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President's Message
Michael Reed
President's Report No 36
We may not have had a Rotary meeting for our club last Monday due to a public holiday – but I can assure you The Rotary Club of Torquay has been well and truly alive and kicking!
On Saturday evening 12th March, I joined the Rotary Club of Rizal West on their 42nd Charter Anniversary. Lea Clements and I attended by Zoom and joined another 9 people online (from around the world), while the club met face to face for a formal dinner. With the time differences, the meeting didn’t conclude until 2am Sunday morning ‘our time’.
Wednesday 15th March, I attended the Probus Club of Torquay Jan Juc and inducted their new President – Helen Day. A very pleasant morning. I caught up with Rudi and Gaynor Schols, past members of our club and Margaret Robinson District 9780 Chair of Probus. Margaret officially called the new board members up and I had the pleasure of inducting and presenting Helen with the chain of office for the coming Probus year.
We have donated $2,000 to the flood effected people in Queensland and NSW.
Following some discussion with board members, and the best way to go about donating – we felt using the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) fund the best option.
This has been set up, and many districts, clubs, and individuals are donating into this fund.
The donated funds are being distributed to those in need.
We can rest assured our funds will be going to good use.
A big Thank you to all Rotarians, friends and businesses who have donated their LIDS of all types to Torquay Rotary's Lids for Kids Collection
You will be pleased to know that we have contributed over 50 Kg to the Geelong collection of Lids for Kids and Coordindator Jennifer Jarrard is having a stand in the House of Friendship at District Conference to spread the word to other Rotary Clubs in the District.
Coles Torquay in Bristol Road will have collection bins for Lids for kids in the near future
So please keep collecting and I will keep you informed of when the collection bin arrives
This is a wonderful effort that Torquay Rotary Club is making this great Contribution to Rotary's fifth area of focus -Environment 🤗
Last Monday Gerard Sell from the Rotary Club of Belmont joined us to launch the 2022 Social Inclusion Program fundraiser lunch. This event is the main fundraiser for this unique program under the Headspace umbrella which provides support and treatment for young people in the Geelong Region, suffering for mental health issues.
For a number of years our Club has been a supporting partner of the event and Gerard informed us that there at several things that we can do to assist them this year:-
Sell tickets to the Luncheon (we have always taken at least one table of 10)
Help to source items to be included in either the Silent Auction, Live Auction or Raffle
Provide people power assistance at the event.
Gerard has reiterated that whilst support and donations will be most appreciated they would prefer to see this as an opportunity to invite corporate/business support from our network of contacts. This would also provide an opportunity for us to develop our Club's relationship with these people/businesses.
Many of us who have previously attended these events have always found them to be both enjoyable and the speakers inspirational. It is intention to fill at least 1 table, hopefully 2.
If anyone would like to either book tickets to the Luncheon or to donate goods or services to the Auctions and Raffle please contact either Michael Reed or Greg Plumridge.
Mal Slater, David Mitchell, Richard Hawker, Gerard Hogan, Vernon D'Souza
12 till 3.30
Mal Slater, Marg McPherson, Linda Neale and Daryl Lee
Could use one more for afternoon Shift
Danger 1000 26th March
Foreshore near Price st
(time to be confirmed but from recollection 8 till 2 ) so split shifts would be better if possible.
Marg McPherson, Gerard Mc Namara(am),John Oswald, Linda Neale, Daryl Lee, Gail and Greg Birchall, Mike Reed, Bruce Smith, Allan Hillgrove, Bruce Turner, Gerard Hogan
Waiting for final details from the organiser to allocate shifts
Easter
Trevor Hall has agreed to take on the role of Co-ordinator
We met with Ripcurl on site on Thursday,
They have suggested that they would like us there on the Friday, Saturday till 4 (as they have teams Signing event) and Sunday rather than Saturday, Sunday and Monday
So can you please look at your calendars to see if we can do this.
This is the current roster
Friday 15th April
need volunteers
Saturday 16thApril (I think a shift from 9.30 till 1.30 should do)
Marg McPherson,John Oswald,Graham and Lois Gill,Daryl Lee,Greg and Gail Birchall , Peter Bollen
Sunday 17th April
John Oswald, Peter Bollen.
would need 3 more
Monday 18 th April
John Oswald,Daryl Lee,Graham and Lois Gill,Gerard Hogan,
Following continued success of the Art Show event with strong entries and attendances over the past eighteen years our Club is once again organising this event which will run on Good Friday 15th April to Easter Sunday 17th April 2022.
Entries of an extremely high standard are received from all parts of Victoria as well as interstate representation. We are again hopeful of similar participation ensuring that this event continues to grow in reputation. It is well worth a visit to Kerang to witness our wonderful display and we would love to see you and make you feel welcome with traditional Rotary hospitality.
I am writing to you to ask your support for our Rotary Club in this endeavour. I hope you can find time and space within your organization to promote our Art Show to your members & artists. To help you do this we have attached an entry form and tags. Simply print and submit by post or email. Payment can be made by posting a cheque or payment direct online.
