Classroom Development Project in Lese Oalai, Gulf Province, PNG.

1. Education campaigns like End Trachoma and
2. Good hygiene, washing hands and faces regularly, using clean towels and face washers.

Ariston House Christmas Break Up

Christmas dinner and More

www.westpac.com.au/saw .

Our amazing, Miss Judy and Friends of Bayside, Anne & David Cotsell were in fine form, producing a fun packed evening.

Everyone this is a great story

In Papua New Guinea many people earn less than a dollar a day. But that didn't stop one community from donating tens of thousands of dollars to an Australian town badly affected by the Bush fires

 

Australian community ravaged by bushfire shocked by PNG donation of more than $60,000

 

 

Barwon Health

Judy then talked about the changes to an option for us with other clubs to apply for a one off grant for the
Barwon Health Foundation to use for equipment that might be able to be used for combating Covid19
Pres added that there was a need for bedside equipment like ventilators Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) blood pressure thingys. Also they were talking about wellbeing activities.
At this point all discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Jane everyone very excited to see her! David
slipped in the back door with no video.

Shelterbox – Rotarian Peter Kavenagh

Days for Girls

Christ Church community meals program

Rotary Youth Exchange –( a Parents perspective)

Barwon Health Patient Transport Service (BHPTS)

This week we had guest speakers from Highton Rotary Club, David Sinclaire and Brenton Rudd). They provided information on a couple of unrelated projects that their club are involved in;

Disaster Aid International’s Sky Hydrant water purification project

• The SkyHydrant water purification unit produces safe drinking water without the need for power or chemicals
• The SkyHydrant is a low cost, lightweight (16 kg) portable and easy to deploy in the field
• Operating functions are simple and manual, with virtually no consumables
• Safe water for less than $1 per person per year
• Designed to produce water for 500-1000 people as stand alone unit, or can be configured for larger capacity.
• A single unit can produce up to 1000 litres per hour.
• Clean drinking water can be produced from the majority of non-saline surface and ground water.
•  

Chef for a Month

Interplast

• A little back ground is that the people of this area supported the Aussie troups in WW2
• This area restricted the supply of oil to the Japanese during this time
• She candidly mentioned that the area had head hunters. I presume she meant historically.
• The hospital was near the jungle and was built in 1950’s style with equipment of about the same era
• There was an amazing “Jungle Telegraph” when the Doctors arrived people turned up with their patients
• The patients were typically burns and cleft pellets. The burns were a consequence of life style. Ie lots of gathering around the camp fire for cooking or warmth.

• Jake first and foremost wanted to thank Rotary and Tenon Joinery for what he considers one of his best experiences in life. He couldn’t speak more highly of it.
• It was a great setting for something so motivational.
• He thanks Claire (last years RYLA) for not telling him too much about the experience as he believes that approaching the “unknown” was valuable
• The days were all different presenting the unexpected which he considered valuable.
• There were games, motivational exercises Meditation and lots of self reflecting.
• One exercise which was a type of Iceberg taught him to be really less judgmental. He quoted the concept of not “judging a book by its cover”
• One particular person to whom he was chatting about his daily challenges informed him he has diaphragm cancer. He said that was a stunning to him by was immediately encouraged to think his life was important. His lesson here was that “Each persons life is important”.
• Another challenge was working in a team where one girl had claustrophobia and together they encouraged her to crawl through a tunnel.
• In all RYLA was about team working, Networks, developing, Self-esteem and resulting in leadership abilities.

• Dale has been the bus driver for this project and now has been co-opted to the committee.
• The committee is mostly associated with Beaufort Rotary Club
• Drought have pushed the kids to the city

• Conor is a student at Geelong College
• He is just back from a long trip to the outback where he learnt a lot about indigenous peoples. One of the towns was Amata where he visited the Amata Anangu School and mix with the students from the area. The area is the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands
• He learned about their value system, history and culture
• He has travelled to Ireland France and the UK and USA
• He would like to go to France on exchange but is quite open to other countries
• He studies Latin and French at school
• His mum comes from Ireland and his dad is a Vet, He has a brother and sister.
• He hopes to get into Media or Movies as a career.

Turning Periods Into Pathways

• The dates Jan 16 to 26
• Some of last year’s students were on hand to help with lots of enthusiasm and energy.
• Alex did mention that the buss took 9 hours to get there but choose not to complain when he heard that others took 24 hours to arrive from other parts of Australia
• Again Alex felt we all needed to know that he arrived in Canberra with 42degrees temperature.

• A photo or two of the accommodation showed that the Experience would be rough!

Parliament House

• Alex talked about the experience at Parliament house and the mock discussions they have. Groups represented the houses of parliament. Alex did note that the opposition (either side) performed the role of not agreeing to anything!!
• They did discuss Climate Change and the Science Building
• They looked at IT apps. Angry Birds was a favourite game for studying. It was fun and taught them about AI (artificial intelligence) Alex did reassure us that AI is not ready to take over just yet.
• Alex then raised the consequences of these apps and how they relate to instant gratification and delayed gratification

Quantum Commuting

• Alex said this was very exciting and was indeed very impressed. For those who would like to know more try this you tube link. https://youtu.be/w_-_H9eBte8

Biomedical Engineering Workshop

• The challenge in this workshop was for students to provide a solution for a person having a hole in the head. What can be used to fill this hole in. eg a Jell or animal product or non living material. Quite a challenge

Robot Workshop

• The CEO of Lockheed/Martin came and spoke to the students. This really I pressed the student. Particularly with all the career advice he had to offer.

• New Building to be built at the West side of Deakin Waurn Ponds Campus
• It would be for End of Life Care
• Partners include
• Australian Government
• Victorian Government
• City of Greater Geelong
• Deakin University
• Hospice Foundation Geelong

• Frank Costa
• Mary Lewis
• Barry Fagg
• Diana Taylor

• 5 Million Federal Government
• 5 Million State Government
• 8 Million Philanthropy (In progress) this will be divided up but we as Rotary may have a role in this figure

• right product,
• right time,
• right place,
• right condition,
• right quantity,
• right customer
• and right cost.

• Syria 
• Lebanon
• and also Bangladesh.

• Attending lots of meetings and seeing lots of variations on how the meeting is run and how the club does things.
• There is a move to less formality.
• Advised us on dealing with Corporate Affairs and advised if over $10,000 then an application to them might be required. Renewable every 3 years.
• The need for a public officer
• The concept of WHY Rotary and not WHAT Rotary.
• A friendship exchange to India where polio can be highlighted as the success story of Rotary (almost).
• Aiming for a net gain of members.
• Some clubs are doing really well with member numbers.
• Rotary Central.
• Leadership is important. RLI is being revamped this year and will be scheduled for 2019.
• We need to look at our bylaws and get them updated.
• We need to think about Rotary Legislation and to understand that “we” can make changes.
• Raffles. South Ballarat is fine but we need to be aware of legal issues when running raffles.
• The South Ballarat raffle is two cars (CX5 and CX3)
• Global Grants. He is going to look at dealing with the “How” on writing grants. The actual process is on My Rotary website.

Dan then educated us on Slovenia.

1. Getting to meet Mark Miodownik. He is a British Materials Scientist, Engineer, Broadcaster and Writer at University College London. Click his name. Tom noted the use of plastics and added the comment working with it not wasting it.
2. Scientific Communication and Batteries – The lastest technology surrounding it.
3. Meeting Astro Physics Professor Ken Brown who talked about the Luna Rover, particularly how it was designed and how it was meant to work to do the experiments.
4. The National Space Research Centre where they did a master class on Space physics and Gravity. Also comets and how they might be the basis of life on earth.
5. The exercise to build a “rocket”. Tom’s group’s rocket was one of the best staying up over 6 seconds. Tom did explain the time and materials were limited.

