Judy's High Tea

Judy's High TeaA Fund raiser for Cancer Research This event went very well, with the support of so many of the members, thank you everyone. Special mention to Rick Brown for joining Ian and helping transform the hall into a garden, with borrowed plants from the Wesley Church Garden. Thanks to Keith Fagg and "Stewie" the caretaker at the church for helping with our hall decorations. We had a very successful day raising approx. $2000+ ![]() |
CoGG Composting - LaraOur Green Queen Andrea informed everyone that last Saturday was the second session of the Protect the Plant Project program. This month was at the COGG Composting site in Lara. What a very interesting morning discovering where the contents of our Green Bins go too, after the truck does its fortnightly pick up at your home. The first stop is to be sorted, yes, I said sorted, I couldn’t believe that my grass clipping and cutting were in need of sorting. Unfortunately some people don’t understand that glass, plastic and fish don’t qualify for green waste and as they say if it doesn't grow, it doesn't go! After sorting it then can be delivered to the compost making facility. ![]() |
Christ Church Free BBQ for the Needy![]() Our Christ Church Free BBQ for the needy was on Monday and work commenced at 3pm, thank you team for giving your time and making a difference to some less fortunate of our community. We feed about 60 guests with many seconds and take-aways as well. It felt good to be able to offer extras and not run out of supplies. Jan, Ruth and Bayside members also ate, and we were each given a chocolate heart from Jan as thanks
|
The Fyansford Paper Mill Tour![]() What a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning. Thank you, Telsa, for organising the Fyansford Paper Mill Tour for our members. I think we all enjoyed hearing the stories and wandering through this remarkable place. Fabulous, so much information about the beginning and the end of the life of the paper mill, when it was closed and production move to Fairfield. We heard about the part it played throughout WW2 and the community it is today. Casual eating plus winery and restaurant.
|
Where do peoples problems start - Lauren Salajan![]() We were very fortunate this past week to have Lauren Salajan as our guest speaker with the topic of WHERE DO THE PROBLEMS START, referring to some of our young people at present. Lauren is a Cyclical phycologist, and at present working with primary school aged children, 5-13 years of age. Many questions and comments through Q&A time and it was obvious the passion that Lauren has for her work. A delightful young mother of 2 herself, Lauren understands the daily balance of work and family. Some of the issues these children have is Depression, Lake of Resilience, Obsessions and Suicidal Tendencies. I can remember at that age all I was interested in was having fun feeling safe in my home and knowing I was loved. What has happened?
|
Update on Lese OalaiDr John also provided an update on Lese Oalai in PNG which is supported by our Rotary Club together with Rotary Club of Geelong and Torquay and now others in Australia. Lese Oalai is in the gulf province of PNG and gets remarkably wet. Lucy Loko whose family comes from there and is involved with their culture with a relation who is the supreme chieftain of the village and was the chief interpreter with the Fuzzy Wuzzy angels in WWII. The school has no classrooms and most lesson are done under a tree. It was established in mid-20th century and has no windows, supports have fallen and the community does not have the finance to rebuild. They have 6 pit toilets to cater for 1000 children which is not enough and provides no privacy. The project is replacing the pit toilets with composting toilets and an adequate water supply. The Rotary club of Manly NSW and Taylor Bridge Qld have taken up the challenge. He also spoke about a water project to bring water to the village and school with a cost of US$300000. The classrooms are going to be in kit form by builders in PNG. Click Here for more details |
Dr John Oswald - InterplastIan introduced our speaker Dr John Oswald from Interplast He is an anesthetist and does marvelous work with Interplast and has done over 24 overseas trips to assist those in need. Dr Oswald titles his presentation “Repairing Bodies and Rebuilding Lives” John said most of the trips had been to Indonesia, PNG, Fiji, and Vanuatu. Interplast provides reconstructive surgery, nurses, and teaching. Most teams consist of plastic surgeons, registrar and nurses and result in good relations between the country and Australia. His Interplast journey began in 1983 when he visited Fiji. He saw children with cleft palate which in Australia would have been treated at birth but had remained untreated.
|
Christmas Time![]() ![]() Ariston House Christmas Break Up![]() So pleased to say the rain held off and we were able to have a very successful Ariston House Christmas party once again. This has been a regular item on our fundraising calendar for many years now and we always seem to have some fun while we are kept very busy. Dan received a call from Ariston House on Thursday to say how pleased they were with the outcome, and “where do we purchase out hamburgers”, because they are delicious. All the “party guests” enjoyed the day, and the beautifully decorated Christmas muffins looked so good with the red and green icing, thanks to the decorating elf, Aileen, great job! they went down a treat with the children. ![]() Christmas dinner and More |
Luke Elliot![]() At this week’s meeting we were fortunate to have Luke Elliot with us reporting back for the road safety conference he attended in NZ with the help of Bayside and Bellarine North Rotary clubs. Chairperson Ian Aranyosi introduced Luke, inviting him to share the information he brought back from the conference. Luke spoke about some very interesting facts about road safety from a South Australian study that was done recently. 54% of road deaths are with just a single person in the car. 80% involve speeds over 100k. 30% have no seat belts. (that surprised me) And 22% involve drugs.
|
SPAMAs he is a little housebound at present, Peter Kavenagh joined us on Zoom for some important information about Cyber Security. Peter introduces us to a Westpac site that gives good information, when you are face with the question, scam, or not scam, how do we know sometimes? Go to this link and answer 5 simple questions, you might find it will help you the next time you are a little concerned with that “interesting” email www.westpac.com.au/saw .Peter also suggested going to You Tube to see that sometimes the scammers don't win. “The Angriest Scammer I ever called”, it shows how angry these scammers get when the tables are turned against them. Its worth watching!
|
Insurance NightIt was a small but very enthusiastic group of members at the last meeting night at the Naval club. Chairperson Telsa introduced our guest speaker for the night, Insurance District Chair & president of the Rotary club of Geelong Central, Don Shields. Telsa thanked Don for taking the time out of his very busy life to spend a few hours with us and take us through the Insurance Guidebook. Seems, we as a club do ok in this area, as we do the right thing regarding club insurance and information that needs to be delt with quickly. I think we have Telsa, Peter K, Dan and Daryll to thank for that. Well done guys.
|
Trivia Challenge Night![]() Our amazing, Miss Judy and Friends of Bayside, Anne & David Cotsell were in fine form, producing a fun packed evening. With a wonderful selection of questions that David organized, and with a fabulous amount of silent auction items that is Anne’s domain, we were set for a great night raising funds for our community. We have to thank our supporter for the evening, making for a very interesting auction, plus a big thank you to PDG Stephen Lamont for taking on the job of Auctioneer this year, he kept the bids rolling in and also kept us all laughing, even our Man of the Moment, question man David.
|
Remembrance DayThis week’s meeting was all about remembering, as Remembrance Day is this week, and we wanted to mark the occasion by sharing stories, and I have to say we heard some wonderful stories of loved ones past and some still with us. ![]() ![]() We traveled across the world from PNG to Borneo and then to Egypt France and Normandy, and not forgetting Hungary Italy & Darwin. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Dept of Justice and Community SafetyThis week we had the pleasure of listenint to: Madonna Morton, Acting Deputy Secretary, Corporate Governance and Support. Michelle Wood Executive Director of the West Area Paul Fitzpatrick, the Assistant Deputy Secretary of Justice Service in Victoria. The Topic was “Issues on Housing for People leaving prison” Justice Services is the part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety that looks after people who have left prison. There are 11 Public Prisons and one transition centre; 3 Private Prisons in Victoria, with 6,600 people currently in prison consisting of 6,300 men (95%) and 300 (5%) women (at a peak there is around 8,200 people in prison)
|
Story Dogs![]() Our Guest Speakers Karen and Vanessa from Story Dogs. The ladies joined us with the beautiful little King Charles Spaniels Poppy and Libby. The Story Dogs Mission is to make reading fun for children, so they become confident lifelong readers. No child should be left behind in literacy. Formed in 2009 in northern NSW, Story Dogs has expanded to now be operating in six Australian states, partnering with 224 schools, with 374 volunteer Dog Teams helping over 1880 children every week. Their purpose is to help primary school children (aged 7 - 10) learn to read.
