Our guest speaker, Wazih Razib, started his presentation by stating that if anyone couldn't remember his name, all they needed to say was "Who was he?" and they would have the answer straight away.

Wazih works for an organisation called Learning for Employment where he is the Volunteer Tutor Scheme Coordinator. One of their key programs is the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). This program provides up to 510 hours of English language tuition to eligible migrants to help them learn the English language. It also offers basic skills to enable them to participate socially and economically in Australian society.

Clients may be eligible for the AMEP if they have become a permanent resident of Australia or hold a temporary visa, and if they register for the service within 6 months of migrating. Wazih said that some of the new arrivals are highly educated. For example, there have been doctors from countries such as Syria who are well qualified but don't speak a word of English.

The AMEP Volunteer Tutor Scheme provides one-on-one English tuition to students which ensures that they don't become isolated or excluded from participating in the community due to language barriers. They must be newly-arrived residents from diverse cultural backgrounds with limited or no English language competency. The volunteer tutors meet the students at their home or other locations for at least one hour per week. The key tasks are to help the students to develop oral communication skills and to teach them to read and write. Wazih says the tutors are "the windows to the wider world" for the students.

To commence their role, the tutor will need to complete a registration form, have a Police Check and Working with Children Check and be involved in some volunteer training.

Wazih said that there is a high demand for volunteers in Werribee. While there are many nationalities who require the service, he said the highest demand comes from the Karin community.

If you would like to know more about the program with a view to becoming a volunteer, Wazih would love to hear from you. His contact details are as follows:

• Email Address - wazihr@djerriwarrh.org

• Phone No - 9009 7900 or 0430 341211

One of the club's most respected and longest serving members, Peter Ross, was the recipient of the Order of Australia award (OAM) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours list. The award was a recognition for his service to the Wyndham community over many years.

Some of the major achievements during his life include:

• Wyndham City Council:
  • Mayor 2004-05
  • Councillor 1997-2008
• Inaugural chair, Committee for Werribee, 1998-2002
• President, Werribee Chamber of Commerce, 1980
• Werribee Theatre Company:
  • Founding Member 1968
  • President 1972-74
  • Treasurer 20 years
• Life member, Wyndham Theatre Company
• Founder, Community Arts Alliance and the Community Cultural Foundation
• President, Rotary Club of Werribee 1986-87; Active member since 1977
• Board member, Manor Court Aged Care, 1982-2000

President Graham congratulated Peter on behalf of all members and partners of the club. Peter said he was honoured by the recognition and thanked everyone for their well wishes. He also paid tribute to his lovely wife Elizabeth for her support over the years.

Congratulations Peter. Well deserved.

Mark Maloney, of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA, will be President of Rotary International in 2019-20. 

“The clubs are where Rotary happens,” says Maloney, an attorney. He aims to support and strengthen clubs at the community level, preserve Rotary’s culture as a service-oriented membership organization, and test new regional approaches for growth.

“With the eradication of polio, recognition for Rotary will be great and the opportunities will be many,” he says. “We have the potential to become the global powerhouse for doing good.”

This is another reminder for you to lock in Friday 1st March for the Werribee Rotary Golf Day.

The venue, as usual, is the Werribee Park Golf Club. The organisers have been working hard to prepare for another successful day. The majority of the proceeds will go towards the upgrade of the dementia unit at Manor Court Aged Care.

Once again, we will be conducting the Hole-in-One competition on the 15th tee. You have a chance to win a brand new car thanks to Ballan Holden.

There will also be the traditional raffle with some fabulous prizes. Ticket books are now being distributed and we are asking members to sell their allocated books.

Apart from players and sponsors, we are also looking for volunteers who would be prepared to help out on the day. Please contact Ross if you can assist.

Click here to download the registration form.

David Carruthers from the Rotary Club of Melbourne attended our meeting to promote the upcoming 8th annual International Women's Day breakfast. The event is being held at the Palladium at Crown on Thursday 7th March. 

The moderator will be Catherine Fox and the expert panel will consist of Fiona Patten, Rob Hulls, Kristen Hilton, Josh Bernstein and Dr Emma Burrows.

Single tickets can be purchased for $70 (early bird rate) and a table of 10 will cost $685.

David said that our club could even sponsor a number of senior school students to attend if we wanted to. The cost for each student is $55.

Click here to register or to find out more details.