Former Governor General, the Honourable Michael Jeffery, AC, AO(Mil), CVO, MC (Retd) was appointed in May by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard to lead Australia’s fundraising efforts for the Diamond Jubilee Trust Australia.
The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust fund was established at the 2011 CHOGM in Perth to honour Her Majesty The Queen’s sixty years of service by contributing, at her request, to initiatives that will endure beyond her lifetime and help people throughout the Commonwealth. The fund aims to help prevent avoidable blindness in Commonwealth countries and develop young leaders.
Photo: The Fred Hollows Foundation
In his letter, Major General Jeffery urges all Australians to make a generous contribution towards the fund. He notes that more than eight million people in Commonwealth countries are needlessly blind. “Trachoma is caused by an infection that causes eyelashes to turn inwards and rub against the eyeball, causing scarring of the cornea and ultimately, painfully, leading to blindness,” he writes. “The Trust will work with experts in this field, and State and Territory authorities, to consolidate efforts and ensure that trachoma is eliminated in Australia once and for all. This, of course, is in addition to focusing on the elimination of trachoma across the poorer Commonwealth countries, including some of our closest Pacific neighbours.”
For information about how Australians can make a tax deductable donation, please see The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust website, or contact the Trust directly.