President's Message To Section VIII Fellows
When I wrote in April, the initial impact of the COVID 19 pandemic was still unfolding. Although our region has fared well compared to other countries at this point, the journey is far from over and we are still facing many unknowns about the future “normal ”.
ICD CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
Auckland, Pullman Hotel, Friday, 6 November 2020
Melbourne, Grand Hyatt, Saturday, 6 March 2021
Invitations with more details will be sent to all Fellows well in advance of these events. These will be special events and we hope to see as many Fellows join in the celebrations as possible. The Board is working hard to keep ticket prices low while ensuring the events are truly memorable occasions.
In due course, the College Office will advise details of the global ICD centenary celebrations which have been rescheduled in Nagoya, Japan to September 2021. Attendance at the global events is limited and the number of Section VIII new Fellows to be inducted in Nagoya is already fully subscribed (10 new Fellows).
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
The Board continually reviews the finances of our Section and has made a concerted effort in recent months to analyze expenditure in order to maximize our Section’s financial support for projects led by our Fellows. Towards that end, the Board made decisions at the June Board video conference that will result in annual savings of over $7,000 AUD. These savings are largely due to changes to production of newsletters and to how Board meetings will be conducted.
NEWSLETTERS: At present about 70% of Section VIII Fellows have opted out of receiving hard copies of the biannual Section newsletters. This has resulted in considerable savings for printing and postage which can be redirected to funding projects. At the recent Board meeting, the Board agreed that effective with the November newsletter, only digital copies of the Section newsletters will be produced and distributed.
Only 16 Fellows on the ICD database have no email addresses. These Fellows will be contacted individually to obtain email addresses where possible.
The newsletters are also always available to read and download from the Section website: icdsectionviii.org/newsletter-archive.html. The Section VIII newsletters are produced in May or June and in November each year.
BOARD MEETINGS: Historically, the Board has always met face-to-face once a year. The Board also teleconferences every three months between the annual Board meetings.
In March this year, the annual Board meeting was conducted via Zoom due to COVID-19. The latest Board “teleconference” in June was also conducted as a Zoom video conference. Given the success of these video conferences using Zoom, the Board has agreed that face-to-face Board meetings will be held only on alternate years at the time of the Australian Dental Congresses at which ICD induction ceremonies are conducted. This change will result in considerable savings on airfares, accommodation and other meeting expenses.
If you have any queries or comments about any content of my message, please feel free to contact me through admin@icdsectionviii.org.
I hope all of you stay well and safe and that the impact of COVID-19 on your professional and personal lives is minimal and manageable.
In Fellowship,
President
Australasian Section (Section VIII)
The ICD Young Dentists Volunteer grant was launched in 2019. After due consideration of the outstanding applications received for the 2020 ICD Young Dentists Volunteer grant, the Board has awarded the 2020 grant to Dr Haneen Alayan of New Zealand.
The 2020 YDV grant was promoted to young dentists through ICD Fellows, the NZDA and the ADA. 22 applications were received (the same number received for the inaugural 2019 grant). 8 applicants were from New Zealand; 14 were from Australia (NSW X 1, QLD X 2, SA X 1, TAS X 1, VIC X 3, WA X 6). The range of dental schools from which applicants graduated includes Otago (11), Adelaide (2), Griffith (1), James Cook (1), La Trobe (1), Melbourne (2) and Western Australia (4). The years of experience since graduation of applicants ranged from one year to nine years.
As part of the application process for the YDV grant, applicants are given an overview of volunteer programs led by Section VIII Fellows in which they may elect to participate if successful in being awarded the grant. The Board is grateful to these Fellows for allowing their programs to be part of the 2020 YDV grant: Bethy Turton and Callum Durward (Healthy Kids Cambodia and the Cambodia prison program), John Owen AM (Kimberley Dental Team), Greg Miller (Long Tan Dental Program), Petrina Bowden (M’lop Tapang), Sandra Meihubers (Nepal Village Health Program, Michael Schenberg (OMFS Ho Chi Minh City), Len Crocombe and Mahmood Siddiqi (PNG Dental School), George Manos (Project Yeti), Jonathan Cole (Smiles for the Pacific), David Goldsmith (Solomon Islands) and David Sheen and Blanche Tsetong (Timor L’este Dental Program).
