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President's Message
Ben Featherston
President's Report No 23:
President’s Report 23:
It’s a busy time of the year, as we head towards the holiday season.
The Mens’ Health evening was well attended by members at our Monday meeting. We were grateful to hear from Dr Duke Gordon (GP), outlining some of the major health risks that face us fellas, and tests and interventions that can make all the difference. Thank you to Amanda for organizing the evening, see her report later in this bulletin.
This Monday, I will be accompanying our Youth Services Director, Amanda Hough, to the Winchelsea Primary School Grade 6 Graduation Awards dinner. Our club will be donating “endeavor” awards to deserving students. Our club will also be awarding a couple of students at Bellbrae Primary School in the coming days.
The Annual Book Fair IS GO! The club has secured the use of the Middle Years classroom area at Torquay Secondary College. This space is ideal, with plenty of space for tables, stock and a kitchenette. The Book Fair Dates will be Fri 20th January to Sun 22nd January - 3 days of sales. Bump in and set up from Tues 17th Jan and bump out Mon 23rd Jan. More details to come.
Pets on Parade, raising money towards hearing screenings in Tonga, has now closed. Thank you to all of those who publicized the event and/or entered pets. A certain Hearing Clinic associated with your President will also be donating some money towards this great cause.
Rotary Christmas Puddings have arrived. Bruce Turner has been kindly delivering these to people’s houses, and we will soon be donating a bunch, along with Milo tins, to local Food Aid.
Our club Christmas Party is coming up in a little over a week, on Monday 19th December, at the Torquay Hotel. This will be a great evening, to celebrate the year and the upcoming festive season. Please see flyer later in the bulletin and check emails, and you can book tickets through the Try Booking link.
This Monday evening is an online Teams meeting, chaired by John Oswald, where we will have the pleasure of Jeanette Etherington (Co-ordinator Rotary Engagement, Aus & NZ) from Interplast Australia presenting to us. Interplast Australia sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training to countries in need across the Asia-Pacific region. "Repairing Bodies & Rebuilding Lives".
It was a great pleasure to have the company of Dr Duke Gordon and his partner RN Teddy Wood who are both working at the newly built Torquay Medical Health and Wellness Clinic.
The topic of the presentation was Men's Health and Dr Gordon covered a range of issues relating to this topic.
Duke highlighted the following:
Heart Health - there is now an opportunity for you to have a Heart Health Check funded by Medicare. It gives extremely valuable information about one's current and potential general and cardiac health status and disease prevention. You will go away with a sound understanding of care of your heart and blood vessels, and knowledge about prevention and management of problems that can arise.
Diabetes - About 1 in 12 Australians suffer from Diabetes type 2. Although it is a disease of ageing, it's cause is related to our diet which is rich in Sugar, Fats and Carbohydrates (which converts to sugar in the gut). The pancreas released Insulin which is the "key" to opening up the action of Insulin the regulator of sugar. Without enough insulin the sugar remains in our system, and that is not a good thing for anyone! With an excessive diet and ageing, the pancreas can begin to fail. We can also develop Insulin resistance, where the muscles don't "recognise" the insulin.
Diabetes management is more than just keeping your blood sugar under a certain level. Its about eating a well balanced diet, portion control, alcohol moderation, and using our muscles to soak up the excess sugar and maintain strength. The horrifying complications of continuously high blood sugar is damage to those organs with the finest blood vessels - that is the eyes, the kidneys and the feet. Those blood vessels begin to break down and we end up with blindness, kidney disease and foot ulcers and ischaemia and uh oh, potential for amputation.
Blood Pressure (Hypertension). This is a real problem, as many people feel fine when their Blood Pressure is too high. This leads to the possibility of Stroke and organ damage. The simple solution is to have your Blood Pressure tested regularly, shed excess weight, minimise salt and alcohol in the diet and keep moving with activities and exercise.
Skin - Over our lifetime our skin protects our body from trauma, friction and sun damage. It also holds us together!! It also helps with the maintenance of our body temperature, fluid balance and removal of waste products. the Clinic has GPs who specialise in skin checks, using a dermatoscope with a special light to identify the odd lump or discolorations.
