Greetings to all Rotarians and Rotaractors in District 9820. It’s been a very busy month full of enjoyment and plenty of Rotary “People of Action”.
Adele & I were very pleased to attend the Annual Spring High Tea fundraiser (10th Sept) by the RC of Frankston Peninsula 2.0 and hosted by Trudi & Russell Poole in Frankston to raise funds for the Green Gecko project in Cambodia. (see photos below). The Green Gecko provides young people in Cambodia with the opportunity for education and mentoring which can change their lives. Breaking the cycle of begging in the streets, they go to school five days a week and gain work experience in alternative industries as a way of assisting with the social enterprise, longevity and funding of the project. Green Gecko is not just a home for these young people, but also a large family environment. We met Nott, Heang and Chris, who shared their amazing life stories with us. Each of them are now finishing degree courses at University in Cambodia. They are strongly supported by local coordinators, who effectively take on the role of mother and father, so these young people have a new chance at life, which they never thought possible.
Rotary Leadership Institute 22 completed 17th Sept – (see picture below) It was fabulous to present certificates to 17 Rotarians from clubs all around our district who completed RLI in Sept. A big thanks to RLI Chair and facilitator David Hanlon and facilitators David Brook and Tim Wills. Planning has commenced for the next RLI, we will keep you posted on this.. This is a program ( over 2 days) which we encourage all Rotarians who are passionate about their clubs and Rotary, to consider attending.
Over the past year many Rotarians have asked us to provide training on our club data base /platform “Club runner” and on our rotary9820.org.au website. Training was put together by our District Training team who organised a D9820 Club Runner Zoom Webinar on Fri 23rd Sept. We encouraged all clubs to have at least one attendee. 80 Rotarians registered to attend the webinar but only 40 attended. Many thanks to organisers and presenters PDG Tim Moore, PDG Mark Humphries and PP David Button.
A big thank you to President Leanne & members of the RC Greater Dandenong & Endeavour Hills – for their terrific hospitality and fun, on my birthday this month which coincided with my DG visit to the club. Adele & I enjoyed a “top evening”.
Australian Rotary Health Zoom webinar 2.00pm Sat 8th Oct – We welcome all Rotarians to join us. (see the flyer later in this newsletter – contact arh@rotary9820.org.au for the Zoom link).
Gippsland Rotary Centenary House , Traralgon- provides safe, supportive and affordable accommodation for patients (and their families) undergoing cancer treatment and other specialist medical services at the Latrobe Regional Hospital. This facility is one of the most significant achievements of Rotarians and Rotary clubs in our District 9820. In October our Operations Manager Carol Crewe will retire from this role after 16 years of fabulous dedication and service. Carol has been at GRCH since it opened in Sept 2006. On behalf of all Rotarians in our district we wish Carol all the best and a huge thank you for her professional service over many years. We look forward to catching up will Carol as she continues her Rotary volunteer service as a member of the District Team and with the Rotary Club of Hazelwood.
Governor Elect & Governor Nominee, Zone 8 training 25th – 27th Oct, Canberra. DGE Linda and DGN Colin are off to GETs & GNTs in Canberra later in October which runs for 3 days before the Zone 8 Conference. We certainly hope they “Enjoy” !!
Zone 8 Conference (Institute)Canberra 28th – 30th Oct - A team of 17 Rotarians and partners from our district have registered to attend this years Zone 8 Conference in Canberra. This is the first F2F Zone conference for 3 years, ( the past 2 years on-line / affected by COVID) so we are really looking forward to a fabulous weekend of passionate speakers, great fellowship, delicious food and Rotary.
District 9820 Annual Conference – 24th -26th February 23, Cape Schanck, Mornington Peninsula – Planning is progressing very well for the District Conference 23.(see flyer later in this newsletter) It’s going to be a fabulous weekend for all Rotarians and Rotaractors and friends to relax and enjoy. Online registrations are now open. Please register early to book your place via this link. https://rotary9820.org.au/page/district-9820-conference-2023/
We have added several photos this month (below) featuring our fabulous club DG visits and some district events during Sept.
