Stories

Werribee Rotary held a special function recently to announce the winners of the second Community Grants program. Forty-four applications were received from a variety of different community groups in our local region and, after careful consideration, nine were selected as the final winners.

The successful recipients were:

• 1st Hoppers Crossing Scout Group
• Iramoo Community Centre
• SES Point Cook
• United Seniors Club
• Werribee Kyokusin Karate
• Werribee Little Athletics Centre
• Wyndham Theatre Company
• Wyn FM Radio
• 1st Iramoo Scout Group

During the function, a representative of each of the winners was presented with a cheque for $2500 by President Rob Fava. Each recipient had the opportunity to speak on the project that the funds would be used for. They expressed their overwhelming gratitude to our Rotary club for the generous gesture.

Sixty people were in attendance including District Governor Elect Peter Shepheard and our Federal Government representative Joanne Ryan. Both special guests congratulated our club for establishing this innovative project that offers so much to struggling community groups whose primary purpose is provide specific support to the community. They also recognised that, with suitable publicity, the program would raise the profile of Rotary and have a positive down-stream benefit for our club in the future.

They expressed a hope that this program continues to grow.

Click here to view some photos of the Community Grants presentation night.

Pictured above is a delighted President Rob Fava (middle) who has just inducted two new members into our club. 

Welcome to our newest Rotarians, Mahindra Patel and Ravi Chaudary, who both expressed pride in joining the club and also about the exciting opportunity to work with fellow Rotarians to support our community.

In his acceptance speech, Mahindra said he hoped to make a difference. To emphasise the point, he told the tale of the starfish.

The images shown above are logos of some of the local community groups that Werribee Rotary has provided financial assistance to over the past few years.

Thanks mainly to the income provided through our weekly Bingo program, we have been able to assist many needy community groups who use the funds to support their activities. Some of the recipients were successful applicants for a grant through our annual Community Grants project. Others are organisations that we have a close relationship with and that we regularly support.

Our goal of helping others is certainly making a positive difference in our community and we are proud of these achievements.

Not only does our club love to work together to complete some very successful projects, we also love to get together occasionally for a social event.

The photos above show some of our members and partners enjoying each other's company at an Australian Rules Football finals night. The casual function was held a few days before the AFL Grand Final and required attendees to wear a piece of apparel representing their favourite football team.

Click here to view some other photos of the evening.

At a recent club meeting, we had a special visit from Immediate Past District Governor, Ron Payne (pictured right), who presented last year's club President, Kim Deneys, with a Rotary Citation in recognition of the work we do to support our local and international communities.

Ron expressed his congratulations to members and their partners for the magnificent effort in supporting the 2023-24 Rotary theme - "Create Hope in the World". He said that only 8 citations were awarded in District 9800 which comprises 60 clubs in various parts of Melbourne and regional Victoria.

President Kim thanked PDG Ron for recognizing our club. He said it was an honour to lead such a great group of hard-working members and partners who helped promote the club during the 2023-24 Rotary year.

In our second major project in The Philippines, Werribee Rotary has once again joined forces with the Rotary Club of Cabanatuan City to construct a clean water system for the Ibona Elementary School. Ibona is located in a remote region where the water quality is poor. Under the banner of Rotary International's WASH program, Werribee Rotary provided funding for the construction of a water tank, drinking fountains and toilets to improve the water quality for drinking, sanitation and hygiene for the children at the school. 

Several years ago, our club donated funds towards the purchase of furniture and IT equipment at the newly constructed Bahay Ni San Jose Orphanage in Papaya, Luzon, Philippines.

One of the members of our club, Michael Redding, has been the key driver behind both projects. Without his efforts and perseverance, these projects would never have happened. He was ably supported by former member Lorry Rowe.

We are proud of supporting needy communities in The Philippines.

Click here to view more photos of the WASH project.

After conducting a successful mental health seminar for young women in 2023, the club has decided to repeat the performance on September 12, 2024. We have engaged the services of two experienced keynote speakers, Maria Roberto and Kate McCarthy to talk about their life experiences. 

Maria is a psychologist with over 15 years of clinical and industry experience. She is focused on increasing the capacity and performance of individuals and teams who rely on highly tuned relationships and emotional intelligence to achieve professional, organisational and client success. Her key message is that positive health activates wellbeing and success.

Kate is a former Australian Rules footballer who played a total of 42 games for the Brisbane Lions, St Kilda Saints and Hawthorn Hawks. In recent years, Kate has become an expert AFLW football commentator on Melbourne radio and TV. Outside football, Kate is a qualified teacher and also an accomplished keynote speaker, sharing her journey in women's sport, and covering topics such as Leadership, Coaching, and Culture.

Sixty people recently attended a pleasant Sunday afternoon high tea function to celebrate the end of one Rotary year in our club and the dawn of another. The photo shows outgoing President Kim (right) officially handing over the chain of office to Rob Fava who will lead the club for the next 12 months.

In his final address, President Kim expressed his thanks to all members and their partners for their wonderful support of him during the year. He proudly identified some of the many projects that we completed or have continued with during 2023-24. 

President Rob thanked Kim for leading the club so well. He vowed to continue the fine work that has been achieved over the past few years and he hopes members will join him on that journey.

In addition to members and their partners, the function was attended by some dignitaries including 3 councillors from the Wyndham City Council, various Presidents from neighbouring clubs and the District Governor Nominee Graeme Hope.

Click here to view some photos of the afternoon.

For the past 4 years, Werribee Rotary has been grateful for the dedication and commitment of various members of our club and community for knitting baby beanies and blankets that are donated to the Werribee Mercy Hospital maternity ward. To date, we have delivered approximately 5,000 items to our local hospital. Werribee is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia with hundreds of young families moving into the area each year.

Pictured above is one of the many patrons at our Monday Night Bingo who lovingly knit the warm woolly items for the new-born babies. The quality of their work is outstanding.

If you are willing to apply your own knitting skills, we would be happy for you to join in the fun. Click here to download the knitting instructions.

If you live in the Werribee area, we would be happy to collect your completed beanies or blankets. If you live outside Werribee, please send an email to secretary@werribeerotary.org.au to determine the best method of delivery.

'Daisy' the delightful dog attended a recent Interact meeting at Wyndham Central College. Daisy is one of the Story Dogs that our club is sponsoring and she visits the Riverbend Primary School to assist Grade 2 students with their reading. 

The concept of the Story Dogs program is to assist young children to improve their literacy skills and their self-confidence by reading to the dog. The accepting, loving nature of dogs gives this program its magic and helps children relax, open up, try harder and have fun while reading to a friendly, calm dog.