|
Another Bunnings BBQ![]() Although very wet and windy the Bunnings BBQ went ahead as planned. Not too many people around in the morning but the happy band of campers kept it all going well with a welcoming smile to those that did venture out. I heard BB decided to go for a walk and fix the problem that is always there on a wet day, the gap between the to gazebos. Coming back with his purchases of a roll of plastic and fixings, went to work to make it a dryer environment for all. I heard it worked well. Then Aileen decided she had stood in water far too long, so another trip inside returning with a mat to stand on, well done team. The sun came out in the afternoon and the PM team reported that it was slow but constant, but on a positive note, gave a little extra time for cleaning. Not too sure that is a good idea Ian with shoulder surgery coming up again on Thursday, but I’m sure the next team will appreciate the shinning surfaces.
|
Visit to Transfer Station![]() Well as they say a change is as good as a holiday, so this week our 6.45pm mix & mingle prestart to our meeting, was replaced with a 9.30 am start at the Transfer Station in Druro St North Geelong, better known as The Tip. We were all there bright and early including past member Robin Hunt, and friend of the club Bev Burch. All in our very attractive, high vis jackets ready to meet our tour guide, Greg Price.
|
Rationalisation - Leslie Shedden![]() What is Regionalization? Lesley answered the question for us. It is about a restructure to better inform people what we do in the community. How interesting it is that we all seem to be on the same page. We all understand that people (the community) just don’t seem to get who we are. Ask the question who or what is Rotary and even today people will answer the question. It’s a men’s club for older wealthy business owners. It is not! Although everyone will see a group of men and women of all different ages cooking sausages at Bunnings to raise funds for their community every weekend. It is a lot more. Look at this website. Look at Shelterbox Look at Days for Girls Look at our Annual Reports Look at the Stories Menu item Lesley’s presentation was easy to follow, and most members had comment of agreement not too many questions, as all was explained well. Thank you, Lesley. Find out about Rotary International Find out about our District
|
Charles Brownlow Retirement Village visit![]() This week was Social Tuesday, and we went for a visit to the new Charles Brownlow retirement village in South Valley Road Highton. How appropriate to name the village after one of Geelong’s favorite sons What a beautiful place, it is a Ryman Healthcare property and they made us all very welcome while showing us around. The centre has been open for 2 years and the last stage is nearly finished. Lovely 2-bedroom home, independent living apartments and then medium and high-level care. So, something for everyone. The residents are all involved with knitting Yuri bears for children in Ukraine. ![]() |
District Governor VisitThis week we had DG Kathy, AG David Sykes and PDG Phillip ,join us for a dinner meeting, along with friends of the club Susan & JT Paulley. The Board had a quick meeting with Kathy first, great to get to know her and we were given so many wonderful ideas regarding community projects and membership. During the meeting Cathy spoke about her journey in Rotary and what her club and District 9780 have been doing to help our friends up north in Lismore. ![]() |
Donate Life - Ian Arayyosi![]() We also heard from Ian Aranyosi District Chair for Donate Life. This week is Donate Life week, but as Ian said, every week should be. We need to make sure firstly we are personally registered. So many times you hear the reasons why people are not registered the most common is 1. I am too old, No, you are never too old, so let the doctors make that decision. 2. Everyone is registered on their drivers licence, No, that was when it was done by state, when it went national so many were lost from the data base, so you need to make sure you are registered. It takes a simple check with your Medicare card. Waurn Ponds Shopping centre have very kindly let the team set up an information table, at no charge, to meet the people and make those quick checks. Did you know, at any one time there are 1,850 people on the transplant waiting list. But this is only the tip of the iceberg – there are 13,000 people on dialysis who could benefit from a transplant.
|
ShelterboxWhat an interesting meeting we had this week. District Chair for Shelterbox Peter Kavenagh, was invited along to speak about this fabulous program. Shelter is a human right and the first step towards recovery after a disaster. Sometimes projects like this start by one person saying, “There has to be a better way” and that what happened. The first deployment was to India after an earthquake, and Shelterbox was originally always packed with the same items. Now it has been refined to the needs of the people receiving them and the situation of the disaster they are going to. Where once was sleeping bags, now is ground cover, where once was a solar light now there is a solar light with charging abilities for a phone, how clever is that? Every disaster is different and so is every community, so they spend time with those affected to make sure they can offer the right support at the right time to help them recover ![]() |
40 Years of Service - Brian BurchFirst board meeting for the new year was held face to face and at the Great Western hotel this month. Nice to be able to chat over an early meal before our regular meeting at the Naval Association at 7.30 We covered reports from all and made some positive decisions, a great start to the new year. ![]() A nice surprise for member PP Brian Burch with a letter of congratulations from Past International President Shekhar Mehta to commemorate and celebrate Brian’s 40 years of Rotary Service. |
Days for GirlsAileen chairperson for the night welcomed Telsa to talk about the Days for Girls Program. Telsa said that the program began by Celeste Mergans in USA. She found that in most African countries when most girls menstruate, they are shunned by their community and not attend school and they are not aware of the dangers to their health and wellbeing. So, she designed a girls hygiene kit that can be used by teenage girls at the time of menstruation. If is important that the kit contains material that is strong, and reusable once washed and uses very little water to clean. Over 2.5 million girls in 144 countries have benefited from the kit. ![]() |
Green Night![]() Wow, what a fabulous night that the Group 9&10 environment team champions put together on Monday night. From the minute that you walk in the door the fun began with a wonderful way to find your table, “pick a herb” we were told, so all the thymes, mints and the rosemary’s sat together, meaning that there was a wonderful mix of club members meeting each other. Our Green Queen Aileen was very successful with her Bee Houses, she with the help from Rick made one for each table, 10 in total, and first in could purchase it for $25 each, Bayside profit from them was $250 to add to our Ukraine Seed Selling day at Westfield Shopping centre. Rick Brown was a little excited about having to help make 6 more bee houses as Aileen took orders for those that missed out, so total being $550, fabulous effort to the Browns, and if anyone has any spare hand crème, I’m sure Aileen would appreciate it, apparently bamboo can be hard on the hands.
|
Larissa is Back - RYLA![]() Larissa thanked the club for allowing her to go to RYLA. It was lifechanging. Now think more about different topics. Each day had reflections on leadership and every reflection went back to the learning on the first day when they arrived at Kangaroobie and to RYLA. She shared that they had a catch-up last week in Ballarat where they shared presentations that they had made to the Rotary clubs. Each day began with a 7:45am breakfast and then seminars and activities throughout making it a full day.
|
James Harrison - Graham Hobbs![]() This week we were fortunate enough to have Guest Speaker PP Graham Hobbs join us, sharing his knowledge about Invertor, printer, journalist, and Mayor of Geelong in 1854-1856 James Harrison. What an interesting man he was. But as Chairperson Ian made comment, Graham must come back at some time and share the Life of Graham, he is involved with and very passionate about so many things. James Harrison, being one of them, and yes, we have a bridge named after him. James was born in Scotland in 1816 and had a life of extraordinary achievement. Harrison invented refrigeration, and as Graham said, can you imagine today not being able to have a cold beer?
|
Dr John Birrell Police Awards![]() On Tuesday evening we had our annual joint project with the Rotary club of Bellarine North, the Dr John Birrell Police Awards. What an inspiring evening, PDG Phillip Beasley open the evening with a toast to Rotary International and the Victorian Police. We heard from last year’s recipient of the $3000 donation, Luke Elliott from Road Trauma Support Group. Senior Sergeant Sean Drew spoke about the achievements of Dr Birrell and the many lives that have been saved because or the introduction of seat belts and the .05 campaign. Acting Superintendent Peter Nicholls informed us about the current road policing, and Senior Sergeant Craig Stevens introduced us to this year winner of the award, Leading Senior Constable Geelong Highway Patrol, Rob Nuske. Rob’s father, retired Senior Sergeant Colin Nuske, also joined us, and it was an emotional presentation from Rob while excepting his award as he spoke about the enjoyment of the job he does |
Kelly Taylor - Geelong Youth Engagement![]() What an interesting speaker we had this week. Kelly Taylor from Geelong Youth Engagement join us and shared what this remarkable organisation is doing here in Geelong. GYE is the umbrella organisation with The Geelong Kokoda Youth Program and Spring Back. All areas engage with young people from 17 schools in the Geelong region, and helps young people work through challenges they are facing in their lives. The reason for disconnection can include truancy, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicidal tendencies, self-harming, anti-social behaviour, or family violence.