Hope you enjoy them and please “Imagine Rotary” and our future. DG Paul.
RC Mitchell River (Bairnsdale)
RC Bairnsdale Sunrise
RC Bairnsdale
RC Sale
RC Frankston Peninsula 2.0 High Tea
RC of Leongatha
RC of Korumburra
RC of Yarram
Rotary Leadership Institute – attendees and facilitators
International Convention is just around the corner. As a lead-up, we are hosting a Rotary Friendship Exchange with District 7120, upper New York State. They would like to spend some time in our District meeting with people, clubs and be involved with a community project along the way.
How does it work?
They will arrive in our District about two weeks before Convention and spend about four nights in each location. We will host them in our homes, show them around our District, and some of the great sites, take them to the occasional meeting, do a community project, and then move them to the next part of the District. Rotary Friendship Exchange works both ways, and after we host District 7120, they will invite us to their District in return. (some images below from District 7120)
We are looking at starting them in East Gippsland, they hosted Linda and I as part of the International Assembly Governors hosting program. East Gippsland was in the clutches of the fires. I am often asked how things are progressing and they would like to see the impact first hand, and doing a project in the community. Move to Central and South Gippsland, again see the sites, be involved with a project at Centenary house. Last stop, Peninsula, Frankston, Melbourne South East, has plenty to do, golf, wineries, scenery, a project on the Bay Trail, and a farewell dinner, everyone welcome.
What are we looking for:
People to host. There will be 6 – 8 couples coming. Therefore 6 – 8 people in each area, about 4 nights.
Ability to drive people to sites and activities.
Clusters to help organize the community project
Assist with transportation from Melbourne to East Gippsland
We have in place a Pearl Finlay-James in East Gippsland, Janne Speirs in Central/South Gippsland, Linda Morris on the Peninsula who will be coordinating the hosting and activities in their areas.
Casey-Cardinia Rotaract has several projects in the works.
Our recent music themed trivia night raised funds for our club members to build Toiletry Kits to use in Rotary’s End Trachoma project. The Rotarian members of End Trachoma will assist us to partner with a remote school and our members will source the items for the kits and send them to where they are needed.
Later this year, we will be organising a birthday party-style fundraiser that will contribute towards our annual toy and canned food donation. The event will cater towards adults and admittance to the event is earnt by gifting a toy or funds that will form this year’s toy drive.
Early next year, we will be holding an expo for teens and young adults in the Casey and Cardinia area that aims to teach them valuable life skills that ranges from employability to health and wellbeing to basic car maintenance. Casey-Cardinia Rotaract is committed to reaching out in the community through the initiative and creative events.
This is my first real year of actively working with Wheelchairs for Kids since my dad (Peter Klaaysen) passed away on the 12/07/2020. I promised my dad to take over from him for fund raising for WFK and help spread the word. I can see why my dad was so passionate about this charity.
My dad’s dear friend, Russel Hayes, had been working with my dad on WFK activities for around 10 years and Russell has been amazing in taking me onboard an showing me the ropes.
So, with Russell’s support and the lockdowns behind us, we finally got the opportunity to do some activities again to spread the word and run some events other than Zoom meetings. Although one good thing that has happened over the lockdowns is that we have been able to continue to do Zoom meetings for clubs that would otherwise be too far away. That would not have been an option for us pre 2020.
District Report – DAA’s Philippines Visit Aug 2022
During August 2022 Brian Ashworth Disaster Aid Australia CEO and Director Cherie Ramsay travelled to the Philippines to check on Aid Delivered during the pandemic and plan for future aid delivery
SMART AID
Shelter Provision Barangay Batoan
DAA provided funds to Balay Mindanaw (BM) following a Typhoon in 2021 that enabled over 70 severely damaged houses to be repaired or replaced for a cost of $30,000. As a result of our visit and discussions with the affected families we learned:
The people were happy to endure short term discomfort, such as using tarpaulins for shelter, when they could see that they could remain in their Barangay and be financially supported for repair and rebuilding.