The Interact students (pictured above) loved the concept and are now raising funds to sponsor a dog too.

Our club has conducted another very successful golf day which has realised a net taking of $25,000. 

It was an early start for the players as they arrived at dawn and were treated to a bacon and egg breakfast before hitting off at 8:15 in overcast conditions. But it wasn't long before the clouds dissipated and we enjoyed clear skies and a moderate temperature of 25C. 

After the game, all players and volunteers sat down for a pleasant lunch. Many prizes were awarded thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. The winners of the event were the team from SLK Engineering who are a long-term sponsor and supporter of the day.

For the second year in a row, all proceeds have been donated to the medical research facility at the Werribee Campus of Victoria University.

Click here to view photos of the day.

Pictured above is Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos being awarded one of Rotary's highest honours, a Paul Harris Fellow. She received the award from President Kim Deneys.

For the past two years, the proceeds from the club's annual golf day, which amounts to $50,000, has been directed to the medical research facility at Victoria University. Vasso is the head of this facility. Her team is doing tremendous work in developing vaccines for various forms of cancer and other diseases.

Vasso was born and educated in the western suburbs of Melbourne. She studied at the Universities of Melbourne and Oxford. In the 1990's, she was the first to develop a method of immunotherapy to stimulate the immune system, which is used today by hundreds of labs around the world. Twenty years ago, she conducted human trials of vaccine formulations for breast and ovarian cancer. One of those trials now has long-term follow-up data showing that, 25 years later, those injected with the cancer remain cancer free.

Vasso has also applied immunotherapies to other diseases including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, drug addiction and alzheimer’s disease.

• Young Achievers Foundation
• Tarneit Titans Netball Club
• Werribee River Association
• Womenspire
• The Laverton Festival
• 1st Point Cook Scout Group

Pictured above are Maddy Farnaby, Emergency Relief Co-ordinator at Wyndham Uniting and Graeme Roper, Past President of Werribee Rotary.

The new and used toys shown in the picture are just some of the first batch of gifts donated by our club to the Uniting Christmas Appeal for families of children who will find things tough over the Christmas period. More toys will be handed over as the festive season draws closer. Maddy was delighted with the delivery and expressed her sincere gratitude for our contribution.

Our club will also be donating funds to Wyndham Uniting to enable them to supply Christmas hampers for needy families in the municipality. This will be the second time we will be helping to make things a little more joyous for those who will struggle to provide for their loved ones. 

It was a lowkey affair to celebrate 55 years of the Werribee Rotary Club. We were formed on August 16, 1968 and have been a significant and respected part of the Wyndham community since then. We had a healthy attendance for the evening including members, partners and friends in addition to the District Governor Elect, Michael Lapina, and District Governor Nominee, Peter Shepheard.

One of the highlights of the evening was the cutting of the cake by our two remaining charter members, Tino Ballan and Past District Governor Ian Knight OAM.

Pictured above is Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos (right) from the medical research centre at Victoria University accepting a cheque for $25,000 from President Ian Hovey (left). Also pictured is Narges Dargahi who is a research scientist on Professor Vasso's team. The amount of the cheque is the net proceeds from the club's very successful annual golf day.

In her speech, Professor Vasso expressed her profound gratitude for our contribution to help find cures for cancer. She explained that some of the funds will be specifically directed to research into the identification of “marks” in the body which are precursors to the formation of cancer cells. So far, her experiments are being conducted on mice but, if the theory is proven, it will be a major breakthrough in detecting cancer before it actually starts. This would then lead to the design of relevant vaccines to eradicate the disease at its infancy.

Our club has been proud to have donated significant funds to the cause. As a way of thanking the club, Professor Vasso will return on a regular basis to deliver a series of health-related talks which will include cancer, diabetes, MS and dementia.

Our Rotary club heard about a new high-tech device that Werribee Mercy hospital was keen to acquire to help children overcome their fears during procedures that may initiate some pain - for example, administering an injection. The device, which has been used with great success at other hospitals such as the Royal Children's in Melbourne, is called a Smiley Scope. It is a pair of virtual reality goggles that the child wears during the procedure and enables them to get absorbed in a visual story to take their mind off the medical process.

The club's Board had no hesitation in offering to pay for the purchase of one device. Pictured above is President Ian Hovey presenting the new "toy" to hospital staff. Also included in the photo are President Elect Kim Deneys and Past President Graham Roper.

The hospital's paediatric administrator, Simone Danaher, was excited to be able to introduce such innovative technology to the paediatric ward. She expressed her sincere gratitude to our club for the donation.

The following picture shows a young patient testing out the Smiley Scope. She loved it.

It was a cool but mild morning that greeted the full field of 128 golfers when they arrived at 7am for the 2023 Werribee Rotary Charity Golf Day. After registration and a breakfast consisting of a bacon and egg roll, they were ready to hit off in groups of four from their designated tee.

Having completed their 18 holes four hours later, the weary golfers returned to the clubhouse for lunch. There were many stories of great, and not-so-great, shots. After the scores were tallied up, it was the team of Werribee Sand and Soil that won the day. It was their second win in 3 years.

This annual event is designed to raise funds for worthy causes, specifically in our local area. This year, the recipient was the medical research centre at the Werribee Campus of Victoria University. For many years, they have been undertaking research into many debilitating diseases including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, multiple sclerosis and diabetes to name a few. They have already been successful in developing a number of vaccines and drugs under the direction of Vice-Chancellor Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos.

During her presentation at the lunch, Professor Vasso explained, in general terms, some of the incredible work that her team is tackling. The audience was spell bound. She also praised the efforts of our club in running such a fantastic event. She said our generous contribution to the cause of medical research will go a long way to discovering new solutions to some very complex medical challenges.

Sadly, many children at local school Wyndham Park Primary arrive in the morning without having had anything to eat. For many years, members of Werribee Rotary and friends of the club have been supporting the school by visiting every morning to provide the students with some nourishment before they attend classes. Known as the Breakfast Club, the menu consists mainly of toast and fruit and the kids love it.

The school is also very grateful for the service we provide. Before the breakfasts were available, the young children would lose concentration in class and exhibit anti-social behaviour. Now they are much more attentive and engaged which makes the teachers' job a more productive one.

Here's a happy snap of some of our hard working Rotarians and partners preparing for a big day of cooking and serving bacon and egg rolls at the Wyndham Council's Australia Day breakfast event.

The fantastic group of 12 combined together like a well-oiled machine to deliver very tasty rolls.