To facilitate your members and artists participation in the Art Show there are several delivery & collection depots around the state that they may find useful.
With total prizes available of $7,300.00 our Rotary Club believes that many of your members & artists may well be interested and take the opportunity to participate by showcasing their artwork and hopefully achieving recognition and sales. NB. There are exciting additional categories with limit of 10 entries per artist.
Easter in Kerang and in Gannawarra Shire offers many events and activities including Tri-annual Quilt Show, Kerang Regional parkrun, Horse Races, Markets, Tractor Pull, Tennis, Bowls, Skate Parks, Pools, Forests, Lakes & Waterways & much more.
Entries close on Friday 1st April 2022.
Of course, if there are any questions or areas that need clarification, please contact the Art Show Coordinators as listed on the entry form and below.
Kind regards
Jenny Kelly Art Show Coordinators 2022 Rotary Club of Kerang Inc. Rtn. Jenny Kelly (0400 571 266) Rth. Annette Kelly (0409 183 354) rotarykerangartshow@gmail.com
We have been waiting for the outcome of a special District Board meeting which discussed how best we could support communities affected by the recent QLD & NSW Floods.
The District Board has decided to make a $10,000 donation to the RAWCS appeal. They discussed sending the funds to one of the Districts directly impacted thinking it might get to those who need it quickly or more quickly than through RAWCS. We now know that RAWCS was very quick in distributing the funds to the victims of the Dandenong storms and will be similarly speedy with this one.
As such District is donating to RAWCS, which also means we are supporting more than just one District as many are impacted.
As a Club we will look at doing the same ie. make the donation to the RAWCS appeal. The Board will keep you updated.
President Michael
Australian charity, Rotary Australia World Community Service, announced the creation of a national Flood Relief Appeal for people impacted by the current floods in Queensland and Northern NSW. Australians impacted by the recent floods will be the beneficiaries of money raised by Flood Appeal and will be able to liaise with their local Rotary Club to advise of their needs. The fundraising campaign was launched today to support the communities in need after yet another disaster impacting Australians. “The money raised from the Appeal will go directly and quickly to support those impacted, providing essential items and financial support where Disaster relief and Insurance claims won’t stretch,” said Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd CEO Andrew Woodward. “The number of disasters Australians have endured in the last few years in addition to the pandemic have been significant and left a lot of people in very difficult financial positions,” Mr Woodward said. Rotary Australia World Community Service has previously raised money for Bushfire and Drought affected areas and sees this disaster as just another where the network of Rotarians can step in to assist. Mr Woodward said that he expects the money to help people with the things that insurance or disaster relief funds cannot replace. Whether it be helping farmers build new fences or providing food and clothing to those that have lost everything, the money raised will be crucial in helping families get back on their feet as soon as possible. Rotary Australia World Community Service is a not-for-profit charity that aims to be the leading Australian charitable organization for people’s wellbeing, supporting Rotarians and Rotary Clubs undertaking humanitarian projects in Australia and overseas. Tax Deductible Donations to the appeal can be made on the Rotary Australia World Community Service website athttps://rawcs.org.au
TONGA VOLCANO ERUPTION AND TSUNAMI APPEAL
The effects of the Volcano and Tsunami on January 15th will be far-reaching, impacting the Tonga Community for months, possibly years to come.
Communication remains problematic with international and inter-island call still no possible due to the damage to the undersea cable.
Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) will be working with Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) and Rotary Club of Nuku’alofa (Tonga) in providing aid and assistance to the affected communities’ and restoring their livelihoods.
RAWCS has registered a Rotary Australia Relief Fund project to seek financial assistance from Rotary Clubs, the public and private sector. Donations to the RAWCS Relief Fund are tax deductible. Donate through https://rawcs.org.au/ Project Tonga Volcano Eruption and Tsunami Disaster https://directory.rawcs.com.au/42-2021-22
Further to my recent email regarding the Toga Disaster, I contacted Brian Ashworth from Disaster Aid Australia to find out if they were doing anything to assist the Tongan relief operation. I have attached Brian's response to this email below.
The second event was the release of the WHO World Malaria Report 2021. The take home messages from the report are;
241million malaria cases were recorded in 2020, an increase of 14 million from 2019.
There were 627,000 deaths recorded in 2020, an increase of 69,000 on the previous year.
96% of the cases were in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Regards to Everyone,
Noel Howard
District 9780 RAWCS/RAN Chair
Disaster Aid Australia as a smaller Rotary Charity is committed to delivering cost effective aid to respect the value of the donations we receive.
We also like to make a difference smaller communities the bigger aid agencies miss.
Also our model is based on finding out what the communities need, not what we might think they need.
Other than our SkyHydrants for safe water, we look for things we can deliver locally than try and manage major import of materials with its consequential delays.
To do this we need at least one of the following:
An effective local partner which may be a Rotary Club or an NGO.