There is no one size fits all approach to obtaining materials. The damage varied from house to house. Generally, the more substantial homes may have only suffered from the loss of the roof and roof timbers, while less substantial homes may have been totally destroyed. This confirms the value of assessment prior to material purchase.
The pride in their homes and the efforts of the families and neighbours in the recovery was evident.
Even though DAA had not been to the Barangay during the response there was a clear understanding of the value of the support provided by DAA to the Barangay in allowing those affected to recover.
SAFE WATER FOR EVERY CHILD
During the time spent on Mindanao we were able to visit 6 Barangays:
Barangay San Pedro, Cotobato
Barangay Bito Buadi Itowa, Marawi City
We participated, with Balay Mindanaw, in an introduction to the ‘Safe Water for Every Child’ project. This explained the project aims and providing information on what the benefits would be. Information on the commitments required of the Barangay was also provided.
This Barangay had a large ‘Bamboo Village’ of people that had been displaced from the area of Marawi that had been most heavily affected by the fighting in 2017. The people of the Barangay were very grateful for the SkyHydrant and the health benefits that it had brought to them and their children. They reported that people from other Barangays also came to the taps to access the drinking water.
Baranagy San Isidro, Cotobato
Barangay Canitoan, Cagayan de Oro
This Barangay was one of the six supported by the Global Grant sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Berwick, Endeavour Hills. Although the SkyHydrant was situated in the main Barangay compound, they had extended water lines to the adjacent school, the Barangay clinic and outside taps for 24-hour access.
The meeting involved a detailed explanation of what would be required for the installation and a demonstration of a Skyhydrant running and being cleaned. A site was identified with the SkyHydrant being housed in the local farmers association shop with the tank installed outside the shop.
Barangay Dualing, Cotobato
Barangay Mumbuaya, Cagayan de Oro
The 2nd Global Grant project. The installation was in the village compound and was maintained by the local agricultural cooperative. They were happy with the SkyHydrant but had decided that they wanted to provide a more secure installation nearer the source.
The 3rd Global Grant project installation. In conjunction with the Rotary Club of CdO West a pay for use system had been introduced this charged 10 pesu for 18 litres of SkyHydrant Water and 5 pesu for untreated water. The Barangay was committed to ensuring that money was put aside from their income for membrane replacement and also to contribute to future SkyHydrants in other Barangays.
PROJECTS LAUNCH
On 12August, in partnership with Balay Mindanaw, we formally launched the ‘Bangsamoro Health and Peace Project’ and the ‘Mindanao Safe Water Project’. Each project is committed to install at least 5 SkyHydrants a year for 5 years. Attendees included Philippine Government representatives, Local Government representatives, Rotary Clubs, and members of the press. There were several complimentary speeches from the floor about the impact DAA and Balay Mindanaw had made for Barangays in Mindanao.
Finished Project: Zane Atkinson-Gill, Keith Stirling, Roger Playdon, Bill Petschack, Nach Whyman and Oscar Ennis-Wert (absent Mo Jafari)
Five students from Drouin Secondary College’s VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) program have completed their community project with the help of Drouin Rotarians.
“As part of their program, we ask students to complete a community project which benefits others” said Kevin Thorpe, VCAL coordinator at the college. “And this year we are pleased to have the Rotary Club of Drouin mentoring and assisting students with some of those projects”.
Five students worked with Rotarians Bill Petschack and President Roger Playdon to complete construction of a table and seats, with accommodation for wheelchair-based access, which they placed on a cement pad they laid in Alex Goudie Park.
“It was a pleasure to work with these boys who displayed enthusiasm and ability in completing this project” commented President Roger Playdon. “And we were impressed when we learnt they had chosen to go and personally thank some of those who had donated goods or services in support, being Timber HOME Hardware, Drouin Garden Centre and Baw Baw Shire”.