We were also joined by Rotarians from other clubs in the cluster including Wyndham, Laverton Point Cook and Wyndham Harbour. It highlights the fact that our clubs can work together in harmony to achieve great results.

The morning started sluggishly and we thought it was going to be a flop. But gradually the crowd descended upon us and we were kept on our toes until the event closed at midday. In the end, we made a modest profit which will be shared between each club. But the combination of teamwork and camaraderie between everyone involved far outweighed any small amount of money that was made. This event could become a permanent fixture for the cluster in the future.

It's eyes down at 6:30pm for up to 100 people who attend a Rotary Club of Werribee Bingo event every Monday evening.

When each game commences, there is much silence and concentration as each player focuses on marking their card as the numbers are called. And, if they are the first person to shout "BINGO!" when their card is fully marked, there is much excitement in the room. Many games are played which gives all players lots of opportunities to collect a winning prize.

Players are very comfortable with the fact that our club profits from each evening and that all income raised is distributed to worthy community projects and organisations.

On Tuesday 12th July 2022, our club celebrated its 54th annual changeover in style. At a formal dinner, outgoing President Graham Roper (left) handed the chain of office over to new President Colin Muir who will lead the club for the next 12 months.

The function was well attended and, in addition to the many members and partners, the guests included the new District Governor Amanda Wendt, the previous District Governor Dale Hoy and many other past Governors. The format for the evening was a mix of formality, fellowship and fun. It was described as our best occasion since before the pandemic.

Click here to see some photos from the evening.

Our club is excited to announce that we have taken over the Fit4Use store in Werribee. It was set up 5 years ago by the Rotary Club of Flemington/Kensington but they have asked us to take over.

Fit4Use is a second-hand store which has become a very popular shop for those looking for quality pre-loved items at cheap prices. It has been, and will continue to be, operated by a dedicated group of volunteers. We hope to keep growing the business and raise funds for local community projects and causes.

Pictured above is our President Graham Roper accepting the keys from President Lesley McCarthy from Flemington/Kensington Rotary.

Over 600 very colourful baby beanies, knitted by one of our Friends of Rotary, have been donated to the local Werribee Mercy Hospital's maternity ward. Helen Shaw, the sister of one of our members, has dedicated her time over the past 12 months to knit at least two beanies every day. Each beanie includes a small message "KNITTED WITH LOVE. PLEASE TAKE ME HOME". It also asks the parent of each baby to take a snapshot of their new-born wearing the beanie and then send the photo to us for publication on our social media sites. In this way, we can proudly show the world some of the good work we are doing for our community.

Three hundred babies are born each month in this fast-growing municipality. So this first batch of beanies will only last for about 2 months. We'll have to ask Helen to knit faster to keep up with the demand.

The hospital was delighted with the delivery and expressed their sincere gratitude for the wonderful gesture.

Pictured above left to right - President Graham Roper, Past President Ian Hovey, Micki Hovey, the mother of a newly-born baby and a maternity nurse.

Werribee Rotary, in conjunction with Beyond Blue, recently conducted a very successful Youth Mental Health Forum.

   

WERN obtains second hand furniture, whitegoods, blankets, pillows, and household goods which are then made available to needy families at no cost. There are a wide range of people who access the services including people from broken marriages, victims of domestic violence, fires and emergency events or others who have fallen on hard times.

Currently about 55 support agencies such as church groups, aid agencies and social work groups pay a fee to be a member of WERN which allows them to bring 'clients' into WERN and select goods. The WERN member Rotary Clubs can also refer people in need to the system.

Over the past twelve months WERN has provided support to around 900 families.

WERN operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week, but is looking to open Mondays, and later Fridays. They are always seeking support from volunteers to undertake light duties, handyman duties, and general warehouse tasks. 

Club members and partners recently visited the premises of Very Special Kids where President Graham Roper presented a cheque for $22,000 to the founder of the paediatric palliative care facility, Sister Margaret Noone and its CEO, Michael Wasley. The funds provided were the net proceeds of a very successful Rotary golf day. This is the second successive year that the club has directed the funds to Very Special Kids.

Michael and Sister Margaret expressed their sincere gratitude for the contribution which will be used to ensure that children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families are provided with the best support possible.

Being in lockdown and having to meet virtually doesn't stop members of our club getting into the spirit of supporting a good cause. On this occasion, we donned various forms of headwear during a recent meeting to acknowledge the good work being done by Australian Rotary Health on mental health research. The campaign is called Lift the Lid on Mental Illness and, on October 12, they have their annual Hat Day which is designed to promote the importance of the campaign and to raise funds for on-going research.

Andi Barnfield has become our latest member and we warmly welcome her. She was inducted at a recent Club online meeting.

Ever since Andi joined us as a guest, she has shown a high level of interest in Rotary and has been very keen to join our club to help in some of our community projects.

There's no doubt she will be an active and dedicated member.

Welcome Andi.

We are now the proud holders of 174 beanies that have been knitted for new-born babies thanks to the hard work and dedication of a Friend of Rotary. Helen Shaw is a sister of one of our members and she has spent much of her spare time over the past 12 months knitting the little caps. The plan is to donate them to the local hospital for distribution to parents of new arrivals. Each beanie will include a small message "KNITTED WITH LOVE. PLEASE TAKE ME HOME". It will also include our Rotary branding.

At our meeting on 29th June, we welcomed Jerestene Saher as our newest member. President Michael Redding formally inducted Jerestene (better known as Jess).

Jess runs her own catering business and specialises in making quality chocolates under the name of Sugar and Spice Gourmet Chocolates. They are delicious.

Jess has joined our club because she wants to do more to help her community. She is also a member of BNI.

We hope she has a long and fruitful membership with the club.

On 6th July, our club held it's annual changeover dinner. While it was a low-key affair, there was some formality including the hand over of the chain of presidential office from our outgoing leader, Michael Redding, to his successor, Graham Roper. 

In his final speech as President, Michael expressed his sincere thanks to all members of the club who have supported him throughout the 2020-21 Rotary year. He highlighted a number of significant achievements during his year including:

• Introducing the concept of having project leaders instead of directors
• The celebration of the Centenary of Rotary in Australia
• The Rotary Golf Day that raised $24,000 for Very Special Kids
• The inductions of two new members, Vasileios Samaltanos and Jerestene Saher, and two members who have been issued with honorary status, Geoff Smith and Lou Dowling.

At a recent meeting, club president, Michael Redding, proudly presented cheques to two worthy organizations:

1. $24,000 was presented to the CEO of Very Special Kids, Michael Wasley, which were the net proceeds of Werribee Rotary's great golf day held in March. Michael expressed his sincere thanks to the club for the generous donation. The funds will be used to pay for the employment of a Western Region Support Officer who provides a variety of care services for the families of children who have life-threatening conditions or have passed away. Michael said it is an important role that is very much appreciated by the families.