|
Larissa Dixon - RYLAWe heard from Larissa Dixon our RYLA participant for April 2022. What a remarkable young woman, and I feel we are very fortunate to have Larissa and her parents Glenda & David involved with the club. Larissa is in her third year at Deakin Waterfront campus, studying Digital Communications. She also has an internship with Social Media Tribe, I was so impressed when she stated, they weren’t advertising, but I called them anyway and applied. Love it! It is very apparent that Larissa is a caring sharing and positive person and will enjoy her week at RYLA. A comment from one member, she will be running RYLA in a few years, and I would suggest, if she wanted too, she would. |
District Conference 9780 - Port FairyWhat an amazing District Conference last weekend. Some stand out moments for me was Port Macquarie midwife and registered nurse Louise Harper working with the Humanitarian organisation Australians for Women's Health. Louise spoke about the dreadful situation with young mothers to be, usually birthing their children at home and the problems that this creates. To put it in perspective, to lose a mother in pregnancy in Australia is rare, it's about six per 100,000 births.
|
Wantoks - Lucy Loco![]() Lucy is a member of the Geelong Rotary Club, of DIK Rotary Geelong 9780, Fundraising & Campaign Coordinator Rotary Interplast Australia Committee, Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne, Associate member PNG Wantoks Group of Victoria, Papua Woman’s Group and Founder and President of the Peter Nathan Loko Foundation PNG. John, a member of the Rotary Club of Torquay has been involved with helping less fortunate countries with 24 trips with Interplast since 1992, (three to PNG, 2 to Fiji, one to Vanuatu, two to the Philippines and 16 to Indonesia (East Kalimantan, on the Island of Borneo. John was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to Anaesthesia in 2011. He has done so much more, so John with Lucy certainly have the expertise to complete this current project regarding the social situation in Lese Oalai the needs of the people, the solutions and how to achieve a school plus teacher accommodation. Building of composting toilets, providing water to the school and the community and the continuation of supplying educational items through DIK. It’s a very large project with the approx. cost of $500,000. It will change so many lives for the better, and through education will change the next generation. |
Bunnings BBQ![]() The BBQ this week was a hot affair, well the weather was very uncomfortable with very high humidity. We, as always managed to have a successful day and enjoyed each other’s company. Thank you to new friend of Bayside, Susan Paulley for being part of her first Bunning BBQ and I learnt from Susan and Aileen, that a crust is not a crust? so I ask you, when is a crust a crust? Members, Aileen Brown, Ian Aranyosi, Telsa Stubna, Andrea Patterson, Judy Eyles and FOB, David White, volunteered to be part of the day and as always Peter Kavenagh organised the day plus had to be forced to leave after setting up, but soon returned to help with the afternoon shift, just no stopping this man! Well done everyone, great job.
|
Donations In Kind![]() This week we were pleased to have Rotarian Ewan Urquhart from DIK join us with some interesting information about Donations in Kind. Ewan spoke about the history of DIK. In 1993 with the FAIM team that travelled to locations with building materials and the differences of today, with containers filled with items for many different locations such as, Fiji and PNG supporting displaced people, natural disasters, villages with no amenities, poor or no water supply, schools, and hospitals equipment. A typical wish list from communities is long, from medical equipment to brooms and mops, and DIK endeavour to fill all those needs. |
Freshwater Fire BrigadeWe once again visited our friends at the Freshwater Creek Fire Brigade. We have enjoyed a few visits over the years and its always good to hear how the club is getting on. Matt the fire chief gave us a demonstration for the new hose drying tower. If the hoses are not dried out correctly, they can rot, previously the hoses took a week to dry as they were laid out on the ground, now they take a couple of days depending on the weather. The guy’s shared information about the safety of fire extinguishers, which ones to use for what kind of fires, and how important it is to have a fire blanket in your home, but also how to use them correctly. It was an interesting presentation and finished up inside with a Q & A session from the members while we all, firemen included, enjoyed a delicious supper supplied by the members and friends. ![]() |
Organ Doner Campaign![]() On Thursday and Friday this week our Donate life champion, Ian Aranyosi, went to meet the people of Bannockburn. Explaining the importance of becoming an organ doner. A successful day with many more registrations, I’m sure. Well done Ian and helpers Telsa and Judy E. |
Shannons BridgeWe had a guest speaker from Shannon's Bridge, join us, it’s a charity and volunteer run organisation which helps connect patients and existing palliative care services and supports. WHY WAS SHANNON’S BRIDGE CHARITY CREATED? Palliative care is specialist care for people living with incurable and life-limiting illnesses with the primary goal of quality of life. It involves a team approach with a focus on managing symptoms and helping the family unit adjust from the idea of treatment being used to cure their loved ones. But there is so much more than that, if you would like to hear more from Jeremy McKnight speak about his journey with daughter Shannon with her end-of-life care, click here
|
Days For Girls![]() Team Leader Telsa report to the board this month that the team has been busy preparing more kits for PNG and was happy to receive a photo from Lucy Loko of some of the young women that received their DfG kits from the last shipment that was sent. It’s always good to see who receives those beautifully made packs and understand the difference it will make to their lives. Also Telsa is in the process of working on the possibility of a new project for the ladies of Lese Oalai, of supplying sewing machine to start their own businesses. The DfG working bee is held on the first Monday of the month at the St Bernard’s Clairvaux Hall in Fryers Rd Highton. Give Telsa a call if you feel like joining the team, everybody is welcome. New member this month was friend of Bayside, Diane Webb, I hear she enjoyed her day, More information about this very important project can be found here. |
Plastic Bottles RecycleBlue Plastic bottles and bags are being recycled into asphalt mixture to produce roads that are kinder to the environment and, manufacturers claim, longer lasting. The process involves making plastic pellets from bottles and bags that would otherwise be destined for landfill sites. The pellets are then melted into the asphalt mix to act as a binding agent. It has been reported it makes the end performance of the road much greater and it replaces part of the bitumen in the mix, that's the fossil fuel. Another great thing regarding Blue Lids, we all know how many different colour blue there are, and they take so long to sort. Not anymore, All the blues go together, that I’m sure will save so much time. Save Your Plastic
|
DroneWe enjoyed an interesting joint meeting with RC of Geelong Central on Monday evening and had the opportunity to try a new meeting location at the same time. A presentation regarding our fundraising drone expo from Linda Carr and Gary Robertson from Geelong Central and Peter Kavenagh and myself, with a lively discussion and question time afterward. We will be following up on this presentation with a walk through of the Beckley Park area on Monday 7th at 5.30. |
Welcome to new year![]() With all the wonderful warm evenings we have been experiencing lately, how disappointing to have a cool breezy one for our social get together last Tuesday evening at the White House. I don’t think it put a damper on the evening, filled with great food and good company & good conversation. Thank you to all for the wonderful salad selection and oh my goodness, those fabulous desserts, and a bonus, I was guaranteed they were all low calorie. It always makes for a special night when we have our partners and friends of Rotary attend our social functions. Sharyn & John Faulkner attended along with Bev Burch. PP of Corio Bay RC Deb Furlan, Alaine Kavenagh, Jan Berry, David Patterson, PDG Philip Beasley and David White. All have supported the club over the last 12 months either at BBQ, Day for Girls workshops, the Garden Party, or the Trivia Night.
|
CoGG Christmas![]() Thursday this week we catered in a very different way for COGG. Over many years the COGG family Christmas Party has been our largest fund raiser of the year until recently, when covid brought about some restrictions, so it was so nice to be back there even in a smaller way. The team did a wonderful job, thank you to Peter K and Dan for organising the trailer. The cook team, Judy E, Peter K, and David White, and the serving group, Diane, Andrea, & Aileen, made sure everyone was looked after well. We received many thank you and compliments for a delicious lunch. Good job all
|
Gift Bags for Christchurch homelessA get together last Saturday was held to fill all the Christmas gift bags for Christ Church Thank you to everyone that contributed to the day. The packing team, to our Shoppers, Shirley Marendaz, Aileen Brown, Ian Aranyosi, and Peter Hynes. A special thank you to Craig from KFC for the Bucket of Chicken vouchers that were put into every bags Great job everyone! ![]() |
Fresh Water Creek New Truck![]() A NEW FIRE TRUCK FOR FRESHWATER CREEK FIRE BRIGADE Thanks to Brian and Telsa for organising a fun BBQ and bonfire last Sunday and giving us the opportunity to see the new fire truck. We have been supporting Freshwater Creek fireman for quite some time. It was interesting to see how they handle the equipment when there is a fire. The new truck has all state-of-the-art equipment, and I learnt something about the different hoses they have on the truck to fight different fires. For a grass fire the hose they use has tiny holes all over it, so it doesn’t catch on fire. I suppose that is common knowledge, but I thought it was very clever.