• Sunday. He got to be the “Mace” man in a mock demo of parliament.
• Monday. Learnt about the role of the press and the lockup on budget week. Meet the president of the Senate and House of Reps. Saw the high court and had a debate on the Vietnam War
• Tuesday. Discussions with Senator Claire Moore and learnt how the Senate works.
• Wednesday. Had his picture taken with Senator Pauline Hanson and noted it was the 30th anniversary of the opening of Parliament house, saw the National Library, the war museum and Duntroon College.
• Thursday. They had to prepare a 90 second speech. (SEE example below) He got to see the institute of sport and met his local Member of Parliament, Honorable Richard Marles and saw question time in the House of Representatives.
• Friday. Saw the USA embassy and went to the Foreign Affairs Department and met the Honorable Julie Bishop.
• Saturday with a heavy heart he returned home but carried some amazing memories and a great education on politics.

• Awarded Order of Australia in 2017. (Emphasis by editor)
• An active member of Zonta International for 35 years.
• Ran a successful public relations company for thirty years.
• Founder of Laughter Clubs Victoria Inc.
• Founder of Geelong Region Cancerians.
• Spoke of the importance of FUN as expressed in laughter.
• Our first successful communication with someone is a smile, the precursor of laughter
• Laughter raises serotonin and endorphin levels within us. (The happy hormones)
• Demonstrated some exercises to induce the endorphins by leading laughter in a group..
• Explained how it is useful for cancer survivors to involve themselves with this activity.
• Mentioned that she is in demand in the corporate sector to encourage group-think and team building.
• Phillipa responded to a number of questions from the meeting.
   

Tom Boardman

• One of 200 students interested in STEM
• Many exciting activities, exciting students with unusual hobbies, energetic supervisors and enlightening lecturers and tutors.
• Welcoming lecture from Dr Brian Schmidt — Nobel Laureate for detecting Dark Matter.
• Visited RAIJIN — Canberra’s Super Computer.
• Lots of entertainments and fun
• Confirmed his goal to study Engineering
• Made many friends that he will cherish.

Johanna Fischer

• On arrival the SIZE of Australia is difficult to appreciate. The many countries of Western Europe occupy a total space of about 60% of Australia.
• Contrasting weather between countries; no freezing temperatures or snow here and 25 degrees plus in Germany is a heat wave.
• Missing good Bread & Cheese. And Vegemite is NOT like Nutella!
• Difficult to understand the jargon and slang despite a good knowledge of English. (e.g. Tea meaning Dinner)
• School is different; no uniforms in Germany.
• Strong emphasis on pastoral care in school here with continual encouragement to be a leader.
• The mini safari was during the recent very hot weather and much emphasis was placed on water based activities; swimming, canoeing, boating.
• Visited Warrnambool, Mt Gambier, Cape Bridgewater, Port Campbell, The Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
• Many of the International students on the trip have agreed to attend a reunion later this year in Denmark (after they return).

Anthony Zanghi

Claire O’Callaghan

Combined meeting with The Rotary Club of East Geelong

 

Vanda Iwanowski and Rosy Harris

• What makes a hero
• How can we train heroes
• How do we build self-awareness and insight?
• How do we prepare for heroic adventures?
• How do we build the right mid sets for action?
• How do we overcome the bystander effect?
• How can mindfulness help us to be more present and aware of opportunities for action?

• Youth (including Suicide Prevention) and
• Suicide Prevention

• Rotary Youth Exchange. Our district has sponsored approximately 20 students per year for 50 years — 1,000 students have seen Australia and taken home their new views and experiences.
• Vocational Training Teams. One or two teams of about six to ten have been hosted here each year
• Rotary Peace Scholarships. Each year students are supported at a University to study Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Presently we have a Rwandan student studying in Queensland. She will be at District Conference in April.

Deidre Herbert — End Trachoma 2020

• A Support Group that meets monthly and provides a caring social opportunity for patients and carers
• Small financial grants up to $500 to assist families and patients
• Household help e.g. gardening and working bees
• Separate Annual Retreats for Women and Men attracting patients and carers from all Australia.

1. Changes in Volunteerism.
2. Responses to the volunteerism changes within Rotary Clubs.
3. The Pillars of Rotary.

• There has been an increase in Digital Volunteering (online) where (potential) volunteers are able to locate opportunities that interest them, donate funds and approach organisations to volunteer per se.
• There has been a rise in the number of people seeking opportunities that require volunteers with specific skills that match their own skills.
• There has been an increase in workplace-base volunteering. This enhances team-building and professional development within the group at the workplace.
• Cause-based volunteerism has attracted more interested people. Persons responding to this call for volunteers are less likely to be attracted-by or become interested-in the organisation than the activity targeting the Cause.
• Some people become Episodic Volunteers; they dip-in and dip-out of activities or discussions. They are not interested in regular attendance as represented by the classic Rotary model for a Club.
• In summary: Rotary has to offer more meaningful and more flexible roles to volunteers

Guest Speaker Magret Stowers, Researcher from Queenscliffe Historical Museum

Danny Keating

Melinda Hopper

• Two Opportunity Shops — providing retail training and experience and free goods to the needy
• A second hand furniture store — experience and training for the staff in retail skills and restoration skills
• Recycling business — dissembling bulk white goods for resale
• Catering service — an important client base is the clients of the NDIS.
• Farming operation — growing and selling fruit and vegetables
• A training service for skills — some students can attract a government subsidy but many are receiving training in simple life skills that we take for granted among the able population.
• An employment service

The Working Bee

Jo White (Minister for Fun)

Jane Myers and Telsa Stubna

District Governor - Stephen Lamont

Bond: 'The name's Bond. James Bond.'

Fire Captain: 'Yeah, and I'm Dick Tracy and you're still under arrest.'

Pres Daryll welcomed us to his workplace and introduced the Store Manager Joseph Dalziel.

Joseph Dalziel

TYPES of TILES

TRADE SHOP

• Always call triple zero (000) in an emergency — use hands-free.
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combines mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and cardiac compressions to deliver oxygen and artificial circulation to an unresponsive person until medical help arrives.
• Cardiac or chest compressions are the priority in CPR. If you don’t want to do mouth-to-mouth, chest compressions alone may still be life-saving.
• CPR is a life-saving skill that everyone should learn.
• This printed information is not a substitute for proper CPR training by an accredited trainer.

JO WHITE — Barwon Health Volunteer Patient Transport

CAMERON PIKE — Youth Without Borders.

Pres. Judy presented a cheque to Cameron on behalf of the Club.

Cameron explained that Youth Without Borders is an international Not-For-Profit organisation supported worldwide by numerous philanthropic organisations including ROTARY INTERNATIONAL and partnerships with many industrial and manufacturing companies.

In Australia YWB is focused in introducing the concept of Tertiary Education as a possibility for advancement to disadvantaged secondary school students including those from rural, indigenous and refugee backgrounds.

In July this year they will hold their second annual SPARK ENGINEERING CAMP — a week of education and experimentation to inspire the invited children to work as a team and be interested in an outcome — and to predict that outcome — for a procedure that they have devised to solve a problem. WEB ADDRESS www.youthwithoutborders.com.au

EMILY KINROSS SMITH — RC Bayside Geelong Candidate for NYSF in 2017.

