THREE years ago Port Fairy resident Bob Handby said he was retiring as a Red Cross aid worker, but that hasn’t stopped his regular overseas trips to make a difference.
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Last month Mr Handby returned from helping Fijian villages facing severe water shortages due to drought and El Nino. Now he’s back in East Timor for a week and more Pacific trips are sure to follow.
Mr Handby’s career as an environmental health officer has boosted the knowledge and skills required for his overseas support work, including water supply and waste management, vector control, disease prevention, infection control, and building refugee camps.
In the Fiji visit, he was tasked with helping train water and disaster specialists from around the Pacific.
”There is more and more publicity about the El Nino drought affecting more communities,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to people from Vanuata, Papua New Guina, Samoa, Fiji – all countries facing drought.
“We do anything to try and keep people healthy.
“It’s rewarding, it’s challenging. Sometimes I’m sad and sometimes it is exciting.
“It’s an opportunity to travel and see the world and help people who are very vulnerable in their time of need. It’s very rewarding to be involved in.”
Mr Handby first travelled overseas with the Red Cross in 1984 to help during Uganda’s civil war.
The trips became frequent until 2012 when Mr Handby “retired”, but since then he has merely slowed down.
”I haven’t done very much since then,” he said.
“I went to the Ebola response earlier this year because there was a need and I went to Fiji two weeks ago to look at drought areas for an assessment.
“The work I’m doing in East Timor is as a Red Cross ambassador, showing people some ongoing projects.
“For me it’s not a big deal. I’m in semi-retirement and I help out when I can.”
Mr Handby’s example of humanitarianism has influenced some around him to take up volunteer positions with the Red Cross, including his son Mark, an environmental officer at Warrnambool City Council.
“Mark has done a stint in Sierra Leone in Ebola response,” he said.
“He’s grown up with me going away and always expressed an interest in it.
“It’s not always easy for me. Sometimes the living conditions are very poor.
“I explain how it is and let people make up their mind if it’s what they want to do.”
There are currently zero cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone and the World Health Organisation last week declared the country to be Ebola-free.