|
Recycling![]() On Sunday we had the lid sorting day at Aileen Browns home, thank you so much to the Browns for making us all so welcome in their lovely home. Thanks to members Rick & Jan Berry, Telsa Stubna and her two beautiful grandchildren, plus, Andrea Patterson, Shirley Marendaz, Ian Aranyosi, and Daryll & Diane Webb Aileen was officially crowned the Green Queen by Andrea Patterson on the day, as Aileen heads up all our Seventh area of Focus, Supporting the Environment. Always great to put fun in what we do. At Tuesday night meeting we were fortunate to have Thomas Anderson from Replas join us. Recycling is high on the agenda for us all these days, so it was an informative presentation. |
|
|
District Governor Visit![]() Tuesday evening, we were delighted to have Assistance Governor David Sykes and District Governor John Clue join us for our social evening at the Taste of Philippines restaurant in Bell Park. John spoke about, Rotary in the past, where it is today, and moving forward, what we can look forward to.
We have all learnt to adapt over the last 18 month with covid, it has also brought with it some good changes. There is now no restriction on where a club visit is located and who and where our guest speakers are from. The Rotary training programs have become so simple, being online and as time is one of the things, we are seem to be short of, you can attend in your own time night or day. John finished his presentation with a video releasing district conference in March 2022 in beautiful Port Fairy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Movember Trivia NightA great night was held on Friday 27th to have some fun and raise some money for a very important cause, Men’s Health. We had a few Mo Bro’s on Zoom plus some Mo Girls as well, doing their bit. Trivia questions, raffles and auctions. Final amount raised hasn’t been confirmed yet but the total will be a few hundred dollars. As soon as the numbers are in, they will be printed in next week’s Bollard. Well done and thank you to some of the guys that stopped shaving for a month to spread the word about men’s health. Thanks everyone for helping to raise money for MOVEMBER. The final figures raised from Members, Family and Friends was $775.00, and a large part of that was raised by Mick Toohey, member Telsa Stubna son- in- law. Well done Mick. As you can see Mick had quite a beautiful beard happening there, but shaved it off to raise $540 for men’s health, Great effort! |
CONGRATULATIONSOur Raffle was drawn on Tuesday 1st December. Thank you to everyone that supported it and help raise the money needed for our community projects. The winners were: 1st Prize Winner: Simon Empson ticket # 98 - $250 voucher from Jewellery by Sergio 2nd Prize Winner: Lisa Davis ticket # 8 - $250 voucher from Chris Kelly Car Service 3rd Prize Winner: Brett Coleman ticket # 310 - 7piece Comforter Set 4th Prize Winner: David Schorback ticket # 180 - Jamie Durie Bamboo QS Sheet Set. 5th Prize Winner: Diane Lauder ticket # 373 - Handmade Children’s Quilt 6th Prize Winner: Ian Aranyosi ticket # 464 - 3piece Canningvale Towel Set 7th Prize Winner: Peter Hynes ticket # 393 - Kitchen Cannister Set 8th Prize Winner: Aileen Brown ticket # 215 - 12-piece Lustre Glasses set 9th Prize Winner: Willow Aranyosi ticket # 54 - Nail & beauty Set 10th Prize Winner Lauren Salajan ticket # 267 - Aerial 21inch Tennis Racquet All winners will be notified by Raffle Link - The Monster Raffle raised $1653.75 well done everyone. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conner Brown – outgoing Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE)President Peter Hynes opened the meeting and invited Conner to run through his presentation. He will use when giving his German host club and any other interested parties his Bi0 to showcase Himself and Australia whilst he is away. Conner is due to fly out to Germany in January and his presentation covered the key points about Australia and many of our quirky customs, sports and wildlife. The content included a bit about him and has background and family, all very useful to show host family and school. Conner’s presentation was delivered and he confidently fielded questions. ![]() |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Days 4 Girls packing nightA big well done to Telsa Stubna for her continued effort and commitment to this project. Turning Periods Into PathwaysDays for Girls increases access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilizing volunteers, and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigmas and limitations for women and girls. Together, we're creating a world with dignity, health, and opportunity for all.
|
NYSF – National Youth Science ForumPeter H then introduced Alex to talk about his NYSF experience in Canberra in January.
Maybe he needs to study Climate Change (Ed)
Parliament House
Quantum Commuting
Biomedical Engineering Workshop
Robot WorkshopThe task in this workshop was to get the robot to draw people. All this while listening to music. Or was it meant to play? Not sure.
When asked about where his life is headed he quickly talked about doing Electronic Engineering He did add that he loved the designing of Computer chop cards.
Judy thanked Alex and wished him all the best in with career. |
Combined with Ocean Grove RCPres. Graeme Chamberlain The first item on the agenda was the induction of a new Member. This person was transferring from Port Fairy. We then moved to the main item on the Agenda which was the presentation by Rom Threlfall and John Fitzgerald. Important items were
Local public and private health service providers Local leadership
Funding
The building will have two arms.
Beds Dining and Living 20 Beds Community Hub It will be a homelike environment for Hospice Care It will be used at a Teaching environment but Deakin Students as well There is an information book provided and available through the club. The meeting closed with a lot of networking from all the club members present |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HappyBirthday![]() |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benind the Badge - Peter HynesChairman Jo White introduced Member Peter Hynes for Behind the Badge • Born & raised in Colac — third generation pharmacist • Educated at St Joseph’s school Colac, St Patrick’s College Ballarat and South Australian Institute of Technology. • Irish heritage on both sides of the family — HYNES and DARCY • Started TENON Joinery in 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Farewell to St John's Group from Zimbabwe![]() Due to the above cancellation the Farewell luncheon for the St John’s Choir Group from Zimbabwe on the 30th August became our official meeting for the week. The farewell Luncheon was held at the Riverview BIG 4 caravan Park with pizza’s courtesy of Frank Iannuzzi’s “The Mobile Pizzaria” (Past Bayside Member and PHF). Desserts were supplied by Bayside Members with more than enough choice for all. The Choir sang 3 songs as a thank-you for Bayside’s support of their tour. It must have sounded impressive as the crowds came running from all areas of the caravan park. Nicole Smilevski and Mark Furlan did a wonderful job of coordinating the Australian end and not to forget all Nash’s work at the Zimbabwe end to make it all happen. Pres Judy thanked the group for the visit and cultural exchange. We will miss you all but may catch up again sometime. Have a safe journey home to Harare.
|
Welcome to St John's Tour Group from ZimbabweIt was an early start to the evening with Bayside Rotary members arriving at 4:30 p.m. to setup the kitchen/dining room and then get the salads and desserts organised. Other members got the BBQ’s firing both in the kitchen and the outdoor BBQ area. At 6:00 p.m. St John’s Tour Group began arriving and in no time the 30 students and teachers were fed with 15 hungry Rotarians following not far behind. Pres Judy welcomed the Tour Group and wished them well for their stay in Geelong. We then enjoyed Pavlova as our dessert. The school captain thanked Bayside for the dinner provided. The group then made its way to the Ten Pin Bowling Centre in Reynolds Road Belmont where all had a wonderful time.
