John Ionnou
In a recent interview with Membership director Allison, John Ioannou described his career path as a “Meandering Traffic Accident.” John’s life and work journey led him to RPM where he chairs the RPM Project Advisory committee.
John has had a varied and extensive career from hotel management and small business enterprise to property. He further branched out into publishing, sales and marketing where he held a range of management and director roles in major media companies.
An avid traveller, John has visited over 30 countries around the world, but Cambodia has always held a special place in his heart since his first visit 15 years ago. In recent years, John has put his hard work and dedication into actively fundraising in support of local grass-roots causes and NGOs in Cambodia.
One of the fundraisers that became monumental to his journey was completing a 650km bicycle ride from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap, raising money to support education costs for underprivileged youths in Cambodia. It was on this ride that John met Founder/Director Emily Williamson and how John’s involvement with REACH began. He played a fundamental role in the logistical establishment of REACH and will continue to provide ongoing support, both on the ground and from overseas.
Dr John Salmon
Obstetrician Gynaecologist Dr John Salmon (Rtd) is an environmentalist at heart. There is a large amount of fit for purpose Medical Equipment made redundant by Australian Hospitals. John’s vision involves a catalogue of medical equipment to enable online access via Donations in Kind.
John has recently retired after 31 years as an Obstetrician Gynaecologist in Wodonga. In 2011, he took a year’s leave from his practice to teach at the Fiji School of Medicine in Suva. During this time, he was astonished to see how much second-hand medical equipment was trashed because the biomedical engineers at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital did not have the funding or support to repair or maintain the equipment.
John’s involvement with Rotary was through Donations in Kind (DIK), as he was looking for a solution to send some second-hand medical equipment to Papua New Guinea. By teaming up with DIK, he was able to solve the issue by piggybacking the equipment on a container destined for PNG. At the same time, he was introduced to the world of Rotary, and in his words, “its impactful projects and fabulous energy.”
John ‘s early ambition as a Rotarian is to try and list the medical equipment available at DIK so that needy hospitals can shop online and better meet their needs. He believes this might require setting up a database and a user-friendly website.
A love of the outdoors, John can be found bush walking, riding his mountain bite, fly-fishing or skiing. He is a keen reader and has an emerging interest in birding.
Inducted to the Melbourne Passport Club on 8th September 2020, John is still learning about Rotary and the club’s virtual meetings