Emily attends Oberon HS and does all the science subjects.

She is interested in Science and looking forward to proceed past the District Selection Process in July and attend National Youth Science Forum in January at ANU Canberra.

She is a successful athlete especially in Cross-Country Running and enjoys her attendance at Venturer Scouts.

She is interested in music (playing) and photography. We wish her well at the Selections.

ALEX KINROSS SMITH

Alex was our NYSF candidate at ANU two years ago.

Today he is studying Electronic Communication and Computer Engineering at RMIT.

All strength to Rotary for helping start this journey.

• Their primary area of operations is West of Ghazeepore Rd and South of Mt. Duneed Road
• They attend fires in other areas to support nearby brigades.
• The have two Tankers; one owned by CFA and one by the station. It is intended to replace the latter in 2020.
• Each Tanker holds 3,000 litres of water — filled at all times ready to Turn Out.
• The Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is provided by CFA as is much of the equipment in the CFA-owned truck. Supplementary equipment is purchased by the Brigade.
• They have at least three modes of communication: Pagers by Telstra, UHF radio channel for local communication and UHF radio to CFA headquarters or incident-control centre(s).
• Sometimes they are joined by other brigades to form a five-unit Strike Team to attend to an incident.
• The Tankers can be refilled in three to five minutes from a lake or dam using a Quick-Fill pump or from a hydrant — of which there are few in their primary area.
• They are required to raise funds to pay for the brigade’s own resources including the second Tanker.
• Currently they are raising $5,000 to $6,000 to erect a hose drying pole at the rear of the station. They are about half-way in this endeavour.
• It will be a concrete ex-Powercor pole 16-17m high fitted with an electric pulley system. This will enable the brigade to dry and drain 30metre hoses quickly so they can repack them ready to Turn Out.
• Membership has decreased recently to 12 operational members. It is their goal to attract more members next Financial Year.
• A recent membership drive in the Grovedale area (albeit outside their primary area) did not yield any results.
• However a Deakin University student has grasped the challenge and is now their Communications Officer. It his hopeful he will attend Officer Training and graduate successfully.
• The brigade answers 30 to 40 call per year. They Turn Out for every local road accident, grass and scrub fires and some false alarms. Large fires like at Lorne last Christmas season consumed many resources over many days but counted only as one call.
• When interstate Fire teams require support the CFA promises the requested number of Strike Teams from a determined number of Regions. Then the members volunteer to join the Strike Teams on the interstate trip either singly or as a brigade — at very short notice.
• The staff then showed RC members over one of the Tankers (Freshwater Creek – 1) explaining the role of each equipment piece.

Maureen O'Keefe

After a delicious dinner of Rice, Vegetable curry and Dahl we were treated with an eloquent and informative address from Maureen O’Keeffe — Support Services Manager (and acting co-manager) of Diversitat.

Diversitat is a non-profit organisation promoting harmony, cultural diversity and social diversity in our society.

It was founded by The Geelong Ethnic Communities Council during the 1950’s to cater for post-war immigrants to Australia.

It operates 11 sites in Geelong and Colac with outreach services to Ballarat.

Lately much of its resources have been directed to Asylum Seekers and Refugees resident in the area.

There are about 60 million displaced persons and refugees in the world of which about 250 find their way to Geelong each year — and half of those are under 25 years old.
 

Lena

Yayoi

Ground Floor & Mezzanine:

Main Entrance, news lounge, technology, exhibitions and café.

Level 1:

Dedicated children’s & youth floor.

Level 2:

Large print and audiobooks, magazines, multimedia, non-fiction, meeting and discussion rooms.

Level 3:

Heritage reading room, regional archives, local & family history & history reference collection.

Level 4:

Staff Administration. Headquarters of the GRLC.

Level 5:

Major Events

Ms Kimberley Rice

Mr David Wardell

Ms Jenny Naughtin

Days for Girls

Had no power in huts, so no electronic devices.

Purpose of Exchange was:

A Mini Fundraiser for Hat Day.

What is the BBBS program ??

Who needs a BBBG ??

What is a BBBS ??

How much time will it take ??

How do I get Involved ??

Phil was born and bred in Lara 7th of 8 children. He is married to Karen with 2 kids Ben & Jenna. Jenna is also a member of Bayside Rotary Club and an ex exchange student.

Phil is a Qualified Plumber who now works as a Project Manager for D&E Air conditioning, currently working on VCCC the new cancer hospital in Parkville.

Joined Rotary in 2010 after Bayside had sponsored Jenna on Youth Exchange Spent 6 months in Antarctica as a maintenance plumber

He is the Incoming Chairman of 9780 Youth Exchange Committee.

Phil spoke about the current project he is working on which is the new cancer hospital in Parkville known as the VCCC (Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre).

It is a 1 billion dollar state of the art Hospital, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. D&E Air conditioning (My Employer) have a 100 million contract to install the air conditioning and ventilation to the facility.

It is a 20 floor building, 14 floors above ground and 6 under. 4 floors underground parking, the 1 floor back of house offices maintenance etc. 1 floor radiography bunkers and offices, ground floor reception retail. 1st floor accommodation for relatives of patients, levels 2-6 clinical floors, wards, theaters, etc. level 7 plant room. Due for completion later this year, open for patients June 2016.

Phil was able to show us a video of the site being built.

Click here to see the videos

Fundraising

Require Volunteers for 2 BBQ next Weekend 1st and 2nd May.

Friday 1st May is the Vines Road Community Market (Under Cover) Hours 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. All facilities provided by community centre. We are just required to supply the meat and onions.

Saturday 2nd May is the Torquay Safeway BBQ 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers required.

Community

Saturday 2nd May is the Torquay Safeway BBQ 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers required.

Membership and PR and Fun

A pop up Rotary Banner will be purchased so we can use at all our events leading to greater community awareness of our club.

Blood bank 5:15 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. 9th June is reserved for Bayside RC. Need to make your own booking.

Lauren and Cassie aborted their holiday and hope of work in the UK, to follow a calling at Sienreap Village, 60 Kilometers from Phnom Phen, where their search for a coffee hit led them to starting a cafe, sourcing local coffee beans and providing work. Their profits help to educate local girls.

Hearts to Harmony is a Non-Government Organization (NGO) based in Siem Reap,Cambodia. Their aim is to enhance the lives of individuals in pursuit of studying and creating a healthy and safe environment for them.

They provide education scholarships from primary schooling through to university studies.

Their outreach program consists of regular health workshops, assistance with dental care, and monthly food packages to all our families in rural Siem Reap.

See Also:www.heartstoharmony.org

No meeting this week but instead a “Cricket Team of 12”gathered at the Lara Sports Club for a social night and some fine food.

The chef was no other than the Incoming President of Lara Rotary Club Chris Kinley.

Thank you Chris for the great meals.

President Judy introduced Chairman Peter Kavenagh who in turn introduced Dr Mark Kavenagh
from Australian Volunteers International. (AVI)

Mark was educated at Belmont High School, Melbourne Uni (Major in Psychology) Monash
Uni (Post Grad) then back to Melbourne University for a Doctrate in Psychology (Education).

Currently Mark works as the Child Protection Advisor within AVI.
Involved in over 25 countries in world from Africa to South East Asian Region.

It can be a 6 mth – 2 Year Placement. Voluntary Involvement, however airfares and Visa costs as well as living expenses and accommodation allowance is provided. 24 Hour Health and Emergency Support is also provided.

