What is now known as Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM), one of the activities of Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd (RAWCS), had mixed origins.  It had its genesis in a number of places, not quite, but almost simultaneously, and completely independently.    In New South Wales, much of the impetus came from Dr. Brain Handley in District.9680 who was an authority on the disease and generated significant support from within the District. 

One of the early major initiatives came in the mid 1990s when Past RI President Sir Clem Renouf encouraged the Governors of the time to undertake a major, Australia-wide, project to recognise the 75^th anniversary of Rotary in Australia.  All the Australian RAWCS Regions came together and funded the construction of six microscopists’ houses in the Solomons.  The houses were built in Brisbane by building industry trainees as part of a building industry training exercise at no cost to Rotary.  The buildings were then erected by Project Volunteer teams (then known as FAIM teams) from all over Australia.  They are all still standing and operating today in spite of civil unrest and sundry natural disasters.

The next major project, also in the Solomons, was a multi-District activity supported by a very large Rotary Foundation Health, Hunger and Humanity (3H) Grant.  The project commenced in 2001 with PDG Dr John Reddish as the Project Administrator.  The grant was approved to fund the”Australian National Rotarians Against Malaria – Malaria Control Program in the Solomon Islands”.  This malaria control program in Western and Choiseul Provinces of the Solomon Islands was originally planned for the Province of Guadalcanal, but because of the political unrest and violence in that Province, was transferred, at the request of the Solomon Islands Government, and with the approval of the Rotary Foundation, to Western and Choiseul Provinces.  Work under the project was supported by countless smaller, related RAWCS projects conducted and funded by Australian Rotarians.  The results were dramatic with the morbidity and mortality rates falling substantially in the two Provinces serviced by the program. 

While this work was being undertaken in the Solomons, equally significant, in fact pioneering, work had been initiated by the Rotary Club of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.  Under the leadership of PP Ron Seddon OL, the Rotary Club of Port Moresby embarked on a massive program, the Adopt A Village program.  Rotary clubs, individuals, in fact anyone, can “adopt” a village in Papua New Guinea.  When a village is “adopted” every person in the village is provided with a life saving Long Lasting Insecticidal Mosquito Net.  News of this program was promulgated at the first national RAM conference held in 2004 in Queensland and it was picked up with great enthusiasm by Australian Rotary Districts.  It is also a model for a number of similar initiatives that have started in other parts of the world.

The program was extended to the Solomon Islands in April 2005.

Commencing in 2004, RAM has held an annual conference in southern Queensland.  District RAM representatives and other interested Rotarians and Rotary friends from all over Australia come together for two days to be briefed on developments and initiatives under consideration.  Speakers come from, for example, major research organisations with whom RAM has developed very good working relationships over the years.  These have included the Australian Army Malaria Institute, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney.  As a result of discussions at the 2007 conference RAM now has a Procedures Document.  A draft was presented to the 2008 conference and the final version presented to the RAWCS National Committee shortly afterwards.

The National RAM Chairman, presently PDG Bill Dethlefs, produces a quarterly RAM Newsletter that is now circulated to hundreds of people interested in the disease.