Again this year, the Board was impressed with the considerable volunteer experience of the applicants for the ICD YDV grant. These impressive young dentists are the future leaders of our profession and their volunteer commitments so early in their careers bode well for the future of our profession. The Board also applauds the Dental Schools, the NZDA and the ADA for creating volunteer opportunities for dental students and young dental graduates. We look forward to hearing about Haneen’s experiences with the Smiles for the Pacific program in due course through the Section VIII newsletters.
Closer to home, 100th anniversary induction ceremonies and dinners will be held in Melbourne and in Christchurch. The Melbourne centenary celebrations have been rescheduled from August 2020 to 6 March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The centenary induction ceremony and dinner in Christchurch will now be held on 7 November 2020. Invitations will be sent to all Fellows in due course.
Given the ever changing CODVID-19 circumstances, all Fellows will be kept advised of any further changes to scheduled events. Invitations to all ICD events will be sent to all Fellows well in advance of each event.
About the ICD and Fellowship
Honoring the World’s Leading Dentists since 1920
The International College of Dentists is a leading honorary dental organisation dedicated to the recognition of outstanding professional achievement and meritorious service and the continued progress of dentistry for the benefit of all humankind. All members of the College regardless of their native language or country of residence, adhere to one universal motto, Recognizing Service and the Opportunity to Serve.
Conceived in 1920, the College currently has over 12,000 members in 122 countries who have been awarded the prestigious title of Fellow in the ICD. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only. A nominated dentist must pass a rigorous, peer review process leading to the recognition of the individual’s “outstanding professional achievement, meritorious service and dedication to the continued progress of dentistry for the benefit of humankind.”
All Fellows are encouraged to nominate dentists who are deserving of the recognition of ICD Fellowship. Nomination forms can be downloaded from this website. Enquires: admin@icdsectionviii.org.
Board of Regents, Section VIII (as at 03/05/19)
2019 - 2021 |
Local Organising Committees (as at 3/4/20)
2019 - 2021 |
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|
The Australasian Section of ICD currently has 759 members comprised of:
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 759 |
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION |
642 Active Members |
AUSTRALIA 651 |
6 Honorary Life Members |
ACT 14 |
1 Master & Honorary Life Member |
NSW 205 |
5 Honorary Members |
NT 6 |
105 Retired (Life) Members |
QLD 128 |
AGE DISTRIBUTION |
SA 82 |
17 Born in 1920s (2% of members) |
TAS 13 |
36 Born in 1930s (5% of members) |
VIC 121 |
128 Born in 1940s (17% of members) |
WA 82 |
271 Born in 1950s (36% of members) |
NEW ZEALAND 82 |
185 Born in 1960s (24% of members) |
CAMBODIA 2 |
84 Born in 1970s (11% of members) |
ERITREA 1 |
28 Born in 1980s (4% of members) |
FIJI 4 |
11 Unknown DOB (1% of members) |
HONG KONG 1 |
GENDER DISTRIBUTION |
PNG 1 |
168 Females (22% of members) |
QATAR 1 |
591 Males (78% of members) |
TIMOR LESTE 1 |
|
TONGA 2 |
|
UNITED KINGDOM 1 |
|
USA 2 |
Masters are Fellows in good standing who at the time of their nomination have rendered extraordinarily conspicuous and outstanding service to the College. The awarding of the status of Master is considered a rare distinction. The numbers admitted to this status are such as not to lessen the honour so conferred. Approval of the International Council or its Executive Committee must be obtained before Mastership is awarded having received prior nomination from the Section.
Dr Clive Ross CNZM is currently the only Master Fellow in Section VIII.
Section VIII Honorary Life Members
Honorary Life Members are Active or Retired Fellows in good standing who have made an outstanding contribution to our Section of ICD and to the profession and community in our region. Honorary Life Membership is only conferred after careful investigation has revealed a Fellow to be fully worthy of such a high honour.
Our current Honorary Life Members are:
- Robert Butler, VIC
- W Donald Heffron CBE, NSW
- Peter Noblet AM, SA
- Jackie Robinson, NSW
- Ron Robinson, NSW
- Clive Ross CNZM, New Zealand
- Tom N Speed, New Zealand
Dr Ron Robinson, Administrative Officer
admin@icdsectionviii.org
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Castle Hill, NSW
AUSTRALIA
ICD Council Office Website