Of course the above also applies to women, however we are calling on you blokes who put off attending the Doctor when you feel well for an annual checkup, or when there is something "just not right".
Prostate Health - a men's disease that has had an impact on so many of us, either personally, or a family member.
The Prostate gland usually enlarges due to the ageing process, and this causes constriction of urinary outflow. This condition is called BPH (Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy) can be treated with medication, and/or with surgery called a TURP. (Trans Urethral Resection of the Prostate). Its manageable.
The Prostate can also become cancerous. The best a man over 40 can do is to have a yearly PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test to keep track of any potential increase over the years. This is particularly important when there is a history of Prostate Cancer in the family. Diagnosis may require a rectal examination and /or a biopsy. Not fun. If diagnosed there is a challenging journey ahead, and it is important to be familiar with the disease by talking to your GP and Urologist and make informed decisions about the choices that are available.
There are many forms of treatment for Prostate Cancer - , Medication, Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, Robotic or Radical surgical excision, Freezing, Boiling(!) Laser, and more coming through. Each treatment could bring short term or long term complications or side effects. Newly diagnosed men will hear anecdotes of success or horror stories, who the BEST and WORST surgeon is, and of course the informative and crazy Google searches, including herbal and miracle cures.
Dr Gordon spoke passionately about his practice and love of his work, and his new home Torquay Australia. He and Teddy said they were delighted to be invited, and we were delighted to meet them. We hope to see them again at our upcoming Christmas function.
This year we are raising funds to assist with Hearing Screening for Primary School Year 1 and 2 Children in Tonga. This project has been selected by our Club President Ben Featherston. Ben's background as a Clinical Audiologist meant that this project was a logical choice, but there are a number reasons why Ben made this selection. If you get a chance to chat with him it is worthwhile hearing the background to his choice.
As there is currently no routine screening or monitoring of hearing or ear health of young children in Tonga, the objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Health through focused training and provision of specialist equipment, to enable them to undertake screening the hearing of the young population in Tonga on a regular basis.
Within a sample of 500 Primary 1 and 2 children, 30% have been found to have some hearing/ear problems. Community Nursing staff, supported by staff at the ENT clinic will conduct regular periodic screening of the hearing of young children within the school environment. Children with identified problems will be directed to representatives from the ENT clinic at Vaiola Hospital Nuku'alofa, for further evaluation and remediation.
Regional Trails As part of the development process for the Strategy, stakeholders are being invited to complete a survey outlining their use of the trail network and opportunities for improvement. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and is located at https://trc.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/great-ocean-road-regional-trail-management-strategy. The survey is open to 18 December 2022. For any questions or enquiries concerning the development of this Strategy, please contact me on the details provided below. Warm regards Matt Matt Aquilina Trail Coordinator Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority P: 1300 736 533 | M: 0493 061 556
Working Bee I believe the W/Bee went well but I have no photos.
Weekly newsletter The next newsletter will be about the middle of January 2023, and the next Working Bee. Sunday. February 5th, 2023! Lets all have a break and a safe and enjoyable festive season. See you in the new year! Geoff, Luke & Committee
Our next chapter meeting will be held on Thursday 12th December at 6.30pm.
Hello and greetings from the Rotary Club of Sydney’s Climate Action Group:
Shared vision, shared ideas: A Rotary Recap In 2021, Rotary International declared Protecting the Environment as the 7th and newest Area of Focus for Rotary. Rotary Clubs have been involved in a range of environment related projects and initiatives to engage Rotarians and the broader community to contribute to protecting the environment.
The Rotary Club of Sydney’s Climate Action Group will host an online discussion with members from some Rotary clubs who will share what their clubs have been doing. The projects include beach clean-ups, tree planting and an eyewear project, involving members, local councils and schools, and indigenous communities.
Come and join us to learn about these fantastic projects and also discuss other projects that Rotarians can get involved with. Date: Monday 12th December 2022 Time: 5.30 – 6.30pm AEDT
I am excited to let you know that our 2023 District 9780 Conference website and Try-booking is now open so please share with your members and encourage them to come along.
you can reserve your booking for our weekend of fun.