AVI is closely associated with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

As an AVI volunteer you will require:

• Qualifications or relevant experience within your area of expertise
• A desire to help develop the capabilities and skills of others.
• Respect for different cultures
• A willingness to listen, and learn from other people.
• The ability to adapt to changing situations.
• Resourcefulness resilience, flexibility and a sense of humour.

If you apply be prepared to go through an extensive interview process. As a volunteer you will contribute to positive change.

For further information see the website: www.australianvolunteers.com
Mark’s presentation concluded with many questions being asked. This showed the level of interest by members and guests.

DISTRICT 9780 CONFERENCE – MARYBOROUGH Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd March 2015

Last weekend 4 Bayside Geelong Rotarians and their partners took up the invitation to “Take the Journey to light Up Our World” when they attended the 2015 District 9780 Conference which was held at Maryborough and was hosted by the Rotary Club of Maryborough.

Throughout the weekend we were challenged to not only take the physical journey to Maryborough, but to also take the inner journey, to prepare ourselves to light up the four aspects of our Rotary “World”.

Mr. Paul Kearns Principle Urologist at Barwon Health and surgeon.

Paul gave an interesting talk with PowerPoint Display on the Men’s Health Topic of prostate cancer.

All men 50 and over should at least have the PSA Blood test and the at least once every 3 years.

Just because you may have a higher reading does not mean you have prostate cancer.

Higher reading could be as a result of an infection.

Men should go to the Doctor immediately they have any worrying symptoms “down there” as most of the time it is not cancer. If it is cancer then the earliest that cancer detected the better chance of it being treated and cured.

Chairman Phil Quick introduced Alex Kinross-Smith our student who we sponsored to attend the NYSF in Canberra in 2nd week of January 2015.

Alex felt it was a great preparation for VCE and University.

The highlights of his experience were

The Opening Ceremony,

"Curiosity is one of the best traits of humans."

He studied fossils and had Scientists speak about them.

Also He had dinner with these same scientists and had the opportunity to speak with them one on one over dinner. It opened eyes to wider career choices within science such as Engineers, Archaeologists and IT Scientists.

Companies such as CSIRO were represented. This most impress me - a CSIRO employee!

Some of these sessions were in the Canberra Science dome which was a wonderful setting for the young mind.

President Judy also mentioned that was one in a long line of Students that Bayside has sponsored to attend the NYSF.

No guest speaker this week but a hands on exercise for “Days for Girls”. Telsa made us form a production line and began assembling fully completed “Kits”. I believe about 20 kits were completed in the 20 minutes.

This delightful gathering began with a warm welcome from Telsa, always the perfect hostess. A lovely selection of entrees was provided with lots of happy chat and a “punch” or two.

We continued on to the Furlan’s, only “500” metres down the road. Burchie wanted to know who did the measuring! The Furlan family welcomed us to their beautiful home. They had prepared a lovely main meal for us, Steak Diane, Sri Lankan Chicken curry and accoutrements.

After dinner Mark and Nicole told us about the plans to bring a group of 30 youngsters, (the HME Zimbabwe Choir) to Victoria for a “musical” tour. Club members were able to offer lots of advice on handling the tour.

Our final stop was at the Kavenagh's. We were welcomed by a large clan of cats. President Judy cut the cake in honour of Rotary International’s 110th birthday. A lovely selection of desserts were on offer to members.

Some Rotarians were seen raiding the snake bowl and contorting their faces for some while after. A wonderful evening of fellowship and fun for all. Many thanks to our hosts and hostesses.

President Judy asked us to consider our Action Plan.

Fill in parts of the form during our committee meeting and in particular our committee’s goals.

We then gathered in our committees and discussed our future plans for this Rotary year.

REPORTS:

Phil Quick YOUTH.

Working on hosting a Inbound Exchange Student to be shared with another Rotary Club.

NYSF, RYLA and RYPEN all being investigated.

Daryll Webb Community & Vocational.

Easter Egg hunt on 5th April at Bellarine Estate Winery.

Barwon Health require helpers. If able to volunteer then please advise Daryll ASAP.

David Fisher ROTARY FOUNDATION.

Goals for the year are as per our Club’s Rotary Handbook Page 12.

Some fundraising is being planned to support goals.

Simon Empson Membership and Fundraising.

Goals as per the handbook are sound.

Ken who spoke of his experiences over a 1 month Rotary Trip to Kenya

Ken a member of the RC of Vernon British Columbia in Canada is a photojournalist, married with 2 children and some grandchildren who now lives an énviable nomadic’ life of 6 months of the year in Canada and 6 months in Australia.

Due to his academic, and physical background, Ken was invited to go on a month long Rotary Trip to Kenya to act as the videographer, photojournalist and computer technician; a trip which was to check on past Rotary projects and to set up some computer labs and libraries in schools and also look into future projects.

Ken taught us that JAMBO was Swahili for Hello.

First project was to load operating systems on lab computers. If the computers do not work then they are broken down and recycled. Even the plastics are used to make fence posts. Nothing is wasted.

Ken then visited a University and noted many of the books in the library were donated by Rotary.

A visit to OI Pejeta which is a non-profit wildlife conservancy in Kenya supporting endangered species, tourism and community outreach. Then on to a boarding school where only some of the kids had mattresses on their beds. By the time Ken left he had ensured that all beds had mattresses.

Phil is a local resident who has 6 children and 14 grandchildren. He has 46 years of experience as a Primary and Secondary school teacher. Phil is a member of Lions and started the “Men’s Shed” in Leopold.

Phil is big on making every day count and has paddled the Murray River each year for 10 years, participated in marathons, Lorne Pier to Pub and in 2012 aged in his early 70’s walked the Kokoda track.

Phil went with Australian Kokoda Tours a company run by an ex student of his Michael O’Malley.

Phil spoke of the experience in preparation for the walk, participation and the ultimate achievement of completing the walk. Phil also told us that the Geelong police through their community programs had taken some youths who were at risk on the Kokoda walk with great success in changing their lives. He reminded us that the Police were always looking for funding for these programs and any donations would be welcome.

Further information for anyone interested can be obtained from the website
www.australiankokodatours.com.au

President Judy spoke about the successful combined meeting with Torquay Rotary Club.

Thanks to John Spiteri for all the work he has done on the car raffle.

Thanks to Telsa for her work on the “Days for Girls”. The packs will be soon sent overseas.

The Club’s proposed Vision and Mission statements were displayed on the overhead display.

President Judy and the board have put in a lot of work with the Visioning and Mission statements.  Also there were a template of Club Prioities for the meeting to examine and digest.  

More to follow

Committees again set their priorities  for the remainder of the Rotary Calendar year.

A highlight will be the arrival of the Zimbabew youth concert tour in August

The tour is called the Hakuna Matata Experience - More to follow

Ride the Ballarine on Sunday 19th April is becoming exciting.

What a great night Bayside Geelong and Torquay RC's had last Tuesday night, for their Annual Get together at Brian Burch’s property at Bellbrae. Thank you Brian for your hospitality.

The weather was perfect, for a change, and the evening was well supported by both clubs. The friendly cricket match was quite entertaining, with Torquay, narrow winners by 2 runs.

The pizzas made by a friend of Bayside RC, Frank Iannuzzi, were enjoyed by all. Pizzas were followed by lots of delicious desserts prepared by both clubs. A big thank you to those people who brought the desserts from both clubs.

It would have been great to have had a few more auction items, but the ones brought along netted over $200, which was a good effort. Thank you to all who donated items.