2. $1,500 was presented to John Forrester and Lisa Field from the Werribee River Association. The funds will be used to promote awareness of the importance of the Werribee River in our community and to ensure its long-term sustainability.

Rotarians and family members of our club joined forces with the Friends of Werribee River Park recently to support the Werribee River Association's on-going strategy to plant trees and other native plants along the banks of the river. In this exercise, the trees were planted adjacent to the Werribee Park Mansion grounds in Werribee South.

The main aims of the Werribee River Association are to:

• Protect water quality in the river and in other waterways flowing into Port Phillip Bay

• Re-establish natural habitats for wildlife

• Provide attractive natural places for people to access and enjoy

• Provide educational programs about environmentally sustainable practices to a growing and diverse population in the community

The working group eagerly embraced the challenge to plant hundreds of small saplings and other plants. Tasks included taking the plant out of its sleeve, placing it in a pre-drilled hole, packing it with soil and applying water. To finish it off, each plant was encased with a plastic sheet to protect it from animals and strong winds.

It was an enjoyable environmental experience.

Click here to view more photos of the day.

All five Rotary districts in Victoria have joined forces to run a "Virtual Victoria" multi-District conference on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd May from 11am to 1pm. 

It plans to be a great event with many guest speakers and lots of musical entertainment.

Click here to book for the event or to learn more about what it has to offer.

Werribee Rotary is celebrating the success of another annual charity golf day. In a first, the event was held in the morning and, despite the early tee-off time, it proved to be a popular change because a maximum field of 132 players competed in perfect weather conditions and 146 people attended the luncheon. This enabled the club to achieve net proceeds of $25,000 which have been donated to a very special cause, Very Special Kids.

Very Special Kids (VSK) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides hospice and other special care needs for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. All sponsors and golf-day participants were extremely generous in donating funds which will be used to support the good work of VSK.

It was a tremendous team effort by members and friends of the club who generously donated their time on the day to make it such a success. 

Click on the links below to see some photos of the day:

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

Thanks to the generosity of one of our members, Brian Ahmed, a number of framed photos are now on sale to the public. These photos were originally displayed in Brian's restaurant, Wyndham Cache, but, due to renovations, he is now offering them for sale. All proceeds will go to the Rotary Club of Werribee to fund community projects.

Most of the images depict Werribee in the olden days. In particular, there are a number of photos that identify the agricultural activities in the Werribee South area over the years.

The size of each frame is 47cm x 35cm.

The minimum price for each image has been set at $50 but, if purchasers wish to offer more, they are very welcome to do so.

Click here to view the photos (Volume 1).

Click here to view the photos (Volume 2).

In addition to the 80 images shown, there is also another set of framed prints for sale. These show modern designer artwork. The size of these prints is 83cm x 68cm and the minimum price for each one is $100.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the images, please contact Brian on 0412 558 152 or by email.

At a recent Zoom meeting, the 2019-20 District Governor, Grant Hocking, presented a Rotary Citation and Platinum Distinction award to our club. 

Grant mentioned that, in completing the information required for a Rotary Citation, he was reminded of the wide variety of activities in which Werribee Rotary has been involved to "connect the world". In response to Grant's presentation, Past President Brian Ahmed said, during his 12 months as President, the club was very active in initiating and supporting many local and international projects. Brian said he was proud to accept the award on behalf of the club.

The club is proud to welcome its newest member, Vas Samaltanos, who was inducted during our club's virtual anniversary meeting on Tuesday 18th August.

The club has initiated a project to support the community during the Coronavirus epidemic by manufacturing face masks for distribution to people in the Wyndham area. Through two generous donations, we were able to purchase some of the scarce supplies of fabric and elastic.

Pictured above is 2019-20 President Brian Ahmed (left) handing over the reins of office to our new President Michael Redding. Normally, this changeover event would take place at a dinner function in June. However, due to the pandemic restrictions, the process was completed during an online meeting session.

Prior to the handover, Brian summarised his year by highlighting some of our major achievements including:

• The Imagine Library Program (which was a joint grant project)
• Scholarship to Gordon Tafe
• Bushfire relief - via Blazeaid
• Bingo
• Bunnings BBQ's
• WERN (Western Emergency Relief Network)
• Breakfast Club
• Cut, Giggle & Sew
• Beyond Blue Cup
• Golf Day
• Support to Rotary Foundation
• Operation angel - relief packs for bushfire workers
• Interact Club at Wyndham College
• Vanuatu School Project
• Tamarind Chicken Shed in Uganda
• Sinna Mentor Dance Group

Brian said he was proud to have been given the honour of leading the club. Despite the challenges of having to resort to online meetings for the past 4 months, he said it was still a productive year for our club. He thanked the Board, the members and their partners for supporting him.

President Michael is keen to keep the club on a similar track but recognises that there will be some challenges until the virus restrictions are lifted. One of Michael's key changes will be that every member will have the opportunity to choose a project that they want to support for the year, rather than the traditional approach of establishing committees to run projects.

Our club normally meets at a regular venue every Tuesday evening. However, with stay-at-home and social distancing rules in place, we have now reverted to conducting our meetings online.

While the attendance for the first few meetings has been lower than expected, we are hoping it will grow as the less technologically-minded members become acquainted with the virtual concept.

One of the benefits of these online meetings is that we can invite guest speakers who may be located anywhere in the world. In a recent meeting, our guest speaker was Chris Ochaya  and his wife Sarah from Uganda. Chris was sponsored by our club several years ago to spend 3 months in Australia to learn various farming techniques. Since returning to Uganda, he has established the Tamarind Community Farm which is aimed at supporting many families in the region. Werribee Rotary and several agricultural businesses in Australia have been instrumental in providing funds and expertise for some of the projects which include building a bore water system, constructing a goat shelter and a chicken shed.

During the meeting, Chris gave members an update on the status of the various projects. He also talked about the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on his country.

In the future, we will invite some of our past Rotary exchange students from Japan and Brazil to speak about life in their respective countries.

Members and friends of our club recently responded to the urgent call from President Kitty of the Rotary Club of Laverton Point Cook to help create relief packs containing items for distribution to the brave firefighters and evacuees who were involved in the devastating bushfires in south-east Australia.

Sixty people of all ages worked feverishly from midday to 8pm to prepare the kits which contained essential items. Each pack even included a face washer with the words "Thank you" embroidered on it.

