By Luke Voogt
In 50 years as a Rotarian Bill Pratt’s proudest achievement is helping to eradicate polio in developing nations.
The 94-year-old remembers when the crippling disease still threatened children in Australia.
“When I was a kid there was a polio epidemic in Sydney and then there was one in Melbourne,” he said.
“I had a friend when I was young who had polio – he was on his back for years.”
Rotary first immunised children against the polio in the Philippines in 1979 and expanded its efforts worldwide in 1985, with Polio Plus.
The program has since helped immunise 2.5 billion children in 122 countries, reducing polio cases 99.9 per cent, from about 1000 per day to fewer than 75 throughout 2015.
“Rotary has probably been the main force for getting rid of polio,” Bill said.
Despite nearing the century mark, Bill is not slowing down yet.
Just last fortnight he joined follow Geelong East Rotarians planting trees at the Geelong Waterfront.
“I’ve still got plenty left in me,” he said.
Bill celebrated his 50th year with Rotary at the Geelong East branch meeting on Tuesday night.
William Pratt joined Rotary in Brunswick in 1966, where he helped build a workshop for 50 people with a disability.
He moved to Geelong East 13 years later and has helped with scores of local projects, including the Eastern Park barbecues in 1981 and gardens at Whittington Preschool.
“It’s just doing a few community projects and giving to people a little less fortunate than you – plus the companionship along the way,” he said.
In 2007 (at age 84) he joined a team of four building a hurricane-proof home for an Indigenous family in far-north Queensland.
More recently, he raised money for Geelong’s Rotary clubs to help people living in poverty.
“We sent off 19 shipping containers full of beds, hospital equipment, a tractor and a panel van to Sri Lanka and Fiji last year,” he said.
Bill was also a president of Rotary Geelong East in the late 1980s, which he described as an honour.
“I think I’ve seen 26 presidents since I’ve been at the club,” he said.
The latest of these just happens to be his daughter Janine Koch.
The Geelong East Rotary president said her father’s example inspired her community service.
“All his life he’s been involved in clubs and he’s quite dedicated. His kids and his grandkids think the world of him.”
One of the things that made Bill most endearing, she said, was his willingness to accept anyone.
“You know how some older people get set in their ways? He’s not like that. He looks at the positive side of everybody.”
A keen bowler, Bill played three times a week, Janine said.
“If there was a bowls game on Christmas Day we probably wouldn’t have him at Christmas.”