We even have a special prize draw for early bird booking prior to the 31 January 2023 so get in early to be in the draw.
We have some fantastic speakers lined up for our conference -
Jelena Dokic - Tennis legend, TV commentator, refugee, author,
John Marsden - multi award winning author, educator and founder of two schools,
Professor Anthony Holmes AO - reconstructive surgeon who separated co-joined twins Krishna and Trishna,
Lyndon Galea - CEO and founder of the 'Eat-up' program,
Rosie Lotawa - ROMAC's 5th patient and Ambassador,
Jessica Trijsburg - Peace scholar and leader in strategic diversity
and
Mark O'Toole - legend in Lismore for not only his own helicopter rescue, but also his on-going support and assistance for flood displaced locals.
We are also giving you the opportunity of choosing a song for your club to be played at our dinner dance on Saturday evening. The list to choose from is attached so let me know which song represents your club's fun side.
Don't forget there are prizes for individuals and groups who embrace the conference theme of 'We are the World' so dress to impress and come along as a group to ensure we all have a fun night to remember.
I look forward to catching up with you all again as we join together for a fun weekend of celebrating Rotary and our District - working together to make a difference in the World.
The festive season is almost upon us and there is so much to look forward to as a time of celebration and cheer. However, we know that for many in our community, it is a stressful period, especially when it comes to being able to afford gifts for little ones and a special meal to share.
The wonderful thing about the Geelong community is that we are known to band together and show compassion and generosity to those who need it most.
This is why I am writing to ask you to consider supporting the Geelong Giving Tree Appeal 2022, which is running from 12 November – 6 December.
BCYF is once again a collaborative partner with Bethany Community Support and the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre to raise money for children, young people and families to be able to have some extra funds this festive season, so they can enjoy some much-needed cheer.
Last year the Geelong Giving Tree Appeal raised almost $90,000 allowing us to provide 2239 gift cards to 852 families and individuals being supported by local agencies.
We know it has been a challenging few years, and with the cost of living on the rise, we know our most vulnerable will again feel the strain this festive season. By making even a small donation you can contribute to parents buying a present for a child they have on their Santa list or being able to create an extra special meal over the festive season to share with loved ones.
These seemingly small acts of kindness make for a brighter Christmas for all.
Being able to work collaboratively to make Christmas a happier time for children, young people and families across our region supports BCYF’s Christmas wish, which is a community where people are safe, connected and empowered to live well. If you are able, I ask you to consider donating to this fundraising appeal.
Further to the question posed at dinner on Monday night, I have booked the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park for Thursday, 16th to Sunday 19th of February 2023 for a muster of the Recreational Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians. This is the week after the Motor show.
Usual bookings are for 30 powered caravan sites and 10 cabins. Cut-off date for bookings is mid-November, so we will have a good idea of the numbers that will come by then.
Kelly, Sue (Currie) and one other have very kindly offered to help with the planning of the social side of the muster. I hope we can meet up later in this week.
For any further information regarding the Recreational Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians and their planned trips please contact John Oswald.
In May 2023, Rotary in Geelong is mounting the Geelong Drone Expo (the week before the International Conference in Melbourne). The Expo brings together business, the arts and community into an inspirational family day.
The attached brochure outlines the promotional opportunitites, with the Supporter category being developed particularly with Rotarians in mind. Contact details are in the brochure.
If you could add this to your facebook or website we would be mighty grateful!! The Expo will have a Rotary display area where visitors can see the great work we do. We hope also to attract some of the international Rotarians coming early to visit our great state.
Following the wonderful reception from Orange Sky for the Coats and winter clothing donated by Rotarians last year, and the chilly winter that we are experiencing we have been asked to continue collecting for them again this winter.
Please note that all the people receiving the coats are currently homeless and many have asked if there are any thermal pants or skivvies.
So please check your wardrobes and donate any warm skivvies or pants as well as coats which are always in demand.