The items were generously supplied by local businesses, community groups and families. Some children were even moved to donate their pocket money as a means of expressing their support, particularly for the loss and injury of so many native animals.

While the team was exhausted at the end of the process, they felt extremely satisfied that they had contributed in a positive way.

Click here to view some photos of the successful day.

Our club member Michael Redding was accompanied by Lorry Rowe (Rotary Club of Flemington) on a trip to central Vietnam where they presented self-propelled tricycle wheelchairs to four young people whose mobility has been restricted through illness or injury. The tricycles cost about A$380. The children are from very poor families and their families could not afford to pay for them. The funds were provided by Werribee Rotary and Lorry.

The tricycles are made in Ho Chi Minh City and transported to central Vietnam. They are easily propelled by pushing the steering column backwards and forwards. They are comfortable, very manoeuvrable and can travel at speeds of up to 10 km per hour on the local roads. The four recipients were Nhan, Thanh, Moi and Khanh.

In Vietnam, people with many types of disability are hidden away, living in their family home and destined to remain there for the rest of their lives. In the Hue area alone, it is estimated there are over 29,000 disabled people, nearly all of whom receive no support.  Among this group are many young people who cannot walk but whose lives would be transformed with a tricycle wheelchair. The big challenge is how to locate where they live.

• District Governor Grant Hocking
• DG Elect Philip Archer
• DG Nominee Dale Hoy

 

Congratulations to three members of the club who were awarded Paul Harris Fellows at the club changeover. 

President Graham Roper presented two of the awards to the following past Presidents:

1. Ross Conley for his tremendous efforts in resurrecting the annual Golf Day to the point where it is now a major fund-raiser for the club. In the past two years, $60,000 has been raised. A considerable portion of this has been donated to the Werribee Mercy Hospital for their critical care unit and to Manor Court Aged Care for the purchase of furniture in their renovated dementia unit. Other local community groups have also received funding.

2. Rob Fava who was instrumental in coordinating with other Rotary clubs to raise funds for a new bore water system in Gulu, Uganda. He also provided invaluable assistance in remotely managing the project. Upon successful completion, the system has enabled the local community and school to have clean drinking water. 

District Governor Bronwyn Stephens presented a Paul Harris Fellow, on behalf of District 9800, to Ian Hovey. This was in appreciation of the considerable work that he had undertaken over many years to provide high quality audio visual material at various District conferences.

All three recipients expressed their gratitude for being recognised in this way.

A group of dedicated Rotarians, together with many friends of Rotary and community members, joined forces on Sunday 19th May to plant 1200 trees in Rosslare Reserve, Hoppers Crossing.

The weather was perfect for the occasion and the group worked diligently and quickly to get the job done within 3 hours. It was pleasing to see some local residents joining in as they responded to the call for assistance. 

Special thanks go to staff from Wyndham City Council for providing equipment and services to make the job easier. Thanks also to Geoff Smith for his tireless efforts in organising the event, despite the fact that he was noticeable by his absence on the day.

After the work was completed, we all celebrated our efforts with a sausage sizzle. Thanks everyone for making it a successful and fun day.

Click here to see some photos of the day.

Click here to see a small video of the people hard at work.

In 1922, a group of Sydney businessmen were attending a conference. Some of their discussion centred around the fact that some people in the community were doing it tough. So they decided to band together and buy some toys which they distributed to a local orphanage. This gesture proved to be very successful and the orphanage wanted to thank them by name. However, they chose to remain anonymous and call each other "Mr Smith". And that is how the organisation known as The Smith Family came into being.

Guest speaker Edwin Gill who is a volunteer with The Smith Family says that his organisation is well known for helping disadvantaged children and families but not well understood. It has changed its profile at various times and people have become confused as to what it actually does. Because of this, Edwin said that the organisation decided to refocus its goals with a view to supporting one activity. So no longer do they acquire and distribute essential items to needy families. 

They now focus purely on a program called Learning for Life which supports children from low-income families who don't have the means to provide the child with a good education which ultimately results in poorer life outcomes. The Smith Family believes that every child deserves a chance. Edwin said that it is estimated that an unproductive or uneducated child will cost the country $1.5 million over that person's lifetime. So, by supporting the children through education, their program is proving to be extremely cost effective.

The Smith Family is based in 90 communities around Australia and they provide scholarships to disadvantaged children from kindergarten to university. Statistics show that after the children have completed the Learning for Life program, 70% of them get jobs and another 16% actively look for work.

On Tuesday 28th May, we will be visiting the University of Melbourne's new U-Vet Hospital at 250 Princes Hwy, Werribee. This promises to be an interesting visit because the facility has been recently upgraded.

We will be touring the new facilities in two groups. The first tour will commence at 6 pm followed by a second tour at 6:30 pm. When your tour is completed, you can proceed to the Racecourse Hotel where we will have dinner at about 7 pm.

If you haven't already registered for the visit, please contact Michael Redding.

Click here to read about the development of the new building.

Lisa Field is the Fundraising Manager for the Werribee Hospital Foundation and she is very dedicated to her role. The foundation was formed during the transition from the old Werribee District Hospital to the new Werribee Mercy Hospital.

The Mercy is regarded as a generalist hospital that supports many services including surgical, medical, maternity, renal dialysis, emergency, mental health, rehabilitation and palliative care. The population growth of Wyndham is expected to double over the next 20 years - from 250,000 now to 500,000 in 2040. Therefore, the services and facilities within the hospital must keep pace with this growth. The hospital has a master plan to manage this but much of it is dependent on government funding. Therefore, it is imperative to have alternative sources of revenue such as the foundation.

The foundation has been instrumental in providing funds for many services. For example, it has donated $300,000 to the maternity ward, $100,000 to the emergency department and $400,000 to the critical care unit.

Lisa has been instrumental in developing various ways to raise awareness and funds. Some are traditional, others are new. Tin rattling is the very common method. She and her merry band of volunteers have spent many long hours visiting football games and other sporting events to rattle their tins. Other methods include giving a donation in memory of a lost loved one or making a bequest. Another concept is for people to volunteer as hospital hosts who invite their friends to a fund-raising function. Other people make home and hand-made items to sell and, recently, the foundation conducted a successful used book sale.

Lisa said she would love our club to get involved with the foundation by engaging in an existing fund-raising campaign or to come up with our own ideas.

Our Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship awardee, Chris Ochaya, is due to fly back to his home country, Uganda, in the next few days to continue his good work in developing the Tamarind community farm. Before his return, he made another visit to our club. But, to his surprise, he was the guest of honour and was duly inducted into the club by President Graham as an honorary member.

