DR David Howe said he was “literally speechless” when he received a Paul Harris Fellow award for his dedication to Camp Quality this week.
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The award is one of Rotary International’s highest achievements and recipients include Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Prince Charles.
Dr Howe is not a member of Rotary but understands the importance of the award, which is named after Rotary’s founder Paul Harris.
“I was quite speechless,” he said.
“It is good to be recognised for doing something you love.”
Dr Howe began his work with Camp Quality as the children’s doctor in 1993 after a vacancy opened up.
He believed he would only be a temporary replacement, but 17 years later he still finds himself happily jetting off to camps around Australia and even in New Zealand.
“I thought it was just a one-off gig, but it is a lot of fun,” he said.
The joy Camp Quality brings hundreds of sick children dealing with life-threatening illnesses is the reward Dr Howe looks forward to year after year.
He said it was very important for children to have time off, laugh, and be around people in the same situation as them.
Dr Howe said physical differences that often stand out in communities go unnoticed at Camp Quality where everyone is on equal terms.
‘They don’t have to worry about appearance,” he said.
For all the rewards of the job there are some major challenges that come with it.
Dealing with the occasional loss of a child is something that Dr Howe admits is still very hard to deal with.
“There are some very talented people who handle the situation very well,” he said.
Camp Quality is divided into three age groups: four to 10-year-olds, 10 to 14-year-olds, and 16 to 28-year-olds.
There are different types of camps such as a national camp and a ski camp.
Organisers try to change the camp location regularly so the children can experience as many different places as possible.
Up to 90 children can attend a camp, making it a fun, positive, energetic and supportive place for them to be.
It can also understandably be exhausting for the organisers, but extremely rewarding.