During WWI on April 25, 1915, an allied army made up of soldiers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India and France landed on the shores of Gallipoli in modern-day Turkey to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

Turkish soldiers, aided by German allies, dug in to defend their homeland. For nine months opposing armies attacked and counter-attacked in a fierce struggle that challenged not only the soldiers’ endurance but also their humanity.
They battled with each other, disease, with the harsh climate and terrain and with the horrific sights of modern warfare. Despite their hardships, the soldiers went on with unprecedented dignity, courage and tenacity. They captured their experience in thousands of diaries, letters and photographs.

Their story is told through their own words in Gallipoli which will be released in selected cinemas from October 13, 2005. From Ronin Films of Canberra, Gallipoli is narrated by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill.

The war itself is the only enemy in this film. The film’s writer and director, acclaimed Turkish filmmaker Tolga Örnek, focuses on the human aspects of the campaign and portrays the experience of ordinary soldiers in the trenches without discrimination.
The battle is told through the diaries and letters of three Australians, two British, three New Zealand and two Turkish soldiers selected from hundreds of soldiers who served in the campaign.

The voices of Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill, as well as other actors, bring the personal accounts of the soldiers to life.
Gallipoli has been six years in the making. Never-before-seen diaries, letters and photographs from both sides, interviews with international experts, on-location landscape, underwater and aerial photography, 3-D computer animations and dramatic re-enactments of trenches and battles, make this docu-drama not only the latest film on the subject, but the most comprehensive.
The film has been produced in association with Australian War Memorial, Imperial War Museum, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage and the Çanakkale Naval Museum.

For further information on Ronin Films go to www.roninfilms.com.au

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Rotarians Against Malaria (RAM) has been distributing mosquito nets in the Pacific region through the Adopt-A-Village program, being aware of the suffering malaria causes.

A dramatic reduction in malaria cases has been achieved through the distribution of treated mosquito nets.

To continue this reduction Rotarians are taking part in a World Swim for Malaria on December 3.

In Australia alone, an average of 200 swimmers per District would achieve a total of 5,000 people swimming.

The aim is to have a million people swimming in centres around the world largely on the same day and to raise a substantial amount of money for the fight against malaria.

Every £1 million raised will prevent the deaths from malaria of15,000 people. Currently, 70 per cent of the deaths are of children under the age of five.

The number of people who swim doesn't matter and how much money you raise is up to individuals. There is no minimum.
All the money raised through the swims will be used to buy bednets (mosquito nets), specifically long lasting treated nets (LLTNs).

RAM will ensure the nets are installed over people’s beds by co-operating with a range of organisations that have distribution expertise.

There has never been such an event involving the swimming community across the world.

The response to World Swim for Malaria has come from cities as remote as Kathmandu in Nepal. In the Philippines, one registration is for 5,000 swimmers. In Japan, some groups registering have totalled 3,000 swimmers. In Australia clubs, schools and groups in Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have registered with groups as large as 300 from the North Cottesloe Surf Club. New Zealanders are keen to be in the swim with Nelson College offering 150 swimmers, Blenheim 100, Epsom 200 and Gisborne 70. Levin is also taking part.

Rotarians and Rotary clubs have been involved in numerous worldwide RAM projects since 1990, but it really wasn’t until 1997 that 13 of the 23 Australian Districts began developing a more national approach to this worldwide problem by agreeing to commit a portion of their Designated District Funds toward a joint “malaria control project” in the Solomon Islands. In 1999 that program received a major

3-H Grant of $US525,000 from The Rotary Foundation, and approval for two related Matching Grants, each for
$US100,000, to be used in  funding the supply of 50,000 chemically-treated bed nets, chemicals and insecticides, environmental rehabilitation, transport, and education and training programs for the local people. Although these 3-H and Matching Grants were initially approved of by The Rotary Foundation for malaria control projects in Guadalcanal ongoing ethnic unrest made it necessary to revise the original project and in May, 2000, The Rotary Foundation gave permission for these funds to be used for a revised malaria control project in Choiseul and Western Provinces of the Solomon Islands. On completion of this RAM project, it is anticipated there will have been a reduction in the incidence of malaria from approximately 300 cases per 1,000 to less than 80 cases per 1,000 annually. By that time the local community will be self-sufficient and able to maintain its own sustainable anti-malaria program.

To register go to www.worldswimformalaria.com