DAA volunteers on site.
Knowing the needs of the community that can be provided by local purchase.
As we have not worked in Tonga for many years, lack of communications, and no ability to travel we have no plan of action to date. (we have been in communication with Australian Rotary Clubs with Tonga experience but to date due to communication issues they are in a similar position)
Also COVID has severely limited our income over the past two years and we are currently highly committed to the recovery from Super Typhoon Odette which hit the Philippines in late December. We are working with our long established and trusted partner Balay Mindanaw on the island of Dinagat where approximately 20,000 homes have been destroyed.
Since 20th December
DAA Tents and SkyHydrants, stored in the Philippines, have been deployed;
Financial support provided for food packages and tarpaulins;
10 additional SkyHydrants shipped.
An additional grant for rebuilding made.
We have been in touch with SkyJuice, suppliers of the SkyHydrant and in discussions believe the early presence of Australian Navy ships with considerable ability to desalinate seawater is likely to provide the quickest way of providing drinking water.
(Although SkyHydrants can filter water contaminated with volcanic dust the nature of the dust quickly damages the membranes)
If you know of or think you know of a birthday or special announcement that needs to be made, please contact me. Especially the newer members and their spouses. My guide is the Clubrunner so if you see something missing let me know.
Thank you, Jan Emmett IPP/CSVC
Birthdays -
A very ‘Special’ Happy Birthday goes out to:
Sue Hall who turned 15 or 16yrs old or something last Monday…!! Sue is a leap year baby, but whatever age you turned Sue we hope you had a lovely Birthday…!
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.
As a club president, you play a critical role in keeping members informed about the Rotary Peace Centers programs. Encourage club members to use their professional and social contacts to find potential candidates. They can also support the program by coaching candidates through the application process and connecting them to districts that can endorse their applications, a required step in the application process.
These resources can help you and your members recruit candidates for 2023 Rotary Peace Fellowships:
Take the All About the Rotary Peace Fellowships course to learn about qualification requirements, eligibility restrictions, the application process, and more.
Use our referral form to tell us about potential candidates, and we’ll follow up with them.
As we grow our certificate program, we are particularly seeking qualified candidates for our peace centers at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and Makerere University (Uganda). The one-year program is intended for working professionals and requires 11 weeks of on-site participation. We are looking for candidates with a minimum of five years of relevant work experience (the average age for this program is 42). Graduates receive a post-graduate diploma in peace studies upon completion of the program.
Candidates have until 15 May to submit applications to The Rotary Foundation. Trained Rotary endorsers have until 1 July to submit endorsed applications to The Rotary Foundation.
Send any questions about the fellowship program to rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org. Thank you for your dedication to the Rotary Peace Centers and your help educating Rotary members and your community about the fellowships.
Sincerely, Rotary Peace Centers
Rotary Peace Centers are made possible by the generosity of donors.
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.
Here's a challenge for everyone...….in these "different" times in which we are living there are more and more Clubs now holding on-line meetings so now it's easier than it's ever been to do a make-up.
You can do them from the comfort of your own home and you don't even have to get dressed up.
Let's have a club challenge to see who can do a make up form the most interesting city. Be sure to grab a screen shot of your meeting and send to me for the bulletin.
What a great way to meet other Rotarians from around the world and to find out how they are living through the COVID-19 lockdowns.
To make it easy the Rotary Club of Mount Lawley in WA have begun compiling a list of Clubs who are now holding On-Line Meetings to view the list click the link below.
Shekhar and Rashi Mehta at their home in Kolkata. Rashi painted the picture Mother and Child, behind her.
When I met Shekhar almost 20 years ago, he was busily manning a booth at the Rotary International Convention. His enthusiasm and energy in showcasing his club’s projects were infectious. A project man myself, I was inspired by the work exhibited at the booth. That casual encounter developed into a strong friendship.
Shekhar is a visionary leader. He always sees things others can’t. He envisaged a way to eradicate illiteracy in India by 2025 and designed the TEACH program (which stands for Teacher support, E-learning, Adult literacy, Child development, Happy school). He started the Shelter Kit project that now is in the vanguard of disaster relief in India. His Saving Little Hearts project, which provides heart surgeries to thousands of children, along with the more than 15 eye hospitals he helped establish, which have served hundreds of thousands, speaks to the scope of his dreams.
Ravi Vadlamani
Rotary Club of Guntur, India 2001-02 governor of District 3150
He has an exceptional talent for building teams and driving them to achieve their goals. Shekhar’s programs and ideas may seem larger than life, but he always walks the extra mile to make Rotarians feel at home.
His power of dreaming big is backed up by planning, perseverance, and patience. He’s an excellent communicator who connects with his audience instantly and can motivate people to move mountains. He is also a family man, ably supported by his spouse, Rashi.
Shekhar’s X factor as a leader? Nobody is able to say no to him when he asks for something.
District 9780 Governor for 2021-22 is John Clue from Rotary Club of Port Fairy
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.
