j-p-r.com |
Hervey Bay |
9570 |
Jim Wright |
Mt Pleasant |
QLD |
07 4952 4799 |
jimwrig@bigpond.com |
Mackay |
9570 |
Susan Morrison |
Gold Coast |
QLD |
0439 800 185 |
susan.morrison@scu.edu.au |
Rockhampton |
9570 |
Elizabeth Briggs |
Lyndoch |
SA |
08 8524 5691 |
knhc.pimpala@gmail.com |
Gawler |
9500 |
Judy Shipp |
Hove |
SA |
0418 814 080 |
shipppj@bigpond.net.au |
Holdfast Bay |
9520 |
Jeff Cluse |
Blair Athol |
SA |
0417 573 696 |
jakcs1@bigpond.com |
Walkerville |
9500 |
Janne Spiers |
Traralgon |
VIC |
03 5160 9001 |
janespiers@gmail.com |
Traralgon |
9820 |
Dr Lisa So |
Happy Valley |
HK |
|
DrLisaSo@netvigator.com |
|
|
Rtn. Faiyaz Khan |
Bangladesh |
|
|
faiyaz@fareastknit.com |
|
|
Vici Funnel |
Geelong |
VIC |
0418 502 869 |
v.funnell@bigpond.com |
Kardinia |
9780 |
Rosemary Guyatt |
Woodend |
VIC |
0412 641 281 |
rosemaryguyatt@gmail.com |
Woodend |
9800 |
Moinul Islam |
Darwin |
NT |
0444 583 501 |
link2moinul@gmail.com |
Darwin |
9550 |
If there is not an Ambassador located near you, or you would like to
Book A Speaker, please contact our Ambassador Co-ordinator by email:
ambassadors@operationcleft.org.au
In-Country Team
In-Country Team
After due consideration, the Operation Cleft Management Committee decided that effective July 1, 2015 Operation Cleft would be split into two major components; one being surgical and the other, speech therapy. The surgical program will continue with our team of Bangladeshi plastic surgeons completing around 1,000 operations annually. The Operation Cleft surgical program is implemented in Bangladesh by our in-country partner, the Glencoe Foundation Bangladesh. The Glencoe Foundation Bangladesh was established in Bangladesh in 2010 by Colin Macfarlane AM as an international NGO to run “Walk for Life”, the club foot correction program using the Ponseti method which was developed at the University of Iowa by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti, M.D.
Many will know Colin as he was also a founder of Operation Cleft and has always maintained his passion for this unique project that has such a huge impact on children’s lives. Colin and the team at Glencoe Foundation have injected new enthusiasm and vitality into the program.
Discussions have been entered into with CDD in regard to a speech therapy program.

Colin Macfarlane AM
Founder, Operation Cleft
& The Glencoe Foundation

Hero Clement Gomes
Accounts Officer

Md. Moinul Islam
In country Project Manager,
Operation Cleft

Liton Rozarrio
HR & Admin Officer

Md. Zanahgir Alam
Country Director

Moin Uddin Khaled
Chy IT & Communications
Officer
Surgeons
Surgeons
To ensure sustainability, training is a very important component of Operation Cleft because although there are many hospitals in Bangladesh, there are very few qualified plastic surgeons. Our team of surgeons regularly perform their operations at “mini camps”. They consult at hospitals where there is no resident plastic surgeon and perform cleft repair surgery for 2 – 3 days. This is a unique training opportunity for resident surgeons and trainee plastic surgeons (registrars) to learn. The objectives of the training programme are to build on the strength of trainees and develop high level competencies in plastic and reconstructive surgery, ultimately increasing the number of qualified plastic surgeons in Bangladesh.

Prof Dr Md Shahidul
Bari

Prof. Syed Ahmed

Assistant Professor,
Dr Abhi Kumar Chakraborty
Department of Paediatric Surgery

Dr. Maruf Alam
Chowdhury

Dr. Sayeed Ahmed Siddiky
Surgical Outreach and Training Program
To re-inforce a solid training regime, Operation Cleft runs three to four major surgical outreach programs a year. The aim of the surgical outreach program, is to take a team of qualified plastic surgeons to major cities outside Dhaka like Chittagong, Jessore or Sylhet. There we conduct surgical camps at which between 50 and 100 children are operated on. The team take a number of registrars with them for hands on training and the hospital at which the camp is scheduled, roster their registrars to act as surgical assistants. The training opportunity that these mini and major camps provides is invaluable to the medical profession in Bangladesh and ensures the expansion of plastic surgery as a future service available to the wider community.
Melbourne Team
Melbourne Team

Nirasha Silva
Fundraising Officer
Robyn Stokes
Volunteer