|
Lena Tetaud - Our French Exchange StudentPres Judy then introduced our chairman for the evening Peter Kavenagh. Peter stated that he is very committed to Youth Exchange which he believes is an awesome program. Worldwide 5,000 – 6,000 kids are experiencing Youth Exchange. What a great way it is to develop worldwide contacts from many countries and develop better relations between countries. Peter then introduced Exchange Student Lena Tetaud and asked what can we learn from Lena ?? Lena lives in the city of Marmande with a population of approx. 17,000. Marmande is located 35 km north-west of Agen, on the southern railway from Bordeaux to Sète A noted producer of tomatoes, a festival dedicated to tomatoes is held annually in July. It is also a wine producing area but not very renowned. Gararock music festival is held every year and about 80,000 people attend. Lena then showed a Powerpoint display of her mother’s house and her father’s house. Lena’s hobbies are mostly music, she plays the saxophone and piano. Lena’s sports are rowing, surfing and snow sking. Lena attends a local regional school with 3,000 students and studies economics, science and music. The Prime Minister is Manuel Valls and the President is Francois Hollande. France has a population of 65 Million. That concluded Lena’s presentation with many questions being asked by members present. Lena then finished up with a recital of the French National Anthem with her saxophone. Well
done Lena !!!!! |
District Governor Jane CoxPres Judy then introduced DG Jane Cox. DG Jane stated that our club does much more than just BBQ’s. We have an outbound and an inbound student this year as well supporting the other Youth projects of NYSF, RYPEN and RYLA. We also have a major involvement in the Days for Girls Project. Last Year Kaniva and Nhill Rotary Clubs handed their charter back, they were unable to continue due to lack of numbers. Always remember that membership retention is as important as new members. DG Jane then presented Centurion Certificates to all from Bayside that had qualified prior to June 30th 2015. DG Jane’s Rotary District Conference 9780 dates are March 18th – 20th 2016. The conference will be held on the waterfront. Pres Judy then introduced Jo White, who got us organised with our fun footy games.
|
Lena Tetaud - Our French Exchange Student has arrived![]() On Wednesday 29 July Lena arrived at Tullamarine after a harrowing journey over 48 Hours. She was welcomed by Telsa, Mark and Peter.
Her flight from Toulouse was delayed and consequently she missed her connection in London. After rebooking her on another flight the next day British Airways provided her with a Hotel room. It was a new experience to be in London and an anxious wait for the next day and to again arrive at Heathrow to board her flight half way around the world. The flight was via Singapore arrovomg at Sydney. At Sydney she had to make her way to the Domestic terminal and board another flight to Melbourne.
Now because Sydney was not her original plan of course her luggage did not arrive with her. Another obstacle! Fortunately a quick visit to Luggage services at Tulla. She was assured that it would be delived to her new home that same day. True to their word it was delivered by courier that evening.
She has settled in now and with a number of initial administrative things done she is now looking forward to starting school at Oberon.
Also attending her first Rotary Meeting on Tuesday where all the club members are looking forward to meeting her.
|
Committees NightAs it was our committee’s night we formed into our committee groups for the rest of the evening for some planning and discussion for the 2015-16 year ahead. Youth Services – Phil Quick Lachlan Baensch was successful in his interview process and will attend NYSF Inbound exchange student from France Lena Tetaud arrives Tuesday 28th July and hopefully will attend next week’s meeting. Community & Vocational – Daryll Webb Letter received from St Mary’s Football and Netball Club asking for support for a netball team that will be visiting Fiji on a Cultural Exchange. Robert Van Zetten and daughter Rachel have requested support for a Cambodian Orphanage project that they are involved in. A workplace visit to the new premises of FW Tile Town in Torquay Road Grovedale to be organised in the near future. What’s new in your workplace to be continued into the new Rotary year with each member being invited to speak. Membership, PR and Fun – Jo White Some interesting facts from the recent Club Survey. Most members happy with the way the club is functioning. DG Jan Cox’s visit on 4th August will be a footy theme night. The club is open to accepting new members please contact us if you are interested. 0418882022
|
French Inspired Theme NightWell what a wonderful night was had by all who attended the French inspired theme night held at Simon and Sarah Empson’s home last Tuesday night. It was a taste of what’s to come when we welcome our French Exchange student Lena. Although numbers were down, it didn’t deter those who were there to dress in French costume and kick up their heels and enjoy the delicious French champagne and red wine on offer. Thanks to everyone who brought along the wine and the scrumptious array of French inspired food – we nibbled on bikkies and cheese as an appetiser which was followed by French onion soup (from the kitchen of master chef John S.) served with Jo’s crunchy baguettes. For second course we tasted delicious quiches and salads (provided by Peter K., Murray and Judy) and to top it off we were treated to Telsa’s gateau cake and profiteroles. During the evening Director of Membership, PR & FUN, Jo, presented us with a questionnaire to fill out and Foundation Director David presented Murray with his Centurion mug and club annual report. After tea Telsa formed the group into 2 teams to play some informal fun games such as the French maids’ race, building French landmarks and translating French into English. Many thanks to Telsa for organising and coordinating the evening. We look forward to the next theme night. Who would like to take a turn at hosting????
|
ICE- Snr Sergeant Tony FrancisPeter Hynes introduced Snr Sergeant Tony Francis who has served in the police force for 27 Years. 18 months ago he started on the ICE journey of trying to minimize it in the Geelong area. The Govt cannot fix the problem on its own, neither can the Health system, nor can the Police. It needs to be a joint effort of the three mentioned plus the community all working together. ICE is a behavioral changer, usually leads to violence. It makes you feel like superman. 6% of Australians use drugs the highest in the world. A hit on ICE is cheaper then alcohol which is taxed heavily. 1/10 gram sells for $50 to $60. It will give you 12 Hours of good time. Let our town reach its full potential and prevent this ugly drug’s devastation. Our town’s ICE FIGHT. There’s no place for ICE. www.icefight.com.au Many questions were asked of Tony and ICE. We all learned more than we previously knew about ICE. Chairman Peter thanked Tony for his informative presentation and presented him with a memento of his visit to our Club. Peter Hynes then handed back to Pres Judy.
|
Celebration DinnerWe have been “Lighting up Rotary” and now moving to “Be a gift to the World”. DGE Jane Cox proposed the toast to Rotary International and reminded us that the main object of Rotary is Service to the World. PDG Chris Sims responded to the toast on behalf of Rotary International and reminded us that some in the world are not as fortunate as us and quoted us Past RI President John Kinne’s theme “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands”. Rotarian Jane Myers spoke about an international project in Ballamataan Nepal that she was a part of. Midwifery skills were taught to local medical staff. Six Rotary Clubs involved, Bayside Geelong plus 2 more from Victoria, two from New Zealand and one from Nepal. Jane and her group then presented at a break out session at the RI Conference in Sydney in 2014. Jane has kept in touch with the group in Ball and looks like another trip will happen in the near future. PP Jo White than presented a power point display of the “Year that Was”. It was a timely reminder of what we achieved over the year and of course the fun we all had participating in very worthy causes. “Rotary is fun while serving the community was very apparent” in the “Year that Was”.
|
Freshwater Creek Fire BrigadeThe members of the Fire Brigade gave an interesting insight into the history and the workings of the two truck fire Station. The station is run entirely by volunteers and like all service clubs they are also struggling to attract new members. New members must attend training and reach a level of certification prior to being able to ride on the fire trucks and attend emergencies. The presentation was followed by a tour of the station, with many Rotarians eagerly going back to their childhood and gleefully climbing all over the Fire Engine. No one was backward in getting their photo taken on the engine either.
|
Blood BankThe was no formal meeting this week instead members were all booked into give blood. This author was excused at the last minute with flu but others who could did donate some of their blood. Rumour has it that there was no 'blue" blood amongst them.
|
Changes in the Workplace - Daryll WebbDaryl presented to us a view of his workplace which is at National Tiles . He gave us many pictures of his colleagues and presented an overall view of this place, including history and culture. Talking about the importance of the workplace including the social impace. He had many photos to which he talked about. Thank you Daryll |
CPR NightNeed to up update CPR training regularly. We watched video where someone collapsed and as person who found them had no CPR training and panicked and did most things incorrectly the person could not be revived even with the arrival of the ambulance. Take two of the above video where the person on the scene had some knowledge and didn’t panic, gave basic CPR and with the arrival of the Ambulance the person life was saved. Remember any CPR is better than no CPR. |
Phil Quick - Workplace storyPhil 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 |
CommitteesFundraisingRequire 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. CommunitySaturday 2nd May is the Torquay Safeway BBQ 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers required. Membership and PR and FunA 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 GravettLauren 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 |
Meeting With JoNo 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. |
Australian Volunteers International (AVI)President Judy introduced Chairman Peter Kavenagh who in turn introduced Dr Mark Kavenagh Mark was educated at Belmont High School, Melbourne Uni (Major in Psychology) Monash Currently Mark works as the Child Protection Advisor within AVI. 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:
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 |
Committees and Conference ReportDISTRICT 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”. |
Compined Meeting with Corio Bay Rotary Club - Paul KearnsMr. 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. |
Alex Kinross-SmithChairman 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. |
Days for Girls Activity NightNo 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. |
Progressive DinnerThis 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. |
CommitteesPresident 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. |
Rotarian Ken Beall - RC Vernon British Columbia – My Rotary in Kenya Experience.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 Hayden – My Kokoda experiencePhil 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 |
Committee nightPresident 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. |
Bayside Geelong and Torquay Rotary Clubs - The Challenge Match![]() 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 |
Christmas Meeting Break up![]() HAWAIIAN NIGHTA very enjoyable evening was had by all who attended, on the 16th 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. |
COOGG Workers and Families Christmas PartyWell 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!!!!! |
Lesley Shedden - ROMAC![]() 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. |
Joe Kelly getting ready for Youth Exchange in Germany![]() Peter Kavenagh introduced our outbound Exchange Student Joe Kelly. |
Days for Girls Activity NightThis 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.
