As all are aware, Covid-19 is taking a terrible toll on the way we all go about our lives and businesses, not forgetting the actual impact on those who have caught it. We are particularly cognisant of the impact it will have in the many countries in which the Fund has long-term and enduring relationships with researchers, farmers and others.
The Crawford Fund is having to restrict all its activities that involve international travel, which means mentoring programs will have to be restricted to e-contact, training programs in Australia and overseas will need to be postponed, all student award recipients’ travel is on hold and AVI volunteers are being repatriated to Australia by the Government’s Australian Volunteers Program. We will be contacting mentors, trainers, awardees and volunteers personally with this news.
Additionally, domestic meetings are being conducted by phone/video conferencing.
At this stage we are uncertain if our annual Conference at Parliament House will be able to go ahead for the planned dates of 10-11 August. We will issue an update on this within the next few weeks.
I would ask that all Crawford Fund business is conducted cognisant with Federal and State regulations involving travel and social distancing. Please do not take unnecessary risks that could impact you or others.
To date, 2020 has been dreadful year with drought, bushfires, hailstorms, and now the Covid19 pandemic. By restricting and curtailing activities now, we should be in a better position to bounce back in a few months.
In the meantime, please take care.
Dr Colin Chartres
CEO, The Crawford Fund
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