Peter Lockwood could be referred to as a train repairer and accident cleaner-upperer. It's not his official title but that's what he does.

After many years working with V/Line and Pacific National as a train maintenance engineer, Peter took early retirement and set up a business to perform on-site repairs of broken down locomotives and wagons and to manage the massive operation of recovering and cleaning up after a train accident. He can get a call at any time from anywhere in Australia and he and his son will be off to sort it all out. Depending on the problem, they could be there for a few days or several weeks.

Peter had many examples and images of major crashes. Some of these were caused by equipment malfunction while others resulted from human error. Regardless of the reason, the devastation was usually quite significant. He said that the cost to recover and clean up was very high. When a train derailed near Camperdown many years ago, the recovery cost amounted to $18 million. He also cited a few examples of train crashes in Werribee. On one recent occasion, the handbrake was left on on one of the wagons which caused the wheel to disintegrate and the train derailed. Unfortunately, a lady lost her life in this accident.

Peter said technology plays an important part nowadays in helping to minimise accidents and high repair costs. Each wagon is fitted with an e-tag so they are monitored wherever they go. Sensors are fitted beside many tracks and if they detect an unusual sound such as a faulty wheel bearing, details of the specific wagon are transmitted to an operator who will immediately notify the train driver to take appropriate action to investigate the problem.

Our Rotary Exchange student Andrea Fredskild, from Denmark, has been our guest for about 5 months. She presented the club with an update of her experiences and adventures to date.

Some of the highlights of her time in Australia so far have been:

• Visiting Melbourne's Royal Show where she saw many domestic animals and had a few adventure rides including the roller coaster. She also really enjoyed watching the show jumping.

• Travelling down the Great Ocean Road and taking a trip to Echuca. She loved both trips.

• Attending a harness racing night at the Melton Trots.

• Going to an AFL match at the MCG. The game was between Geelong and Richmond. She is now a fanatical Cats supporter. Smart girl.

• Going skiing with other exchange students. It was very cold compared to winter in Denmark and it was raining. But she still loved her time there.

• Walking in the You Yangs. She said it was a beautiful experience.

• Going to Healesville Sanctuary. Another great experience because she saw a koala and wombat for the first time.

It seems like Andrea is really enjoying her time in Australia. She said she would love to do many other things over the next 6 months. If members of the club would like to help by taking her on a trip or to a show or to a restaurant or anything else, please don't hesitate to offer. She is a very personable young lady and would appreciate your contribution.

The proceeds from the club's very successful High Tea were presented to the designated recipients at last Tuesday's meeting.

Chief organiser Lyn Fava handed a cheque for $5092.17 to Yvonne Moon who is the inspiration behind the ROCAN program which stands for Rotarian Ovarian Cancer Research. Yvonne expressed her gratitude to the club for their fantastic efforts and generosity. She said the funds will go towards purchasing a block of land in the Riverwalk Estate in Werribee which will be followed by the construction of a Wellness Centre. 

Another cheque for $2548.90 was presented to the Assistant Principal of Wyndham Central College, Connie Faranda, to establish some hands-on learning programs at the school. Connie was also grateful for the donation. She said the High Tea was a wonderful team effort between Werribee Rotary and the school and she hoped the partnership would continue to grow.

Pictured above (from left to right) are Lyn Fava (Werribee Rotary), Yvonne Moon (ROCAN), Connie Faranda (Wyndham Central College) and Mary Macaulay (Werribee Rotary).

The annual Carols by Candlelight at Werribee Park will be held this Saturday evening (9th December).

Our services will be required from 4:30pm to 9:30pm to sell candles and direct traffic. We already have a few volunteers but we need a few more. If you can attend for some or all of the time, please contact Kathryn Williams as soon as possible.

• The last meeting was an action-packed joint club meeting at the Italian Sports Club. We welcomed President Tim Fuller and other members of the Rotary Club of Laverton Point Cook.

• Other guests included:

  • Staff from Wyndham Central College - Connie Faranda, Alan Bernadi, Andre Bernadi, Brian Savage and Leslie Wilson

  • Yvonne Moon (ROCAN and Rotary Club of Williamstown) and her partner Fred.

  • Our exchange student, Andrea.

• The club was successful in applying for two District Foundation Scholarship Grants worth $1000 each. The money is designed to assist disadvantaged students to cover some of their costs for Year 11 and 12. We will offer the grants to two students at Wyndham Central College. Thanks to Michael Redding and Lyn Fava who spoke to the school and completed the application to District.

• Tuesday's Bunnings BBQ realised a net profit of $896.05. Thanks to all members and friends who assisted.

• Two of the helpers at the BBQ were Graham Simmonds (partner of Lynn Slade) and Vince Vaina (father of Marty). It's the first time we've had the pleasure of Vince's company and, despite what his son says, he seems like a genuinely nice bloke. Here's a photo of Vince (left) and Graham (right) hard at work.

• Pictured below is Joe Cumbo grovelling on his knees after making the mistake of removing the counterweight from the top of the cash register at the Bunnings BBQ. It's hard to get good help these days.

• Graham Roper advised that there are still several 1 and 2-bedroom apartments available at the Lady Bay Resort for our District Conference in Warrnambool. Contact Graham for details.