The 20th Wildfire Annual Dinner was a great night for all who attended. Held at Mamaduke’s on Caulfield Campus, the event included a delicious three-course meal and motivating speeches complimenting the theme –The Past, Present and Future of Rural Health.

Professor Sarah Strasser from Flinders University in Darwin spoke about remote and Indigenous medicine, shared her own survival skill toolkit for a rural doctor, and urged the audience to “invest in women” in health education as this has the highest likelihood of being passed on to the next generation. Dr. Ged Dalgeish, a former Co-Chair of Wildfire who has recently begun his Physician training, provided us with a wonderfully balanced perspective on working in rural areas compared with metropolitan medical practice, based on his own wide-ranging experiences. He was a strong advocate for the role of the rural experience in broadening the scope of medical training.

Finally, two of our very own council members summarised the club’s vision, and our impressive achievements this year.

A number of prizes were handed out, including the best-dressed prize which went to Thomas Shiels for the marvellous orange bow tie he wore on the night! Thank-you to the 2013 Wildfire Council, MWOP (Member without portfolio), Emma Sturm and her team, for organising this annual event. Good luck to Marcus Hall as he plans the 21^st Wildfire Annual Dinner in 2014 – see you all there!!

The 2014 Wildfire Council was announced at the conclusion of the evening. Representatives are as follows:

President – Patryck Lloyd-Donald & Jayden Harper
Vice President – Grace Andrews
Treasurer – Lewis Fry
Secretary – Emma Sturm
Snr NRHSN (National Rural Health Students Network) Rep – William Goss
Jnr NRHSN Rep – Steph op’t Hoog
Publications Rep – Hannah Corcoran
Promotions Rep – Ruth McLeod
IT Rep – Luke Fletcher
Snr ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Health Advocate – John May
Jnr ATSI Health Advocate – Noni Harold
Allied Health Rep – Mitch Simpson
Sponsorship Officer – Luigi Zolio
Liaison Officer – Tom Nicholls
Membership – Laura Donaldson
Gippsland Medical School Rep – Emma Cole
MWOP – Marcus Hall

We expect 2014 to be a promising year for Wildfire with such a highly motivated and enthusiastic group of individuals!

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