Drouin Rotarians can walk, talk AND clean up Drouin all at the same time. A group of hardy members braved the cold on the regular ‘Wednesday Morning Walkers’ along the first two kilometres of the Two-Towns-Trail to have an early start of their contributions to the “Spring Clean Drouin” initiative being promoted by the Committee for Drouin. “We are very fortunate to live in a most attractive part of Victoria”, said Drouin Rotary President Roger Playdon, “and any initiative that helps to keep it that way is one with which we are happy to engage. And, we are out and about, improving our wellbeing at the same time.”
Seventeen years ago, Australian Tania Palmer had a life-changing experience while traveling in Cambodia. On the way over she had read about the plight of children in that country. That night she went for a walk through the streets of Siem Reap and met young children, some as young as 5, begging or scavenging for material to use or sell as the main income earner, just so that they and their families could eat. She took a group of children, bought them a meal, and asked about their life and their plans and needs. Food, a place to wash, an education, and medical help were the common needs. A quick trip home, then back to Siem Reap to set up a safe haven for these kids - and so the Green Gecko Project was born.
For the past fifteen years Frankston Peninsula 2.0 members Trudy and Russell Poole, who have been strong supporters of the project and have visited Siem Reap many times, have hosted High Teas at their house, usually for Mother's Day. This year was different and for a very good reason - three of the Geckos who are part of the project were brought to Australia for a education and cultural experience and invited to speak. Before an audience of 100 people including District Governor Paul and his wife Adele, Nott, Hua, and Sokhim told their stories and their plans. Nott is working as an Interventionalist with Disabled children at a RAWCS project Safehaven, Hua and Sokhim are both studying Architecture at University in Phnom Penh. Beyond that they have been involved in the Gecko Action group (similar to Rotaract), giving back to the community.
The High Tea was a very successful event, raising over $10,900. In addition, the Club, the Geckos, and many locals raised $2,600 by making up test kits for a local engineering firm. One of the locals at the evening then held her own fundraising event which in turn led to a donation of $3,000 towards Green Gecko.
Nott, Hua and Sokhim (pictured above) have spoken to many Rotary clubs and schools in Melbourne in their short time here and these reserved young people have blossomed into confident presenters with an inspirational story to tell. After a brief visit to Sydney, they returned home to Cambodia. .
September is national biodiversity month. Mornington Rotary Club has contributed by leading a project to help rehabilitate the indigenous vegetation at Hunters Crossing, a busy pedestrian bridge over Tanti Creek in Mornington. The project was funded by a South East Water Community Grant and enabled by Tanti Creek Friends Group and local residents who all pitched in for the mulch spreading and planting of 300 plants.
Mornington Club President, Brian Mann says the project is a great example of what a Rotary Club can do. “Environmental Sustainability has become a key area of focus internationally for Rotary and this project has demonstrated our club’s commitment to it. We really appreciated the support of Tanti Creek Friends Group Coordinator, Marty Lenard, who has lent his expertise to plant selection and planting techniques, and the local residents who got involved in the planting. And of course it was all funded by South East Water under their community grants scheme, and we do appreciate that” said Brian.
The project involved spraying by Council contractors of the invasive kikuyu grass that had taken over from the native vegetation and the spreading of two truck-loads of mulch to supress its regrowth. Then it was down to planting 300 indigenous plants, propagated by the Council Nursery at the Briars. The project was delivered over two weekends, one just before the winter and one - last weekend - immediately after it.
Brian concluded “This has been a very satisfying project, consistent with what other Rotary Clubs on the Mornington Peninsula are doing as part of our celebration of 100 years of Rotary in Australia and the Peninsula Trail. We look forward to the growth of the plants and more projects like this, that are appreciated by our community and are good for the environment.”
More information at https://rotaryclubofmornington.org.au/ or on facebook. ‘For more information about South East Water’s community grants program visit southeastwater.com.au/grants
“National Tree Planting Day” was chosen to start Rotary tree planting this year - definitely not a coincidence! It was good to get help from Pakenham Secondary School students, who are undertaking a horticulture subject, to come and assist with a hands on project and planting 1000 trees.