The total funds raised on the night was $500, coming from the night fee, Auction and coin toss at the bottle. This was a great result and will be most beneficial to the Freshwater Creek Fire Brigade, to purchase much needed equipment.  Many thanks to members of both Clubs for supporting the evening and we look forward to our next get together in 2016, when Torquay Rotary Club will be the hosts.

Yours in Rotary Service

Judy Beasley
President RC Bayside Geelong

HAWAIIAN NIGHT

A very enjoyable evening was had by all who attended, on the 16^th December 2014, when we held our Hawaiian Night, as our last meeting for 2014.

Everyone looked very colourful with their hawaiian shirts, dresses and leis. The most colourful shirt award would have to go Darryl!!!! Well done. Many thanks must go to Phil and Karen Quick for opening their home to us and thank you to all, for the delicious meats, salads and desserts we indulged in.

It was also wonderful to see Jo and David call by and join in with us. You are so positive Jo, and we are all thinking of you and wish you well.

Well done to everyone who was able to attend and help out at the COGG Workers and Families Christmas Party. Food preparation and serving of the food all worked like clockwork, thanks to the hard working volunteers and the excellent organisation by John V. and Brian B.  It is a big effort for a small club, and once again, the Bayside Team pulled together and did it well. We have had some very positive feedback from the COGG saying they were very pleased with the assortment, quality of food and serving. So well done everybody!!!!!

ROMAC has been in operation for over 25 years. Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to run this Rotary program that encompasses all the Districts of Australia and New Zealand. Assisted by many eminent Australian and New Zealand surgeons who generously donate their time free for the treatment of our patients, this humanitarian program has provided over 350 children from more than 20 developing countries with urgent medical treatment that has given them new hope.
Lesley reminded us of the important work done by ROMAC provided some updated facts on the work they are involved with. The patients are in the age range from 0 to 15 years and have medical issues which in some cases have caused them to be shunned by families. ROMAC is totally funded by Rotary and in 2013 funded treatment of 47 new patients.
The support is provided by ROMAC with funding, the medical staff who are on a pro bono basis, and also volunteer host families and drivers transporting patients while in Australia.
The treatment provided by this important Rotary funded program is not only life saving and changing but also restores dignity to many patients.
Simon thanked Lesley for her presentation which was well received judging by the many questions from the audience.
For further information please refer to the website. http://www.romac.org.au

Peter Kavenagh introduced our outbound Exchange Student Joe Kelly.
Joe presented his power point presentation on Australia. It was a very comprehensive info
session on Australia, full of statistical information.
All in attendance learned something about Australia and certainly the Rotary Clubs in
Germany will also.
Do you know that 90% of Australian iron ore is exported ??? The Nullarbour Golf course is
1495 Kilometres in length ????
Joe hopes to learn a new language while he is away and to discover the real Germany and
not the tourist version.
Joe departs for Germany on 16th January 2015. We wish him all the best for his youth
exchange adventure.

This evening was a working bee for Days for Girls project.

Telsa had us all organised with jobs ranging from cutting out material, tracing shapes and sewing.

It was a very successful night with a lot of work being done.

Thank you to all who attended including our guests who came well prepared. Some photos below showing the activity and even some of the men discovering some hidden talents.

Thanks again go to Brian Burch for allowing us to enjoy the surrounds of his beautiful garden while at the same time enjoying the warmth of the bonfire in what turned out to be a lovely relaxing evening with members and guests enjoying some self catered salads and desserts.

Many members and guests got in to the spirit of the evening with a variety of hats worn to mark the occasion.

A special thanks go Brian Burch for preparing and lighting the fire, John Virgona for his words of advice and Daryll Webb for his supervision.

DG Geoff was our keynote speaker and delivered a presentation on “27 Steps to Rotary Enlightenment”
DG Geoff and Meryl also educationally entertained us with a song "I am, You are, We are Rotarians". It was an excellent rendition and enjoyed by all.
Meryl James then spoke of the Rotary Aquabox as her Rotary project to support for the year her husband Geoff is District Governor. President Judy thanked Meryl and on behalf of the Club presented her with a cheque for Aquabox for $1,000.

President Judy Beasley opened the meeting, introduced herself and welcomed everyone to the Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart Awards 2014.  This day is also a celebration for Light Up Rotary Day.

On the tables you will find some brochures and information outlining some of the wonderful work that Rotarians do. The RC Bayside Geelong is one of 34,000 clubs around the world, with over 1 million Rotarians working together whilst having fun, to make the world a better, safer and healthier place. Rotary International’s Major project has been the Eradication of Polio from the World. Through our hard work and diligence, we are now only a few years away from eradicating polio for good – we are so close

Chairman of Community and Vocational Committee Daryll Webb to introduce our first speaker Dr John Oswald OAM who spoke to us about the work of Interplast.  Dr Oswald provided a presentation of the wonderful work he and the volunteers had achieved via Interplast over the last 30 + Years. (Click Link)

The award recipient was then announced

Augustino Moedu was a very proud and humble recipient of the award and said it gave him recognition for all the struggles he had, firstly in the refugee camps and then establishing himself again when he arrived in Geelong. Now working at Diversitat he is a dedicated employee and worthy ambassador of the Karen Community

The Transport Accident Commission(TAC) have been supporting RC of Bayside Geelong as the proud sponsor of this award for some years and Hamish Heard said that the TAC was very proud to be able to support this award as their contribution to the worthy recipients.

President Judy on behalf of RC of Bayside Geelong extended sincere thanks to TAC for their sponsorship and continued support for years to come.

You are travelling on plane from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv on El Al airlines. Aboard the plane there are Jewish people going home.
It is just before Passover when they will clean out their houses. In the hotels the whole building is cleaned including the kitchen and all the food is cleaned out and restocked.
For us there is apprehension. We are going to a new land. Our flight has been delayed and we hope that we can have enough sleep to catch with our tour group in Tel Aviv.
When we land what do we see? We see a land of contrasts. From the beach such as that at Joppa or the Jordan River, the sea of Galilee, the wilderness region which is now been able to produce food such as the sweetest tomatoes, or the Dead Sea.

Margaret said that the Breast Screen clinic is there to promote awareness and the screening of potential breast cancer patients.
Cancer is caused by abnormal cell growth of which the most common is breast cancer.
It cannot be prevented but if caught in early stages it can be controlled and in many cases cured. It begins in the ducts and nodules of the breast.
Statistics show that 1 in every 8 Australian women will get breast cancer. 75% of women are over 50.
Early detection is best. Any changes in the breasts need to be diagnosed and investigated.
Ways of protecting against having breast cancer is to maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise and limit alcohol consumption.

It was our privilege tonight to hear from our own member Murray MacDonald who shared with us his interesting life journey since retiring in late 2012. This journey has taken Murray to several countries around the world and involved both work and pleasure.

This was the first part and installment of his retirement.  Covering work in Perth and Canada so for him retirement looks like more work.

We connected by skype with our new gen friend Taona Nyasha Muchochomi in Zimbabwe. It has been some time since Nash returned to Zimbabwe. He is currently working in sports management as well as doing some volunteer work in the local community. Nash is pleased with the results of the Shungu art show held on 5th September in Geelong. The proceeds from the sale of artworks will be donated to charities in Zimbabwe.

We were all very pleased to talk again with Nash however despite repeated attempts By our resident IT experts the Skype connection was poor quality and we had to discontinue our conversation. Nash is hoping to return to Geelong in about two years to continue his career in Australia.