His proposer, Brian Ahmed, was glowing in his praise of Chris and the wonderful humanitarian work he is doing for his fellow countrymen. Because of this, Brian said, it was only fitting that Chris be recognised as a Rotarian. 

Seven-year old Andi Treloar was a guest speaker at our club last year. She spoke about her plans to help feed homeless people after seeing them begging on the streets of Adelaide.

Adrian Burt has kept in touch with Andi's mother Rebekah to see how Andi's goals were progressing. Rebekah sent the following email to Adrian...

Rowan McClean, a member of the Rotary Club of North Balwyn, is the Chair of Overseas Kids Foundation (OKF) which is currently addressing the needs of several communities in Vietnam.

OKF is a Rotary-initiated program which was registered as a charitable trust in Melbourne in 2008.

Some of the projects they have concentrated on include:

• Children's support
• Water sanitization to WHO standards
• Ultrasound machines to each district
• Children's education
• Breaking the poverty cycle by farming
• Donations in Kind – container of furniture

Rowan suggested that our club could support the program in a number of ways:

• Join a team visit to Vietnam
• Fund a student
• Fund raise for school clinic equipment

Click here to visit the OKF website.

Geoff Smith is seeking volunteers to man the Rotary van from 8:30am to 12 midday to cook sausages for the participants of a fun run at the Werribee Mansion this Sunday (May 5).

If you can help for a couple of hours or more, please give Geoff a call.

Ron Smith is the Chairman of Think Pink. He commenced his presentation by explaining how the organisation got started. It was the brainchild of Irene Hendel who is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed twice, once in 1995 and then again in 2003.

During her fight, she found that every area she went to was medically orientated. There was no place or organisation that catered for the patients overall well-being. So, with the support of her husband, Irene decided that she would establish such a place.

She was successful in receiving funding from a couple of large organisations - Mirvac and Freemasons Victoria - who are still generous contributors today.

Think Pink has gained a great reputation for providing a free service to all breast cancer patients with the aim of improving their quality of life. It's free because the out-of-pocket costs for medical treatment is exorbitant. It can be as large as $30,000 for treatment, operations, consultations and the like. This is a large burden especially for young women on low incomes and older women who are on the pension.

The Think Pink facility, known as The Living Centre, is based at 390 St Kilda Road. It consists of 3 rooms that don't look like medical rooms but more like a hotel suite. The services that are offered include massages, wig fittings, yoga, consultations and group discussions. There is no limitation on the time that a patient can spend there. The whole idea is to restore their dignity.

The facility has become so popular that it has outgrown the current space. The building is also adjacent to the construction of the new underground railway station which will generate a significant amount of noise. Therefore, they will be moving shortly to larger premises.

Two Certificate 3 students from The Gordon TAFE's Hoppers Crossing campus were in attendance at our meeting to receive certificates from the club as part of the scholarship program. The winners were Isiah Edwards and Ryley Hay who are both doing a course in carpentry. The boys were introduced by Michael Redding and were presented with their certificates by President Graham. Each recipient also receives an amount of $1000 which goes towards their course.

I was born in 1949 in Launceston and, at an early age, I moved to Adelaide with my mother and father. When I was about 5, we moved to Melbourne and lived in East Malvern. I started my school life at Tooronga Road Primary School in East Malvern.

In 1959, my mother and father decided to split up and Mum and I returned to live in Launceston. I continued my primary school education at Invermay Primary School and later attended G.V. Brooks High School. I left school at the end of 1964.

Click here to read more about Graham's life which has had some interesting twists and turns.

Chris Ochaya started his presentation by thanking the club and specific individuals for hosting him when he visited us for 3 months in 2017 after being awarded a Royce and Jean Abbey Vocational Scholarship. He also expressed his gratitude for our generosity in funding a number of projects at his Uganda community farm, Tamarind. Chris proudly stated that, as a result of our donations, there have been a number of great outcomes at the farm and he hoped that this will continue to ensure that the local community will not need to rely on others to support their lives.

While there is still much work to be done, the Tamarind community farm now boasts:

• A bore water system with two 14,000 litre water storage tanks to support 600 people and to nurture the community garden.
• A substantial vegetable and fruit garden that supplies many varieties of healthy food.
• A new goat shed to provide shelter and security for the animal herd. The goats will provide milk and meat.
• A secure chicken shed which is nearing completion. They will start with 200 birds. There will be two workers who will feed the chickens and collect, clean and sell the eggs. Chris estimated that each Tamarind farmer will earn $50 per week from this venture. Older chickens will also be sold for meat.

Chris is a man on a very clear mission - to improve the lives of his country men and women by teaching them to not only be self-sustainable but also to become smart business people. He says that, at times, it is difficult for others to see this vision because, since the end of the 20-year war in 2007, they have lived on government hand outs. He says that they still have the mindset that farming chickens means they will be able to kill and eat them straight away, rather than using their eggs for food as well as income. His goal is to change this mindset. They need to move on from the past and, with sufficient training and acquisition of farming equipment and infrastructure,  the farmers will be empowered to achieve a sustainable and practical life.

A number of Australians have visited the farm in recent times including our very own Michael Redding and Chris expects other visitors to come as the farm expands. They will be able to see what a positive difference the project is making for the locals and what a bright future there is ahead for Uganda.

HURRY HURRY HURRY

LAST DAY FOR ORDERING - FRIDAY 12TH APRIL

Thanks to Adrian Burt, Bakers Delight in Hoppers Crossing would like to offer us the opportunity to purchase yummy Hot Cross Buns and, at the same time, make some money for the club.

For every 6-pack of buns that we order, Bakers Delight will donate $1.50 to the club.

Click here to download the order form, fill in the details and then return it to Adrian by the end of Friday 12th April. The fresh buns can then be picked up at our meeting next Tuesday.

As this is a fund raiser for the club, don't forget to ask your family and friends for their order as well.

Based on his presentation, our newest member, Carlo Vimercati, has had a lifetime of very interesting trials and tribulations.

Giancarlo Vimercati, better known as Carlo, was born in Northern Italy on May 3, 1951. He had a number of health issues during the early years. The doctors diagnosed him as a "blue" baby and didn't expect him to live. Fortunately, he survived this first challenge.

At the age of 6, he was diagnosed with polio. This meant a stay of 2 months in a Milan hospital where he was injected with a new experimental drug, every day for 40 days. In the end, the medical people decided that it wasn't polio. But more bad news was to follow. They decided that he had Hepatitis B. It took another 20 years before he discovered that this was also a false alarm.