The Rotary Club of Pakenham has been undertaking tree planting for a number of years to benefit the community and the environment. Each year the Club has planted 1000 trees in locations chosen by the Cardinia Shire and assisted by community groups and local schools. It has been noticed that if the local community is involved with planting there is very little ongoing vandalism. The 60th anniversary of the Club was celebrated with the planting of sixty mature Maple trees to mark the occasion, albeit interrupted by COVID-19, in the Barry Wallis Community Garden.
The Rotary Club of Pakenham has run Debutante Balls for over thirty years catering for generations of families in the district. This year’s group impressed with their enthusiasm and dancing ability from the very first awkward training session to Saturday 20th August where they displayed their talent looking stunning in their formal attire.
Country towns traditionally had a “Ball” season with the Debutante Ball being one of the first to present the “coming out” of the young adults of the district. Balls were important social events for a district with a number of groups undertaking the organisation.
A Debutante Ball is one of the first occasions when young people get out of the daggy day to day clothes and dress in formal clothes they have never had the opportunity to wear. This builds confidence for the future in what they wear and how they present themselves. And for the twenty eight young adults who participated in the Rotary Debutante Ball held at the Pakenham Racecourse last Saturday it was a night they will cherish and remember forever.
The Debutantes and partners were presented to the President of the Rotary Club of Pakenham, Mr Terry Williams, his wife Alwyn and to the relatives and friends present on the night. As each young person entered the room the MC for the Evening, Rotarian Steve Fisher, gave short personal highlights and aspirations of each one to the very receptive crowd.
Posted by Grant Hocking PDG District 9800 on Sep 27, 2022
Rotary Walk with Us
For the third year in a row the Rotary Walk with Us to End Polio event will run throughout October. It is a fun way for Rotarians and Rotaractors everywhere to raise awareness and funds to End Polio Now.
From October 1st until 31st Rotary members and friends are encouraged, to walk or run to support Rotary’s Number One Priority – the eradication of poliomyelitis from the world.
Last year, more than three hundred walkers, including RI Director, Jessie Harman, from 13 Rotary Districts raised an impressive total of $111,600. We are hoping that with more walkers in 2022 even more funds will be raised to stop poliomyelitis threatening the children of the world.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary worldwide has helped to reduce polio cases from an average of 1,000 cases per day in 1985 to only six cases in 2021, a 99.9% reduction. Sadly, case numbers are increasing this year and if eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year.
We invite you to join this year’s Rotary Walk with Us campaign. You can register to walk and set distance and fundraising goals. Alternatively, you can donate to someone who is walking. For the walkers, the total distance you have set for the month is accumulated over the entire month of October. So, you can walk when, where and with whom you want in a COVID safe way. You then log each walk you do on the website and encourage family and friends to support you by donating on the site. It is easy and fun. You can walk as an individual or in a team made up of fellow club members.
All contributions through the campaign will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible with receipts issued by The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust.
An added benefit of the walk event is the positive effect on physical and mental health. It would be great if every club had an End Polio champion who could promote the event and encourage participation and donations, as well as generally promote the Rotary’s End Polio cause throughout the year.
For many years, the Polio Movie Event has been a very popular way for clubs to raise funds for Rotary’s number one priority, Ending Polio. It’s also an opportunity for Rotary members and people in our communities to have some fun together.
This year’s movie is The Lost King, the story of the rediscovery, by an amateur historian, of the five centuries old remains of Richard III… in a Leicester carpark. Critics describe it as “an incredible and inspiring true story about perseverance and not taking no for an answer”.
The movie will be released to the Australia and New Zealand public on Boxing Day, but the great news is that a pre-release of the movie is available for Rotary clubs during the week of Thursday 1st to Wednesday 7th December.