Presentation Alex Kinross-Smith - National Youth Science Forum student

Alex told us that he is studying science subjects at Oberon High School and is also studying Mandarin on Saturday mornings. He is interested in science as he likes to know how and why things work. Alex said that the forum will give him the opportunity to mix with other like minded people and provide a broader outlook which will help with his career ideas.

We congratulate Alex on his selection and look forward to hearing from him when he returns from the Forum.

Presentation by Tony McManus Chairman Headspace (Barwon)
headspace Barwon provides health services tailored to young people aged 12 to 25, offering support with: General Health, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drugs, Sexual Health and Employment support.
Headspace Barwon provides young people with access to GP’s, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Counsellors, Occupational Therapists, Youth Workers, and Education and employment specialists.

Due to increased demand for services and insufficient government funding the headspace Barwon Fund has been established to assist Headspace Barwon to deliver youth friendly support and services to young people in the local Barwon region.

Tony’s presentation was very informative and provided a valuable insight into the services provided in the community by Headspace and the need for additional funding.

President Judy thanked Tony for his presentation and gave him a cheque for $1,000 from Rotary Club of Bayside Geelong for the Headspace Barwon Fund.

Rotary Banner Quiz

Telsa organised a quiz based on the many banners the Club had received over the years. There were many different styles and types of banners which created plenty of discussion amongst members. The winner of the quiz was our newest member Jenna Quick. Congratulations Jenna.

Thank you to Telsa for sewing all the banners and running the quiz.

Warren provided a very succinct presentation regarding the new Rotary “Club Visioning Process”. By the number of questions it was very thought provoking and something for further discussion at Club level.

Below is an extract from the website which explains the process.

Extract from Website

The visioning process is designed to help a Rotary club create its own vision and to discover for itself the steps necessary to achieve that vision. The result is unique to each club because this is not a vision decided by the Rotary District or by Rotary International. The result is a vision designed and endorsed by the club’s own members.

Carol presented us with the background of the “Days for Girls” project and her involvement with a number of other  volunteers aiming to fulfil the goals of “Days for Girls”

Carol gave us a demonstration of making the kits and explained how we could either be involved as an independent group, or as part of an existing group of ladies supporting the project .

Days for Girls was founded in 2008, when Executive Director Celeste Mergens prepared to travel back to Kenya to continue working with orphanages and communities in the wake of great political and economic upset. One night she awoke with a burning question: “Have you asked what the girls are doing for feminine hygiene?” When she asked the assistant director of the orphanage she was working with,  the answer was shocking: “Nothing. They wait in their rooms.” 

Anam Cara House assists people of all ages for respite care, short term care and end of life care.

It was established by Diane Wright when she saw that people preferred a home life environment to spend their last days.

However this was not possible in some homes due to expert care required and there is no respite for the carer. So due to the assistance of Father Dillon, Anam Cara House was established in the St Mary’s Parish House Geelong. Now five years later, Anam Cara House continues to providing broad-based, non-denominational care in a home environment.

The management consists of a board of 9 with Lloyd Gosling as chair. It has a small group of paid staff and approximately 80 volunteers who undergo special training in palliative care. 

The house not only caters for residents which are known as guests but also provides a place of respite for the families caring for a loved one.

We at the Rotary Club of Bayside Geelong also concur and as a result President Judy presented a cheque for $500 as a contribution towards  the marvellous work of Anam Cara.

Dan Charles spoke to us about the three week long venture called Run to Better Days 2014. This is a three week program based in Melbourne which aims to generate action towards the fight to end global poverty.

Over the three week period their team of young athletes will speak to schools, universities and community organisations about we, as members of an affluent society can do about the problem of extreme poverty. The “Run” aspect of the event involved a team of runners , running in a relay format, the entire 264 kilometres around Port Phillip Bay – in one day.

The Run To Better Days aims to :-

1. Raise $20,000 for both “The Malaria Foundation (AMF) and “Medecins Sans Frontieres “
Doctors Without Borders (DWB).

2. Challenge young people throughout Australia to consider that we as a developed nation
can and should do more for the world’s poorest people.

www.runtobetterdays.com

<p>Sarah introduced us to Salamanca Primary School last year and gave us a brief introduction to the school again telling us where it was; the island of Negros which is a boat trip from Cebu one of the main cities in the Philippines. </p> <p>Sarah then pointed out that since then the principal had “passed away” from Hepatitis D.  Because her <em>field is virology she was able to reassure the community of the safety of continuing to keep the school</em> open as it was not a readily contagious disease.  She had some photos of the new school principal.</p> <p>Sarah had a photo of her along with our box of books and supplies that was sent last year and conveyed the absolute delight that staff expressed with its arrival.  Although delivering a volley ball without a volleyball net was an oversight. </p> <p>                      </p>

Our guest speaker Jonathon Clarke from the Geelong Food Bank gave an interesting presentation on the work of the Geelong Food Bank outlining the increase in demand on their ever stretched resources to satisfy their client needs. The Food Bank is currently supplying food to a number of welfare agencies as well as schools for those in need. The demand is forever increasing with their biggest issues being funding and warehouse space for the food received for distribution.

Jonathon moved to Geelong from Melbourne over 4 years ago, and was involved in public awareness campaigns and marketing.

Did you know that 85,000 meals are provided each day in Melbourne, for those that are homeless and hungry. Unlike Melbourne, the situation in Geelong is underground and is not visible unless you have a discerning eye.

With these qualifications Jonathon is more than qualified to take on the Geelong Food Bank. The Food Bank began through providing breakfast meals for school students. Jonathon  set up a breakfast program at Whittington Primary School. Now the program provides a 2 course meal for breakfast, fruit for morning tea, a 3 course meal for lunch and the students are then given vouchers so they can be given food to take home for tea. Apart from the breakfast program at schools Jonathon also provides food at the Outpost and sometimes cooks there as well. The Outpost is now at the Geelong Bus Terminal. People are seated on café style seating and many are outside waiting for meals. Unfortunately, there are no cooking facilities there so the food has to be cooked elsewhere and then brought in and reheated.

Telsa welcomed Sharon who is a former member of our club to talk about her personal experience with GLBT.

Sharon began her talk by introducing us to her family- good healthy boys all growing up within the family all doing things that children do.  Play, study, talk, sport and more.  Her main point and a chilling point was that our government will not let one of her children marry the person of their choice.  It was emotional.

Sharon went on to talk about one of her son’s “coming out” and letting her know the anguish that he had experienced and the realisation that if he chooses a partner who is of the same sex then he would not be able to marry that person.  There cannot be a marriage or a public recognition of that event.  Why? Because it is illegal to marry a person who is deemed to be of the same sex.

Sharon’s point was to highlight that one’s sexuality was not a choice, that it is something that is innate in a person

Sharon encouraged us all to approach our local Member for Parliament to express our support for equality in marriage.  She believes if enough people do that then it will influence or hasten the right of a person to select and marry the person of their choosing.

She also believes this is a basic Humanitarian Right.

Bayside Geelong Rotary Club’s recent Changeover dinner was fairly jumping with special awards!  Well done to all members for throwing your weight behind the many programs you’ve partaken of this year and thank you to DG Ken McInerney for the awards.

• 2013-14 PRESIDENTIAL CITATION for actively working to Engage Rotary, Change Lives

The club needed to participate in 3 categories of projects with at least 3 activities in each, by the end of March. We qualified with distinction by having 4 or more activities in each.

