Tuesday's meeting was one of the busiest and most vibrant meetings we've had for some time. Most of this was due a good attendance and an oversupply of guest speakers. Two speakers for the price of one!
Michael Gallus from Footys4All and Robert Dawson from the Puffing Billy Preservation Society shared the speakers stage. We also heard from First Constable Ryan King who helped organise the recent soccer match between VicPol and the South Sudanese community.
"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers." Nelson Mandela
Michael Gallus has been a teacher at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School for 22 years. He is also a junior football and cricket coach and a father of 3. If that's not enough to occupy his time, he decided to set up Footys4All about 5 years ago.
Footys4All is a volunteer not-for-profit children's sporting foundation which supplies new footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, etc to disadvantaged, underprivileged or socially displaced children around Australia and across the world free of charge. They distribute balls through existing registered community, sporting educational and charity organisations.
They have ambassadors from all walks of life including Michael Long (ex-AFL player), Barry Denner (Triple M Footy), Terry Wilson (children's author) and Joffa Corfe, the renowned Collingwood cheer-squad leader who experienced tough times as a child. Board members include some of the most prominent Australians including Dr Nathan Grills and Professor Patrick McGorry.
Michael has been to many remote areas of Australia to hand out balls and to teach the kids the basic skills. He believes that the benefits are immeasurable but there is a marked improvement in general health and attendance at school.
He has also ventured to other countries. On one occasion, when he was in East Timor, he handed a ball to a boy who then said something in his native tongue. When he asked what the boy said, they responded that he said "Thankyou" but what was so amazing to them was that he hadn't spoken in years.
In 2015, Michael was one of 9 recipients of an Australian of the Year award for his services to sport. Among the other recipients was Neale Daniher.
At the end of his presentation, Michael presented a football to a delighted exchange student, Andrea, who will take it home to Denmark.
Robert "Smokey" Dawson was born and raised in the Dandenong Ranges and has been a passionate follower of the Puffing Billy railway service since he was a boy. You could say he almost has steam coming out his ears.
He proceeded to tell us about the history of the trains in the area. The line was opened in 1900 and trains operated over 29km between Upper Ferntree Gully and Gembrook carrying mainly timber and potatoes. Then, in 1953, a landslide caused the line to close.
Public interest resulted in the reformation of the line. It was progressively reopened - Belgrave to Menzies Creek in 1962, then to Emerald in 1965, Lakeside in 1975 and finally to Gembrook in 1998.
Puffing Billy has now become one of Victoria's major attractions for local and overseas visitors. Robert proudly states that it carries over 500,000 passengers each year through the forests, fern gullies and farmlands of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges. And the popularity is continuing to increase. They even run private tours catering for special functions such as weddings, dining and dancing, murder mystery functions, jazz and blues trips and a Santa ride.
Smokey signed off by saying "see you down the track".
We welcomed two special guests at the meeting. They were First Constables Ryan King and Hayley Cameron who are both stationed at Werribee. Ryan, whose father is a Rotarian in Geelong, expressed his thanks for our efforts in supporting the local soccer game between VicPol and the South Sudanese community in April. We cooked sausages for the large crowd. He said it was a tremendously successful day and helped to create a better relationship and deeper respect between the two groups.
Ryan also explained that his role is one of only two in Victoria. He is not part of normal operations. Instead, he is the sole permanent member of the experimental Westgate Proactive Policing Unit which covers the Wyndham, Hobsons Bay and Brimbank areas. He is charged with the responsibility of keeping in touch with, and helping to control, young people in the community aged between 10 and 18 who are no longer part of the main stream of society. In other words, they either have a police record or have been a victim of violence and abuse in their own family. Most of these youngsters are now resident in homes run by the Department of Human Services. It is Ryan's job to visit them and interact with them to ensure that they are not having any problems. He said he has had to deal with some very tough and sad situations which relate mainly to crime, drugs and bad behaviour. But he believes he is making a positive difference.
Ryan was keen to learn more about some of our youth programs. As such, he is planning to return to the club next week to sit in with the Youth Committee meeting.
Werribee Rotary together with Wyndham Central College will be hosting a High Tea Spectacular on Sunday 22nd October.
This joint venture will enable women to come together to help raise funds for much needed health awareness and services in Wyndham. Money raised will be donated to help build the Rotary Cancer (RoCan) Wellness Centre for the West, and to Wyndham Central College to fund wellness programs for the students. The event includes a delicious high tea, guest speakers, musical performances and raffle prizes.
Date: Sunday 22nd October 2017
Venue: Wyndham Central College, 101 Shaws Rd, Werribee, Victoria
The Japanese Garden which was constructed by our club in the mid-90's at the Wyndham Council offices is in need of a facelift. There will be a working bee, held jointly with Hoppers Crossing Rotary, on Sunday 8th October.
We will perform maintenance on the garden and add some new plants to the display. Wyndham Council officers will be on site at 9am and they will supply tools and plants.
If you can assist on the day, please advise Jason Daddy or President Ross.
Click here to view some past and present photos of the garden.
District 9800 is calling for clubs to nominate a Past President to serve on the Nominating Committee that will select a nominee for District Governor for 2020-21. If you think there is a Past President in our club who would be suitable for the role, please submit your suggestion in writing to President Ross.
There was another mid-week Bunnings BBQ on 14th September. We raised in excess of $700 on the day. A good result on such a cold and windy day. The following photo shows how flat out some of the members were. Any quieter and they would be asleep!
Unfortunately, the number of additional BBQ's that we were booked in for prior to Christmas has been reduced. We now only have two time slots - November 21 and December 5.
There will be a joint cluster meeting on Tuesday 24th October. This will involve the clubs from Werribee, Wyndham, Hoppers Crossing, Laverton Point Cook and Williamstown. More details to be supplied later.
The 25th Paul Harris Breakfast will be held at the RACV Club on Tuesday 21st November. The guest speaker will be Daniel Flynn, one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs under the age of 30. He is the founder and managing director of the social enterprise Thankyou, which has given more than $5.5 million to help end global poverty. The cost is $65 per person. Click here to make a booking.
Anthony Pante was awarded this week's Best Dressed award by our SAA and self-proclaimed "best dresser" Marty Vaina. Here's a photo showing why Anthony won the award. By the looks of it, it was a mutual admiration society function.
Marty Vaina reported that he is organising a special Rock 'n Roll night in April next year. It will be at the Italian Social Club and he hopes to attract 300 people. He tried hard to secure the services of the Barking Dogs but, unfortunately, due to their popularity and the high number of commitments, they won't be able to perform. Regrettably, Marty will have to book a second-rate band instead. But it is bound to be a great night, even without the Dogs. Depending on the success of the function, Marty is keen to turn this fund-raiser into an annual event.
It's sad to report that some Tiger supporters are finally coming out of hibernation and are turning feral. Here's a photo of one of them grinning like a Cheshire cat after his team beat their feline foes. It's going to be a long and painful final series.
650 students broaden horizons through Rotary exchange program
By Frank Bures
Growing up in a village near the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, Wanzita Ally never seriously thought about getting on a plane and flying to America.
Her father had died when she was young, and she lived with her mother and grandmother, who were poor farmers.
The family depended on what they grew in their fields to eat.
But Wanzita loved school, and she did well. She was chosen as a class leader by her fellow students, and her teachers noted that she showed “good effort, behavior, and attendance,” despite going long periods without eating. She was determined not to let her family’s situation interfere with her education.
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