To arrange an event, talk to the group booking person at your cinema and make sure they plan to offer this movie to the public once it’s released. The cinema can then make all the arrangements to source the movie from the distributor, Transmission Films — clubs don’t need to get involved in that. The amount paid to the cinema is usually about $10 per seat (that’s up to the cinema) and a typical ticket price might be $20 — and that’s up to you. Please see the Movie Conditions below.
Simply insert your club name and event details. You may then want to:
save it as a PDF and arrange for your local printer to produce posters and handouts
save it as a graphics file and post it to your social media, website, newsletter, etc.
Let’s make this year’s Polio Movie Event a blockbuster — and End Polio Now!
Movie Conditions:
All Rotary screenings must take place between 1st and 7th December.
You’ll need to book your screening directly with your cinema.
Your cinema must seek approval from the movie distributor, Transmission Films, and tickets are not to be sold prior to approval.
Tickets can only be sold between Tuesday 1st November and Monday 21st November — this is to ensure that the distributor has sufficient time to ship the film to your cinema.
If a session sells out, another can be added.
Only cinemas that have accounts with Transmission Films can participate.
The movie is distributed in Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format and this format can only be played at cinemas.
In order to participate, your cinema must have booked the film for a season of public screenings.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic a child died of Malaria every 2 minutes. Now it is EVERY MINUTE. There has never been more urgency to Finish the Fight and eliminate Malaria in the Western Pacific Rim. PDG Dai Mason (D9600), PDG Bruce Anderson (D9780) and PDG Tony Spring (D9820) are organising a Two Day Congress on Finish-The-Fight Against Malaria. This is the two days immediately prior to the RI Melbourne Convention next year.
Those invited to speak include:
Sir Peter Cosgrove (Past Governor General of Australia)
Lady Roslyn Morauta (Vice-Chair of the Global Fund)
Professor Michael Good (Institute for Glycomics – Griffith University - Gold Coast Campus)
Philip Welkhoff (Director of Malaria - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Adriana Lanting (Chair of Malaria Partners International)
This is a once in 30-year event that should not be missed. If you haven’t been to a Rotary International Convention, then this is your opportunity to hear and see from Rotarians from all corners of the world. If you have enjoyed Rotary International Conventions previously, then you know how fantastic they are and Melbourne will be fantastic! It is here on your doorstep with no international travel expenses. It will never be more affordable!
Book now to get the best registration rate and importantly to secure your place at Signature and Hospitality events, which have capacity limits to ensure a comfortable and rewarding experience.
Imagine the opportunity to meet and mix with 25,000 people of action from around the globe.
Imagine the possibilities flowing from inspirational speakers, break-outs with Rotary leaders and from opportunities at the House of Friendship
Imagine the opportunity to attend and/or volunteer to be an Ambassador for Australasia and the Pacific Islands.
Volunteers are still required to assist in the running of the Convention.
A vital part of the Convention is to have an engaged and friendly volunteer workforce. We as Rotarians volunteer our time, energy and skills all the time. It is part of our DNA and makes us who we are - we are a people organisation.
It is an opportunity to witness Rotary at an International level and by volunteering, to be part of its success.
It is an opportunity to volunteer and be an Ambassador for Rotary and our country.
Giving up four hours for a single shift is not a big ask - the more volunteers we have, the greater the load is shared.
This Convention is an opportunity to see what Rotarians around the world do, speak to people from different countries about common projects or new projects, and hear world class speakers from within Rotary and from leaders in their fields outside Rotary.
Register now for the best prices. Don’t leave it to the last minute as the registration fees increase significantly as the Convention gets closer.
I look forward to seeing you at the Melbourne Convention in May 2023
Congratulations to John Walkerwho was the first person to answer last months question! He is our inaugural winner. I had a satisfying response from many people, so I hope you enjoyed the challenge.
I am offering a "Diligent Reader Award" to the first person who emails me with the answer to the question below. Your prize will be your name in the next month's newsletter as a Diligent Reader!
This month's question is: What are the names of the two people studying architecture?
Your contributions are what makes this newsletter valuable, so keep sending them to me at newsletter@rotary9820.org.au.