• 2013-14 ROTARY CLUB CENTRAL AWARD

For setting strategic goals to Engage Rotary, Change Lives this year and in years to come. Goals needed to be placed on Club Central; explained, costed and manpower hours calculated. At least 15 were needed by the end of May and as we are a small club and do many activities and projects with 100% member assistance, it wasn’t an arduous task.

• SPECIAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD:

I wish to acknowledge the work done by all of our members, and I’ve attempted to make reference to that each week. But there’s one lady whose enthusiasm, commitment and devotion to all things Rotary, has really shone this year:

• She’s a delivery person for Bowelscan

• She has been on the Board for the Careers Expo for many years

• She’s involved with ‘Look Good, Feel Better’ – giving a helping hand and a morale

boost to cancer sufferers

• Through Nutrimetics she’s involved with the E3 group – Enlighten, Empower, Educate, very similar ideals to Rotary’s

• We all know how she loves to organise activities and fun times within Rotary, and she’s just done that with the very successful ladies membership drive last weekend

• She’s a PP, PHF and Five Avenues of Service Citation recipient

Jo said to me once “Other than family and work, Rotary’s my other love”.

She makes me feel very humble.

Telsa Stubna

Club Assembly

President  Telsa  acknowledged  Dan’s  frequent  updates on the RI convention and encouragement for members of the club to attend (Thanks Dan) The Bayside Rotary Club  had  a  great  attendance  with  President  Telsa,  PE  Judy,  PP’s  Chris  and Dan plus Peter K and Jane attending. 

Everyone agreed it was an inspiring experience and come back very enthusiastic to move forward in the next Rotary year.    
“What  an  inspiring  time  I  had  at  the  Sydney  Convention.  The  Friendship  Hall  was   bursting with Rotary related exhibits, some of which I thought would be great for Bayside RC to consider.

I really enjoyed helping pack food parcels for the Indigenous communities they were going too and the overseas communities. Dozens of young people  whom  were  also  helping  just  wanted  to  ‘roll  their  sleeves’  and  get  the  job  done- truly inspiring. I did inquire about the possibility of our club being involved in a similar project. 

Some of the National costumes were awesome and I particularly found the information and the project goals of some organisations such as stop hunger now and days for girls particularly interesting and once again something Bayside RC could discuss  and  be  involved  in”

Polio was the highlight at this year's Rotary convention in Sydney, Australia.

First there was the record-breaking climb across the Sydney Harbour Bridge that raised enough money to protect 240,000 kids from polio. On 30 May, two days before the official opening of the convention, 340 participants ascended the bridge, eclipsing the record previously held by Oprah Winfrey for most climbers on the bridge. Waving 278 flags, they also broke the Guinness World Record for most flags flown on a bridge.

Then it was announced that the World's Biggest Commercial, Rotary's public awareness campaign for polio eradication, set a Guinness World Record for largest photo awareness campaign. More than 100,000 people from 170 countries have uploaded their photos, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bill Gates, Archie Panjabi, Jackie Chan, and many more.

But the biggest news was the $101 million pledged to polio eradication. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbottopened the convention on 1 June with a commitment from his government of $100 million to the PolioPlus campaign. Two days later, Sir Emeka Offor, executive vice chair of Chrome Group, announced a $1 million gift to The Rotary Foundation to help end polio.

It all started with the first plenary session

Then the Premier of New South Wales said a few words of encouragement.  It was good to know that he thought enough of Rotary to provide free transport to all participants during the convention.

The Prime Minister then welcomed us and in recoginition of the contribution that Rotary has done for the eradication of Polio and to help complete the task he promised $100 Million Dollars.  This was an amazing surprise and humbling to think that Rotary committed to this project and are very close to achieving this goal.

See Our Photo Gallery

Chairman David introduced our guest Speaker for tonight Rachel Gleeson from the Australian Red Cross.

“This year is the Australian Red Cross century celebrations (1914-2014) and Rachel whom works within the area of community engagement informed us of the interesting history that this wonderful organisation is celebrating.

International Red Cross has been around for 150 years and was originally founded by a Swiss Banker in 1859.

The target of this organisation is to focus on the most vulnerable in our society and throughout the years although the organisations has new ways to help people it has the same motto of ‘people helping people’.

Starting with the horrors of war those many years ago the Australian Red Cross Branch started around World War 1 and in 1920 we saw the first Blood Transfusion service commence.

The three recognisable symbols that we see all around the world- the red cross, the red crescent and the red diamond unites and mobilizes the power of Humanity. Today such as the blood service we see the Australian Red Cross still involved in patient transport,

Telecross (a phone call a day to make sure your OK), and a leader in International Aid throughout the Asia Pacific area.

The Humanitarian is the quarterly magazine of the Australian Red Cross.

Rachel reminded us of the gift of giving blood and shared that 1 in 3 people will need a transfusion of a blood product- with the majority being due to Cancer followed by trauma.”

Thank you Rachel

President Telsa introduced our potential candidate for International outbound Youth Exchange Joe Kelly

Joe introduced himself to club members with a wonderful smile and welcoming manner – living in Highton and attending Belmont High School. Joe also works at a local café in the mornings and plays football with Sth Barwon. Supported by his Dad and sister Joe hopes to go to Switzerland if he is successful and on the weekend travelled to Halls Gap with Phil, Jo and Carlos for the selection weekend at district level.

President Telsa asked Carlos our inbound student from Germany to share his experience of Safari.

'Rock to Reef 2014’ started at in Bordertown with a Western Theme night which was great fun, next day the bus made its way to Coober Pedy where the group stayed underground and visited mine shafts. From here the bus travelled to the Centre where the group climbed Uluru and for Carlos a highlight. Next they travelled to Kings Canyon and then across to the Great Barrier Reef where they snorkelled and saw amazing fish and corals. Great Keppel Island was very relaxing with great food and beautiful scenery. The Gold Coast brought lots of fun at the famous Movie World and the beach was gorgeous. In Sydney the highlight was the meal at the revolving tower restaurant. From here they travelled back to Melbourne- 3 weeks of the best experience so far on his exchange!

“Richard Dove is the Multicultural Liaison Officer of Melbourne West for the Victorian Police and has been in the Police force for over 24 years.

Richard started his presentation with presentation of the many Banners that he had received whilst on the GSE trip in 2007 and this was kindly received by Pres Telsa and the club.

Richard shared stories of many kind people he met whilst away and how these great experiences introduced him to many cultural  practices that were held in high regard in Russia and Siberia which included the customary warm welcoming of guests with Vodka- this ice breaker seemed to be universal all around the country as was the custom of having ‘Sauna’s’.

This bitterly cold climate did not reflect the warmth of the many individuals and Rotarians that shared parts of their professional and family life with him. This experience left Richard with a great respect and understanding of the life and culture in the cities that they stayed. 

Richard now in his work is the first contact to large migrant groups, refugees, asylum seekers and other minority groups whom find themselves in Australia and his work is to smooth the transition of these peoples in many different ways that the Victorian Police Force would be involved. 

Since GSE Richard has worked on some great projects including “Us Karen” which is a book that was launched and has been very successful. Richard’s work continues with this community but he also has been able to focus on his love of writing and was a winner in a Poetry competition and went to the South of France on a writer’s tour. Richard recited his winning poem to us all and we all agreed it was a fabulous poem.” 

Chairman Jo Thanked Richard for such an entertaining presentation.

The RC of Bayside enjoyed a vocational night with a visit to Belmont Library.  We all met at 7 pm and had a warm welcome from Anne Stewart whom hosted our visit and started with a wonderful information session. 