|
Bon Fire Night![]() 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. |
District Governor - Geoff JamesDG Geoff was our keynote speaker and delivered a presentation on “27 Steps to Rotary Enlightenment” |
Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart Awards 2014.![]() 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. |
Club Visioning with Warren norton and Linda Carr |
A Taste of travel to the land of the Bible.![]() You are travelling on plane from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv on El Al airlines. Aboard the plane there are Jewish people going home. |
Margaret Lannen (Health Promotions Officer for Breast Screen for the region)![]() Margaret said that the Breast Screen clinic is there to promote awareness and the screening of potential breast cancer patients. |
Dr Murray MacDonaldIt 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. |
Skype Connection – Taona Nyasha Muchochomi New Gen Friend - ZimbabweWe 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 studentAlex 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. |
Tony McManus Chairman - Headspace (Barwon)Presentation by Tony McManus Chairman Headspace (Barwon) 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 QuizRotary 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 Norton – “Club Visioning Process”![]() 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 WebsiteThe 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 May “Days for Girls”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.” |
Guest Speakers – Ralph Menchise and Tessa Davies from Anam Cara HouseAnam 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 – Run To Better Days 2014Dan 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 “ 2. Challenge young people throughout Australia to consider that we as a developed nation |
Sarah Edwards - Salamanca Primary School - Philippines![]() <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.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sarah then pointed out that since then the principal had &ldquo;passed away&rdquo; from Hepatitis D.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Although delivering a volley ball without a volleyball net was an oversight.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> |
Geelong Food Bank – Helping Many People in Geelong Who Are Doing It ToughOur 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. |
Marriage Equality - Sharon FaulknerTelsa 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.
|
BRAGGING RIGHTSBayside 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 LivesThe 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 AWARDFor 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 AssemblyClub 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. 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” |
Rotary International Convention in Sydney![]() 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. |
Rotary International Convention in Sydney
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. |
Australian Red Cross - Rachel Gleeson![]() 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 |
Youth Exchange UpdatesPresident 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 - GSE 2007 – Russia - Life After GSE“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. |
A Visit to Belmont Library - Anne Stewart![]() 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. |
South of the BorderA 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. |
Convention and CommitteeTelsa 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 Polio "Just this close"
Click more for more details
|
Aquabox - Rotary Club of Eltham - Peter Roden![]() "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 Dunlop - Rotary Exchange StudentMargaret 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. |
Committee NightThe 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.
|
Review NightPresident 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. |
Adelle Chenoweth - Volunteering in Africa![]() 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. |
Brian Burch Celebration![]() 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. |
Sarah Edwards - Elementary School, Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, The Philippine,s![]() ‘Salamanca Elementary School in the Philippines. 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 |
Committee NightCommunity
-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 -Discussion in respect to new home for the BBQ trailer- (Thankyou Robin), freezer, stock and potential working bee in the next few weeks. A shed will be purchased and discussion on access. -Looking at buying a Marque which we will brand with Rotary- for wet weather events. - Potential Car boot sale.
Foundation -The donation to The Highlands Foundation is going very well – thank you all for your contribution. -Research is being done into “Aquabox”.(Rotary club of Eltham) -Sophie will be reporting to the club soon.
Youth Carlos’s 5 minutes -Went Rock Climbing and will keep doing this- lot of fun!
-Swimming most weeks -There are now 5 other German exchange students at school and he is really enjoying his German Language class as they get a big chance to help out other students.
Friendship/Fellowship- F Troop
-Thank you to Robin and too all this week for the preparations for the Float for "Pako Fiesta" this weekend. Jenna has made up a wonderful sign Post to put on the Float and we will all meet at the car park in front of “ Furniture for You” on Pakington street this Saturday morning at 8 am - Plan for other F Troop events are being confirmed and members will be notified. |
ShelterBoxPresident Telsa acknowledged the wonderful work Jo and Simon had been doing at organising meetings and planning for the Pako festa Float. Peter Kavenagh updated us on Shelter Box- showing a couple of recent videos on the big screen and we were able to track prior Shelter box donations to see where in the world they went. Murray MacDonald gave an impromptu talk about his trip to the USA/Canada and was very impressed by an educational initiative to assist students with learning difficulties, saying it could be a project we assist with if it comes to Australia. |
MATERNAL HEALTH TRAINING PROJECT MONGOLIA.
Sam Dunne and Jane Myers updated members on the project in which Bayside Rotary Club had generously donated monies towards.
Over 100 Health professionals trained in three regions of Mongolia and at this time the project continues under the supervision of in country Project Manager Andy Mayer with three hospitals now offering formalized Childbirth Education to pregnant women attending the hospital. This vital work “Saves Lives, Saves Money and ensures women are exposed to critical education to impact on Mother/baby mortality and morbidity with in this third world health care system. |
Martin Stow - MS Ambassador![]() Marilyn introduced our guest tonight Mr Martin Stow whom is a MS Ambassador, Rotarian with Geelong Central Breakfast Club and a MS patient. Martin spent many years working as a “Bobbie” (Policeman) in England before coming to Australia but over the last few years has been busy with Presentations and his own on line Training Business. MS- Australia “Accept it, deal with it and get on with it” |
Committee Night
<p>Once again our committees were hard at work planning and implementing actions for this Rotary year</p>
<h3>Foundation </h3>
<p>Adele is currently in Africa doing her volunteering and will report to the club soon.&nbsp; Centurion and water project are underconsideration.</p>
<h3> New Generations</h3>
<p>Looking at National Youth Science Forum, RAKE and continuing with Youth Exchange. &nbsp;</p>
<h3>Fundraising</h3>
<p>A really busy BBQ schedule and a few other "irons in the fire"</p>
<h3>Membership</h3>
<p>A Pako Festa Float is being organised a Bollard walk and a Progressive Dinner all for Fun Friendship and Fellowship.</p>
<p></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
|
Welcome to the New Year of Rotary![]() A very successful social evening was had by all at Irish Murphy's A number of huddles and conversations were had not only in catching up on what each person had done over the Christmas break but also planning for the coming Rotary year. Congratulations to Holly Vanderpol for being the Dux of Geelong High School Congratulations also to Jo White for her nomination for AG for District Membership |
COGG Catering Event![]() Hello friends, relations, partners, ex-members & Paul Harris Fellows, By now you may know that Bayside Rotary had another very successful fundraising event in catering for CoGG's Xmas party on Friday night. The lead-up and preparation involved is no mean feat and the club wishes to once again express it's thanks for your selfless generosity in helping either on the night, and/or on the Thursday night at Oberon High School. It really does help to ease the pressure of what would otherwise be a very tiring job. We love having you along to help out and to enjoy your company, as we all work to raise funds to help the less fortunate. May you all have a merry Xmas with friends and families, happy knowing that you've put 'service above self'' once again. Kind regards, on behalf of Bayside Geelong Rotary Club, President Telsa Stubna
|
Peace Scholar - Inspector Charles AllenA great night was held by all members attending the Rotary Club of Geelong East’s celebration of The Rotary Foundation Month with featured speaker Rotary Peace Scholar Inspector Charles Allen is a Police Service Area Manager of Greater Dandenong. His responsibilities include the management of 218 serving police within his area, and overseeing of the social and cultural challenges of the most multicultural area in Victoria with its 156 different ethnic and religious groups. Inspector Allen spoke on the subject of Peace and Conflict resolution within the Greater Dandenong area and shared experiences arising from him having being awarded a Rotary Peace Fellowship. This Fellowship gave Inspector Allen exposure to both advanced theory and practical experience in urban, national and international peace issues and conflict resolution. Inspector Allen is very passionate about his job and is a worthy recipient of the Rotary Peace Fellowship. He also demonstrated how he has used this knowledge and experience in his current role as well as kept in touch with Peace Fellowship Alumni to continue to exchange ideas. It was great to share the evening with our new friend Henry Fitzell, ex Williamstown Rotary Club, who attended our meeting the week before. -Geelong East generously allowed us to sell tickets for Adele Chenoweth's African cause and we raised $114. Keep your fingers crossed for the 1st December draw. |
Committee Night
Again the committees have been hard at work. we are again considering the Christmas Family Appeal for a large family and all members are requested to contribute Western Heights College have requested support with a Literacy Award. An entry in Pako fest this year sounds exciting with an international flavour. Christmas at the Boat Shed - Dinner and Dance something to look forward to. The club has a new exchange student and Carlos was welcomed to the club. Lots of fundraising in the run up to Christmas. For more information click |
Trailer NightThank you to Brian for offering his home to be able to attend to the BBQ trailer and to Jo for organising the Pizza The Trailer received a massive clean up by a couple of men with their Gerni with by far a much larger group of men giving directions. Anyway the result was a clean trailer and some male bonding. After which pizza was enjoyed by all members.