I will do regular pickups from our central collection point in Torquay which the Birchalls have kindly agreed to do.
Please click on the above image to read the article from the latest edition of Rotary Down Under for details of how you can assist the citizens of Ukraine through the Rotary network.
Delegate registration cost for RICON23 in Melbourne changes depending on when you register. The earlier you register the more economical the price.
Rotarians, Rotaractors and friends can obtain the maximum discount to attend RICON23. Registration and Accommodation Bookings are now available through the RI website on this link
The Rotary Australia World Community Service website at https://directory.rawcs.com.au/41-2021-22 is our donor page, still being worked on, but with the completion of the business case, we will start our fundraising from March 1.
As an aside, Lucy received the following message re our project from the Governor of the Gulf Province Chris Haiveta
Thank you, Sis, for your tireless efforts to Assist our village over the years through the foundation.
I am committed to supporting you and the foundation as you prepare to widen your coverage on critical issues.
We are working with a couple NGOs in the Province already and can provide you the letter of support.
I suggest that we formalize the support and collaboration through an MOU.
In the meantime it would be much better to send a profile and EOI from the foundation to me aa head of the Provincial Government so that we can commence to formalize the relationship.
WHAT WE ARE COLLECTING AND WHERE TO DROP OFF ITEMS
Bottle Top Lids
Cause:- Lids4Kids is a nationwide 100% volunteer project to rescue plastic bottle lids
from landfill to benefit the environment and kids. Lids4Kids hopes to rescue eligible lids from landfill for projects that benefit all Australian kids in need.
So if you could collect milk bottle tops for recycling to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill., you will contribute to Torquay Rotary’s Environment Project
Just remove the yellow, blue or red plastic top from milk bottles, wash clean & pop into a container .
Maggie Isom will let us know when we can drop off to a bin at Coles Supermarket 41 Bristol Rd Torquay
Cause :- Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, who collect them, sell them to recyclers and turn the cash into wheelchairs for people who can’t afford them.
Cause :- Recycle for Sight Australia a joint effort with Torquay Lions Club to send old prescription glasses to overseas communities where people cannot afford them.
Cause :- A Rotary "Donations in Kind" joint exercise with the Rotary Club of Boroko to disperse to needing schools in PNG. They need books that are used in Australian schools from Grades Prep to 8. Plus story books for younger children for grades Prep to 3.
2022-23 President Jennifer Jones is eager to advance Rotary’s narrative. To learn more of our RI President's vision and listen to her podcast follow this link RI President Jennifer Jones LINK
District 9780 Governor for 2021-22 is Kathy Rivett from RC of Alfredton
Kathy currently works in the travel industry and previously held positions in the Federal public service.
Kathy is married to David Rivett.
Kathy served as President of the Rotary Club of Wendouree in 2007-08 and worked with PDG Ken Broadbent in 2010 to set up the then Alfredton Satellite Club. With Kathy's support, Alfredton went on to charter in 2013, the first one to convert to a full Club. Kathy is a proud member of the Alfredton Rotary Club.
Kathy has been involved in a wide range of Rotary activities over the years including:
as a Youth Exchange Counsellor
serving on two District Conference Committees
as an RLI Trainer
working on FAIM Projects in Samoa, Cook Islands and Bali.
Kathy's particular love is Event Co-ordination, being a key player in organising Rotary activities including competitions, community events, concerts, expos etc.
LATEST PUBLICATIONS
To read the DG Kathy's latest District 9780 November 22 eNewsletter CLICK HERE
Rotary Down Under 2022 October Edition 654 CLICK HERE
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2023
Melbourne has been announced as the host city for the 2023 Rotary International Convention, the largest conference secured this century for Victoria.
Melbourne is a Big Events City! Set to deliver over $88 million to the Victorian economy, the Convention is the most valuable conference ever won for the state, with the four-day event anticipated to attract more than 20,000 Rotarians from around the world. The global spotlight will be on Melbourne and how we present ourselves to the world.
The Convention will take place 27-31 May 2023 using Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre for functions.
Watch this Space for further news as it comes to hand.