Anne started with the website that is available for all to access and informed us that at Belmont Library there were over 104 thousand members and around 1000 people come thru the Library doors on a daily basis. 

Free Wi- fi access to members is extremely popular as are the many other services using the net.

Anne explained to us the Geelong Library Systems ‘Reading the Future” goals from now to 2017. These include a focus on Literacy and by making the Library inclusive(longer opening hours- outside of business hours), Transforming the way the Library works by increasing skill and bridging technology from the past to the future (including the new Library complex in Geelong City). 

Many of the services are so popular including the Book Club kits, Home Library services, E- Membership, Internet searches for Library items from home computer/devices- with sms to notify when book ready, Collection highlights, In-Library activities and the Family History collection is very popular for researching family trees and history. 

The E – Membership allows huge access and download ability to e-books, audio books, magazines and newspapers like the Geelong Advertiser every Day!

We ended our visit with a comprehensive tour of the Belmont Library with lots of Questions answered by Anne.  Daryll thanked Anne and the club than went out for a Social Dinner.

A meeting with a Difference

Rotary Club of Bayside Geelong go South of the Boarder!

President Telsa welcomed all attending members and guests Karen Quick, Pam Spiteri and Diane Webb.

A great night was held by all at the Taco Bill in Corio street Geelong as meals were prepared members socialised and spent time enjoying the fiesta surroundings. Jo presented Simon and John Spiteri with "choice" for their birthdays! 

A discussion was had on the Christ church community meals roster which will need more commitment from members whilst many will be away attending the Sydney Convention on the 2nd of June. 

A wonderful evening was had by all -full of friendship-fellowship and fun.

Telsa spoke of the many presentations at conference in Bordertown.

 The Hieu Van Le Story.

Mr Hieu Van Le  (AO) Lieutenant Governor of South Australia and Chairman of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC)was inspirational.

Hieu Van Le arrived in Australia in 1977 as one of the “boat people” from Vietnam

Another Story
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Polio "Just this close"

Click more for more details

"Aquabox is a project of RC Eltham. About 240 distributed each year to disaster zones in Australia and overseas. Each has sufficient supplies of activated carbon filters and chlorine sterilising tablets to prepare about 1100 litres of potable water. The 80 litre contents are purified in about 90 minutes.

The boxes are back-filled with other supplies useful in an emergency: tools, rope, a blanket, mosquito net, crockery and cutlery.

There are two variants; the family-box has emergency supplies and the clinical box has extra water clarifying supplies. 

RC Eltham is now investigating the possibility of shipping Aquaboxes prior to disasters to various sites; this would allow for cheaper freight."

Margaret spent one year in Bregenz Austria and described the rural area that she lived. Her host family introduced her to the many foods of which potatoes and Bread were large components. Margaret described the food as “Fantastic” 

Every day she would leave home at 6.30 to start her school day at 8am. 

Some of the many highlights were the chance to go skiing in the Austrian Alps, a visit to Vienna on ANZAC day, ‘Euro’ tour with other students and visiting the famous Disney Castle. 

Margaret shared that having had this experience has now opened up many opportunities for her including the potential to study overseas. 

At the moment even whilst studying her IB program at Kardinia International School she has found the travels have benefited her studies. 

The F Troop - Friendship, Fellowship, Fun and Membership - Jo White

- A flyer will come out to members this week for next meetings program.  This is also a great opportunity to invite any potential members, friends and partners.

- Simon is doing some research into the Barramundi Fish Farm for a potential visit.

Fundraising - John Spiteri

- Please check for your availability for upcoming BBQ’s

Youth - New Generation - Peter Hynes

- Promotion of all our Youth Programs will be organised through out the Geelong Secondary School system.

Vocational - Daryll Webb

- A visit is being confirmed to Belmont Library on the 29th of April but will be confirmed in the coming weeks. 

President Telsa welcomed our guest tonight AG Tony Stewart (RC of Highton) whom spent some time discussing using the Avenue of Service goal tool to assist with identifying the club’s goals for the upcoming Rotary year.

This tool ensures that a balanced service effort by addressing at least one goal for each avenue of service.

AG Tony felt that this gave all members the opportunity to contribute and was happy to answer many of the questions that arose from this discussion.

President Telsa used the website visuals to show us all how this information would be entered and be reflected in our clubs profile.

AG Tony also discussed Literacy month which is March and the partnership between RI and other organisations to the “Dolly Parton Imagination Library”-which organises a sponsorship program that allows access to books to children whom are in circumstances where normally this would not happen.

AG Tony also discussed membership in Rotary and the many changes that this may bring in the future to keep many programs alive. Wonderful examples of this are the Christchurch Meals Program (under PP John Spiteri), RC of Ocean Grove’s Battery Program and the mentoring program which RC of Belmont and the Chamber of Commerce. All of these are fine examples of joining forces.

President Telsa thanked AG Tony and as a club we reviewed the past, current and future goals using the Avenue of Service tool summary. Much discussion was had as members all contributed to this vital planning and evaluating.

Chairman John Virgona introduced our guest Adelle Chenoweth to present her recent trip to South Africa.

Adelle spoke passionately about her time with the children whom were so welcoming and appreciative of the help from 20 Health Science students from Deakin University. 

Involvement included assisting with structuring lessons and offering suggestions in subjects such as sport. Adelle discussed the children’s diet which seemed to lack vegies and fruits but was very high in carbohydrates thus lacking basic nutritional requirements.

It seemed there was much that could be done with the children but it is always dependent of resources and teacher training. Adelle shared how rewarding it was to be able to provide guidance to the teachers and also help in the class room. Adelle thanked RC of Bayside Geelong for the financial donation.

Adelle and many others were able to “buy a plot of land” in Africa for $14.00 to assist the local population- for contribution and further information please go to

http://www.friendsofchintsa.org/buy-a-metre.html

Chairman John Thanked Adelle for her informative presentation.

From all reports the night organised by our F Troop to acknowledge and celebrate Brian Burch’s incredible contribution to Rotary spanning decades was a fabulous night. It was hosted at by Jo and David White’s.

President Telsa presented Brian with a certificate of Appreciation and Recognition for his hard work, reliability and dedication to our Rotary club and Rotary International.

 A “snap shot” of President Telsa’s Presentation speech.

‘Salamanca Elementary School in the Philippines.
Sarah discussed her connection to this isolated village where her mother lived before moving to Australia some 30 years ago.

Over this time Sara’s mother and the family have always supported family and others in the village with regular care packages! Sarah became interested in the small school and was shocked that many children do not go on to complete high school education in this area and many do not attend regularly the primary school campus.

Sara’s goal is to ensure that the children attending receive a ‘quality’ education starting with resources. With the help our club Sara was able to deliver a gift of sporting equipment and some stationary supplies when she visited.

The children and the teachers were overwhelmed with these donations badminton sets, volley balls, football etc.

Sarah passed on the thanks from the school and how much they appreciated the help.

The next project Sara is concentrating on will be books to ensure all the children have exposure to as much resource as possible and will pass on any details in the future.

A beautiful story and a wonderful school judging by the below picures

Community

-Working on confirming dates for our proposed Library visit-still to be confirmed but aiming for late April.

-A food back request has been received and we will invite all involved to come to a meeting to talk with us.

Shine on Awards on May 4th will be held at Kilmore and at this stage Daryll will be going with Michael but any interest in coming please see Daryll.

Fund Raising