|
Guyfaux Night at Brian Burch's
It was a great night and a very big thank you to Brian Burch for all the work he did in getting the area ready for us all.
The F Troop (love the new name and will have to send to DG Ken). You are great and love you all to bits, thanks for the salads and all the support!! Would also like to say thank you to John Virgona for being there early to start the BBQ, we do appreciate you John! I mentioned to John before everyone arrived that we couldn’t have done it without them and his comment was, “well we are all part of the club”…… What a great attitude, that is why, we, Bayside, is so fantastic. How fortunate are we to be part of this wonderful team of people. |
Genevieve Stout - The Living YearsGenevieve Stout author of the ‘The Living Years And Me’ series of books is passionate about the importance of documenting family information after the death of a dear friend. The benefits of documenting information eases the burden of coping with loss and opens up lines of communication and cherished information. It is in place for future generations to reflect on also. The Living Years was written to make it easy for people to document information about themselves with prompts throughout the book and often it is the simple information about a person that is neglected but also important to gain the full picture of that person. Genevieve handed out a few questions for us to answer- what is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?- with many members sharing their answers. Genevieve brought her books for everyone to see and you are able to contact her via the web or 0400 647 771. |
Sad News - Igor LorgetDan announced that one Rotary Exchange Student Igor Lorget from Slovenia, who was hosted by the Club 2002-3, had last week been killed in an air crash. His ultralight craft had hit power lines while on a photographic assignment. He is remembered for his fruitful Australian exchange and his sense of humour. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this time. |
Don Shields, RD9780 Insurance Officer and Risk Management OfficerThis week's guest speaker was Don who is the Rotary District 9780 Insurance Officer and Risk Management Officer. He gave us some words of advice on:- Risk Management (RM) WHAT Systematic process to assess, reduce, avoid and/or take account of risk of potential damage, injury or death associated with an activity. WHY Besides Health & Safety of all those involved RM protects the reputation of the Club and its attraction for new members. It protects Club Directors from litigation. WHEN Always — RM must be ongoing and vital and be constantly reviewed to improve the process. WHO Project Organiser(s) and checked by a third person. HOW Rotary National Insurance Committee has template forms which may be used as-is if suitable or modified to a particular use. WHERE On the Web: Rotary 9780 / Club Support / Insurance. Is a summary of the prepaid insurances provided by District and notes a variety of Inclusions, limitations and exclusions. There are templates for a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) which should be prepared for EVERY event. ALL THE ANSWERS for ALL THE QUERIES are on the RD 9780 Web Site. |
CPR Refresher and Steven Yewell - Mayoral CandidatePresident Telsa with a kit from Ambulance Australia introduced the CPR Refresher course and with the help of a printed pillow case (of lungs and heart ect.) A CD assisted members to renew this vital skill as it went through the needed response and techniques. President Telsa introduced our guest speaker Stephan Yewdall from Geelong West RC and shared with us his Rotary journey. What an amazing history and now a |
KWSOTH - Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart![]() After months of preparation by the Vocational Service team of Daryll, Christine, Phil together with co-opted members Marilyn, Judy and Murray, the day had finally arrived. Seven nominees had been interviewed and had been invited to attend an afternoon tea to celebrate their nomination. The day of the Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart Award had finally come. There is a buzz of excitement and expectation as the nominees enter the auditorium with their invited guests. There are also representatives from the employee groups Encompass Community Services and St Laurence Community Services. Daryll goes to every nominee and their guests and gives them all a warm welcome. There is a video camera in place from Rotary Media to capture all the action operated by ADG Tony Stewart. MC Philip Quick opens the proceedings with the Rotary Club of Bayside invocation. He then introduces President Telsa who welcomes everyone to the function as well as special guests ADG Tony Stewart, PDG Chris Sims, Peter Jurisic from St Laurence Community Services and Michele Butcher, Cara White and John Crawford from Encompass Community Services. President Telsa also acknowleged the generous sponsorship by the T.A.C. Daryll gives an outline of the Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart Award and begins with a quote from Anna Healey the guest speaker at the Southern Region Shine On Awards 2010. “Disability is the community’s inability to understand the capability of the individual.” He then spoke about the Award and the person it was named after none other than our very own Ken Wilks. Daryll introduced the panel and a citation was read out for each of the nominees. Each nominee was asked to come forward and receive their certificate and have their photo taken with Ken Wilks. A delicious afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes, fruit and cheese platter together with tea and coffee followed. Then it was time to announce the recipient of the Ken Wilks Spirit of the Heart Award but not before some words from last years recipient Kerryn McGlinchy. Kerryn told everyone that since the award she had found extra confidence in her job and the workplace atmosphere had been changed as a result. The winner is Michael Chan nominated by St Laurence Community Services. Michael was so overjoyed he was lost for words but thanked everyone for this opportunity just to be recognised. Peter Jurisic was asked to come forward and accept the Perpetual Trophy on behalf of St Laurence Community Services. Michael was asked to draw the raffle and three overjoyed winners were found. Daryll presented some gifts to Phil as MC and to the presenters and thanked all the panel. President Telsa closed the proceedings with closing remarks.