During his early years, Carlo's grandparents looked after him while his mother and father worked at a nearby factory. He spent the first 4 years of his school life in a Salesian College. Then, in 1963 at the age of 12, he and his family migrated to South Africa. His parents bought a restaurant and Carlo went to a local high school. He obtained a Diesel Mechanic certificate which led to a part-time university course in Mechanical Engineering. At the same time, he commenced his working life which took him to many parts of Southern Africa. By 1972, he had been appointed as Workshop Manager, a job that would not normally be given to a man of his young years. The highlight of his short career to this time, was working on a major project known as the "Orange-Fish Tunnel".

In 1973, his life turned ninety degrees. The Middle East War broke out. Many of his friends were Jewish and they left to join the Israeli army. Carlo was asked to join them, not to fight but to help by using his diesel mechanic experience. However, by the time he reached Israel, the war was virtually over although it was the start of things to come for a career in the defence forces. 

Read more........

President Graham and Ross Smith will be attending the Community Clubs Day race meeting at the Werribee Racing Club on Friday 26th April and they are inviting you to join them. It is a day designed to recognise the fantastic contribution that our community clubs make to the people of Wyndham. This specific race meeting will provide an opportunity for clubs from throughout the region to come together and enjoy a wonderful day at the races.

Click here to view a flyer of the event.

In his 10 years as CEO of Avalon Airport, Justin Giddings says that the last 12 months has been the most exciting and challenging.

Firstly, the company Cotton On moved their business into the airport precinct. Justin believes that this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of Avalon becoming a major industrial hub in the future.

Secondly, they hosted the air show which is growing from strength to strength. Despite the heat, Justin classed it as the best show yet. Billions of dollars worth of aircraft were on display. He  said that an agreement has been reached which will see the show continue to be hosted at Avalon Airport for the foreseeable future.

Finally, and most importantly, the airport saw the first international flight into Avalon as part of a 10-year contractual arrangement with Air Asia. It has been a long time in the making. It is important to note that this was the first arrangement in the world where the secondary airport has legitimately won a contract even though the primary airport (Tullamarine) has the capacity to accommodate the airline. This only happens in other countries when the main airport cannot cater for any more flights resulting in an overflow to the smaller airport.

During high-pressure negotiations with Air Asia, Justin was taking a great risk because he knew it would mean a major upgrade to the airport at a cost of $50 million. He had to convince his employer, Lindsay Fox, that it was going to be a viable business decision. Thankfully, things are looking good. Since the flights started 4 moths ago, no flights have been cancelled and the passenger loads have been high. Surprisingly, a large percentage of outgoing passengers have been Wyndham residents who are returning to the home country to visit their relatives in various Asian countries. 

Where to from here? Justin says that they are not likely to attract any more domestic carriers to Avalon although they hope to increase the number of Jet Star flights. He says the growth will come from attracting other international carriers and he is is focusing on airlines that fly to Thailand and Bali.

One of the other challenges is to establish a fast and reliable public transport service to and from the airport. One idea that is being seriously explored is to build a new train station on the Geelong line and then ferry passengers from that station by bus to the airport.

Justin is a very busy man. In his spare time, he is the chair of the Youth Justice Redevelopment Project Community Consultation Group which relates to the new Youth Detention Centre  being built at Little River. He is also chair of new Lara Jail Development and chair of The Gordon Institute of TAFE.

Joe Cumbo, who is doing a lot of good work on our behalf to support WERN (Western Emergency Relief Network), has pleaded for some help this Saturday (30th March). 

After being evicted from the old warehouse, all of the household items have been moved to new premises in Mt Derrimut. Rotarians are asked to be part of a working bee from 9:30 to 12:30 to stack and store the items on shelves or designated spots on the floor. There will be a BBQ afterwards.

If you can help Joe and represent our club, please call him on 0484 357981.

Congratulations to Dale Hoy from the Rotary Club of Brighton who has been selected as the District Governor for 2021-22.

Dale is a director of InterRetire which helps senior Australian expatriate executives to plan and manage their return to Australia by providing the highest levels of advice, structure and service.

Instead of meeting at the Italian Sports Club on Tuesday 16th April, we will be visiting the Bone Marrow Donor Institute Rotary House in North Melbourne.

The house is an accommodation facility which provides people living with cancer and their families who must travel long distances to access medical treatment with comfortable and affordable accommodation.

You will hear from the CEO Eric Wright, who will talk about plans for the future redevelopment of the house which has been operating since 2003. You will also hear from a family member who will speak about the value and support they receive from the house.

Further details of the evening are:

• Address: 4-12 Blackwood St, North Melbourne
• Time: 6 for 6:30pm
• Dinner: Spit roast, salads and sweets
• Drinks: BYO - glasses provided
• Cost: $30 per person

If you haven't already registered your intention to assist in the tree planting day this Sunday, you are strongly encouraged to do so. We will be planting 1454 trees at Rosslare Court Reserve in Hoppers Crossing commencing at 9AM. That's a lot of trees but, with the help of the City of Wyndham and members of the community, we can do it. But only if we can all band together. So please help if you can. You are welcome to bring your kids, grandkids, brothers, cousins, aunties and uncles as well. Remember, many hands make light work. Also, a reminder to bring some gardening tools and some gloves.

Click here to see the poster.

The Road Trauma Support Service of Victoria (RTSSV) is a not-for-profit organisation contributing to the safety and well-being of road users. It provides counselling and support to people affected by road trauma.

Bernadette Nugent is the CEO of RTSSV and she is passionate about the work that her organisation does to help anyone impacted by a transportation incident. The services which are delivered by professional counsellors are free of charge, confidential and unlimited in number. The number of counselling sessions is growing exponentially. Last year there were 2050 referrals to the service, mainly by Victoria Police. In addition, there were 2500 counselling sessions which were provided via telephone, face-to-face or within a group.

There are a wide range of clients accessing the service but they are generally made of up either drivers, bereaved persons, victims or witnesses. They use the service because they can be suffering from numerous trauma-related problems including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, insomnia and lack of concentration and motivation.

The grief that they are experiencing can be categorised as shock, confusion, disbelief, anger, blame, guilt or a combination of these feelings.