|
Footy Fever![]() Jo explained the activities for the night having the teams made up from the four tables –The Whittens, The Richards, The Abletts and The Colemans – each team selected a captain for the table and Umpires Judy and Murray and official Scorer Simon were introduced as the first quarter round of games began. The team colour game saw the winner John S using science and lung capacity and scored the first quarter win for the Whittens. The second quarter of Handball tested the skills of all and challenged the umpire’s decision making. Half time break and a quick hydration check moved us into the third quarter of "celebrity heads" Scores were totalled as we moved into the final quarter of theme songs with some amazing renditions of football songs. The tally on the scoreboard proved the Whittens the winners and the team of John S, David, Chris and Jane were presented with consumable medals. Brian was also declared the winner of Barefoot Bowls and was given his long awaited trophy Jo thanked her amazing team and shared the fun of organising the nights events and President Telsa also thanked the fun committee for such an entertaining night . |
Committee NightCommunity Jo White - A letter was received from South Geelong Primary School regarding the presentation of the 2 ipads purchased by Bayside Rotary. Daryl advised Telsa will present the ipads this Friday afternoon. An application form has been sent to the Ballarat South Rotary Club requesting 30 books relating to their annual raffle. Foundation David Fisher - has contacted Adele regarding assistance to her fund raising venture. We will provide assistance on 12 October but at this time waiting confirmation from Adele, e.g. What facilities can Mitre 10 provide and what assistance Adele requires from Bayside Rotary. Fundraising John Spiteri - reminded everyone of the upcoming BBQ dates. Please refer the previous Bollard. Relay for Life. We will require assistance. Planning required for food and rosters. Spread over two days and one night shift. Assistance required for the Christ Church BBQ on 26 September. Have not yet heard back from ChristChurch. New Gen Peter Kavenagh - Youth Exchange – A student from overseas means being hosted by a family. Host families do not need to be part of the club. A decision does not need to be made until February/March 2014. RYLA will be held in October .Thank you card received from Shungu Inc.-Nash hoping to bring musicians to Geelong. Details on Shungu website. |
A meeting with a Difference---run by our New Generation and Rotary Radio![]() Jenna Quick explained that the format of the meeting was going to be a little different tonight and started with a healthy fines session. Who is wearing Jeans and sneakers together tonight?????????? Who is a non – FACEBOOK user ??????? Chairman Jenna Quick then introduced our speakers Ron Cockell and AG Tony Stewart from “ROTARY RADIO” Ron said it was around 2 years ago since he was at Bayside Rotary Club introducing the concept of Rotary on Community Radio. Ron said it had come a long way since then and the program now runs once a month where he is joined by Tony and Cathy Ryan the First Tuesday of the Month. |
TimeHelp![]() Chairman Chris introduced our Guest speaker Lisa Kingman from Timehelp Lisa Kingman is the founder of Timehelp and has over 20 years experience helping businesses and community organisations develop strong and beneficial relationships. Lisa lives in Geelong with her two children and founded Timehelp in the Geelong region 10 years ago when she saw the need for volunteers in schools. Lisa is no stranger to Rotary having grown up in a Rotary Family. Learn about the impact this volunteering program has made- http://www.timehelp.com.au/about/impact/ |
Barefoot Bowls![]() “Great night of fun, 25 of us all together for dinner and catch up. Mark invited an exchange student here from Switzerland plus another Gen Y -- They had a lot of fun plus Jenna joined us as well. Brian told me he won at the end of the evening and where was his trophy??? I will organize something Brian. Be careful what you wish for.:)!Bev Burch joined the New Gen team for the night- GREAT FUN |
Committee Night and Inductions![]() Welcome to members, Welcome to New Gen Friends of Rotary Mark Furlan and Jenna Quick and Holly Vanderpol. Welcome back to Phil Quick whom President Telsa re inducted back into the club after being away in Queensland last year, Phil was presented with Dinner badge. Holly was also presented with her dinner badge. Dan Furlan was asked to introduce his son Mark whom was to be inducted as a New Gen Friend of Rotary tonight- “Dan said that Marks introduction to Rotary started young as even as a young child he often came to meetings due to family circumstances at the time and grew up with the concept of what Rotary was all about. In 2009 Mark was nominated for International Youth Exchange and in 2010 spent a year in Canada. Since this time Mark has continued his involvement in some shape or form” President Telsa inducted Mark into our New Gen Friends of Rotary. Committee night followed |
Nyasha's Farewell![]() “ Jo acknowledged Nyasha for the inspiration and delight he has been to the Bayside Rotary Club and how all the members are sorry too see him go and when we orgnanised the gathering tonight we were not sure if it would be a celebration or a farewell and although the later it now seems only for a short while as Nyasha sorts out things to be able to return. Nyasha was than presented with a gift that was a little hard to break into ........an Akubra hat wrapped in the Aussie Flag (a big Thankyou to Jo for sourcing and obtaining this for Nyasha)This was presented by Jo to Nyasha and it fitted a treat and looked very handsome. Nyasha then spoke of his time here, the enjoyment he has had and the friends he has made, plus Baysiders that seem to be a lot younger than what they are (Thanks Nyasha). Nyasha than spoke of the contact he has already made with the Rotary club of Harare (capital of Zimbabwe) to introduce some Youth programs to them and perhaps becoming a sister club with Bayside Rotary Club of Geelong. Although sorry to be leaving and having his studies interrupted their is more hope to his return in a few months. It was a great night of Friendship and Fellowship and was enjoyed by everyone attending.” |
Nyasha's deportation fight - Background |
Committee NightFoundations Report-David Fisher Vocational Report-Daryl New Generations-Peter Hynes Membership/Fellowship - Jo White Fundraising –John Spiteri |
Bikes for Bibles - Greg Puls
Chairman Jo White introduced Greg Puls, our 2009 KWSOTH award winner and his father Rod. He spoke about a cycling event around the Bay; “Bikes for Bibles”, which raises money through sponsors.
|
Chintsa Community in RSA - Adele Chenoweth |
Changeover Night
Changeover Night and was celebrated with a dinner at Queens Park Golf Club
Address of the Incoming President 2013-14 — Telsa Stubna
Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you to picture yourself as someone who dislikes cleaning and tries to avoid it at all costs, but then suddenly undertakes a frenzy of activity over the weekend –
· Washing windows in the middle of winter, even if they didn’t need it
· Vacuuming frantically to justify the need to rush to the stocktaking sales to buy a new vacuum
· Chopping a pile of kindling large enough to sustain yourself through winter
Anything to procrastinate in writing this speech! And then I thought ‘I’m among friends here, many of whom have stood here and made a similar speech, and in the words of PDG Jessie Harman I agreed that;
”Rotary will survive…..despite me!!”
Scenario number 2: Now picture yourself as someone who can’t afford carpet on their floors, who doesn’t in fact have a house to clean, a water supply even for drinking and washing, let alone a pile of wood to chop. Who may not own pen and paper to write upon, or even know how to read or write. These are the people I want to help, and they’re not all overseas.
Incoming World President Ron Burton has said when Rotarians get involved, when they really get engaged in what they’re doing, then lives are changed. He joined Rotary because someone thought to ask him.
Ron has said the new Grants Model makes it an exciting time to be a Rotarian, it takes all that is wonderful about Rotary and raises it to a new level, by encouraging bigger and more sustainable projects, while also providing increasingly flexible local projects which address the needs of the community.
Paul Harris Fellowships — Christine, Jo White and David Fisher announced the candidates proposed and to be accepted as Paul Harris Fellows at Rotary International. They are:
· Bev Burch — Bev has attended numerous working and fundraising events as a Friend of Rotary for many years, as well as partaking in many other volunteering roles within the community
· Jan McGowan — For her unstinting support of the Christ Church Meals Program; “always working and always there”
This is the major award bestowed by Rotary International and the Club expressed its delight on the new Fellows. This year it has been bestowed gratefully on two persons from outside the membership. Congratulations to both.
|
Thailand Heartbreak - Jo“Thailand Heartbreak” As a state coordinator for Nutrimetics, Jo and hundreds of staff travelled to Thailand as part of their E3 Nutrimetics fundraising group. She showed ‘before and after’ photos of the recent Tsunami damage and explained about the loss of jobs and change in lifestyle of local people. |
Committee NightCommittee members broke into groups to discuss goals for the new Rotary year. Membership: should include ‘Friends’ and ex-members regularly in activities. Community: Kalkee thrilled with Literacy Trolley, as are South Geelong P.S.. Awaiting their 2 laptops for use by children with Learning Difficulties. Foundation: Discussion of aims. New Gen: Student Alex Bensch from Geelong College has been interviewed for NYSF, forms completed, interview in Ararat in July; if successful he goes to Canberra for the forum. |
Successful community involvement by the CFA (Gavin Fitzgerald)At recent meeting our Chairman for the night Jo White introduced ex-Bayside member and friend Gavin Fitzgerald who came tonight to tell us about the community service he’s involved in through his workplace.
Gavin said it was good to be back and to see a few old faces from his club days with Bayside.
Gavin has been with CFA for 10 years and was a volunteer for many years as well. He recognises what they do well at CFA: the roll out of trucks and fire fighting, but questions how well they engage with the community they serve.
It is a case of understanding the underlying dynamics of your community getting good involvement with them will reduce the bad involvement with your community at the actual fire scene - seems a smart move, well done Gavin
![]() |
Macular Degeneration Foundation - Consulting Pathologist Martin Kirsch
Chairman John Virgona introduced Consulting Pathologist Martin Kirsch, saying he is associated with the Macular Degeneration Foundation and in his spare time he enjoys sailing and cycling around Geelong. This week is MD Awareness Week.
Martin explained the central part of the eyes retina is responsible for fine detail – reading,people’s faces, driving. There’s a group of degenerative diseases that cause painless but progressive loss of central vision; dry MD is a build-up of drusen (metabolic waste) not noticed except by an Optometrist. |
Looking for membersWe would love to have you as a Rotary member |
Strive to ThriveChairman Brian Burch introduced Oncologist Dr Karen White and Angela McDonald, a cancer survivor. He briefly explained the program ‘Strive to Thrive’, an exercise program initiated by Dr Karen White to help rehabilitate patients after the devastating effects of cancer treatment. Brian also fondly remembered his wife Helen’s recent battle with cancer. Karen began by explaining that the worst part of the struggle following cancer treatment is when the doctor recommends an exercise program. Patients may not have the skills or knowledge to proceed and |