In addition to the counselling that RTSSV supplies, it also organises a number of annual events that highlight the effects of road trauma which in turn will make people focus on safety and responsibility on our roads. Some of these events include:

• Time for Remembering (17th November 2019) - this is a service held at Government House. It gives attendees the opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the lives of loved ones lost on our roads. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to those agencies and individuals who work tirelessly to reduce the associated trauma and grief.
• Shine a Light on Road Safety Campaign is a national community program to highlight the services provided by Road Trauma Support Services Victoria (RTSSV) and how we can all play a part in road safety. There are several components to this campaign:
  • Shine a Light Walk (5th May 2019) around Albert Park Lake where participants have the opportunity to talk, cry and laugh together and to unite together in the ambition to make a difference and to ultimately help influence change for Victoria's road users.
  • Illuminations (6th May – 12th May 2019) where landmarks across Australia are illuminated in yellow for road safety.
  • Turn Your Lights On (10th May 2019) where motorists around Australia turn their headlights on to acknowledge the importance of safe driving.

It's very late notice but, if you're not doing anything this Sunday, why not participate in the Wyndham Rotary Fun Run/Walk?

You have a choice of running 5km or 10km or walking 4km or 8km along the Werribee River. The course is ideal for first time runners, avid walkers or experienced runners seeking a new challenge!

Children under 12 can participate in a 1500m run and, for the under 6's, there is a 400m run. There will also be other fun activities for the kids.

This is a great community event which raises vital funds for the Werribee Mercy Hospital.

Click here to visit the website.

Pictured above is our club member Phil Purdy (right) and fellow-rider Dennis O'Brien (Rotary Club of West Footscray) who are two very tired and relieved bike riders after recently completing the 1000 kilometre bike ride from Sydney to Melbourne to raise funds for ROCAN (Rotary Ovarian Cancer Research).

Phil and Dennis admit they are not the fastest riders. They usually bring up the rear on each day's ride. But they are respected by the other riders for their determination and spirit. Despite the tough times on their 8-day journey including hot weather, high winds and big hills, they managed to reach their destination safely.

Special mention should also be made of the fantastic efforts of the support crew which included club member Geoff Smith and also our friends Lexie Smith and Barbara Purdy.

This year's ride raised about $100,000. Over the last 20 years, it has been successful in raising a total of $1.5 million for ROCAN. Congratulations to everyone.

On 14th March, charter member Ian Knight and his wife Genny celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. This is a monumental milestone which deserves the heartiest of congratulations. They plan to celebrate the occasion with a dinner with family and then they will board the Queen Elizabeth ship for a cruise around New Zealand.

Not only is their anniversary a major achievement, they also share a rather unique coincidence. Genny Knight (nee McIntosh) was born in Melbourne on 11th October 1936 and Ian Knight was born 4 days later, also in Melbourne. Their birth notices appeared beneath each other in The Argus newspaper on the same day in October 1936. They were obviously made for each other.

Twenty-three years later they walked down the aisle at St Cuthbert's Church, Brighton, having met through family friends at 16 years of age.

This unusual coincidence attracted the attention of Ross and John on Radio 3AW who rang Ian and Genny to talk about it. Click here to listen to the interview. 

Ian has been a member of the club since its inception in 1968 which means that he and Genny have been involved in Rotary for a significant part of their marriage. Ian explained that, when the club was started, he became the Charter Secretary and Genny wrote up all the minutes of the Board meetings for the next 3 years. What a team!

The couple has also hosted 9 Rotary exchange students in that time which, Genny says, has enriched their lives as well as those of their children. In fact, the program had such a profound impact on their daughter Sue that she eventually became an exchange student to Japan in 1981.

Here is a copy of Ian and Genny's birth notices. 

This Saturday, the Donations in Kind (DIK) warehouse is conducting its annual Open Day and you are very welcome to attend.

The warehouse stores a large amount of medical equipment and the focus this year is on improving patient care. You can speak to people at DIK who are helping to improve medical care in developing countries and saving lives. You can find out how easy it is to make a difference.

It is an opportunity to meet other like-minded people, to share ideas and to learn from each other.

The facility will be open from 10am to 3pm. It is located at Shed 40, 400 Somerville Rd, West Footscray.

It's ready, set, go for our car rally this Sunday.

A group of us has accepted the challenge from Peter Ross to partake in a magical mystery trip from Werribee to Anglesea. It promises to be a fun time that will test our observational and navigational skills!

The finish line is the holiday house of Peter and Elizabeth Ross, 180 Great Ocean Rd, Point Roadknight.

Bring your own meat and drinks plus a salad or sweets.

If you have any problems along the way or if you get lost, contact Peter on 0418 333 729.

Last year, Jackie Wrafter was presented with an MBE by Prince William. She was recognised for the establishment and long-term management and support of the Kianh Foundation Day Centre for disabled children in Central Vietnam.

In 2000, Jackie and a friend were back-packing through Vietnam. They were living the care-free life and enjoying all the aspects of the country that normal tourists would enjoy. But, she said, behind the facade something less attractive  lurked. She stumbled upon the Hoi An Orphanage where disabled children were housed in a single room. They were receiving a minimum amount of care. To Jackie, it was a distressing sight but it immediately sparked a sense of deep compassion and a pressing need to do something.

Jackie got a job at the orphanage in 2001 and stayed there until 2010. During that time, she established the Kianh Foundation which was originally set up to address an urgent lack of services for children with disability living at the government orphanage in Hoi An. Some of her achievements included:

• Setting up 2 special education classrooms and a thriving education program for the children with disability
• Setting up a successful physiotherapy program
• Ensuring that all children (with and without disabilities) and the staff’s children received regular dental care
• Arranging and funding various surgeries (for example cleft lip and cleft palette surgeries, shunt and heart surgeries)
• Providing basic healthcare
• Training and up-skilling government employed staff working at the orphanage
• Supplying additional staff in order to roll out various programs throughout the orphanage
• Renovating unsanitary rooms and buildings

Due to the success of the programs, many families in the Province who had children with a disability began to bring them to the orphanage in order to access the services. This is what led Jackie to set up a Day Centre in the nearby district of Dien Ban, a large catchment area for the Hoi An Orphanage.

The Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is a grassroots education and learning development program conducted in many Rotary Districts around the world. 

In District 9800, RLI is a District Managed Program that provides participants with a high quality experience, that engages and involves them in the education and learning process. It is a four-part program over 2 days where you will learn a little more about Rotary, the early history, traditions, the Rotary Foundation, and its relevance in the world today.

You will make new friends in an enjoyable environment. This program is perfect for members who have joined Rotary in the last few years and for those who may be keen to become more involved in Rotary activities. It is a great learning experience!

For more information visit the Rotary Leadership Institute website.

The next RLI course is on Sunday 24th and 31st March from 9:30am to 2:30pm at the Montague School, Montague Street, South Melbourne. Registrations are required by 20th March. There is no charge.

If you are interested in attending, please discuss with President Graham Roper.

It was so hot you could fry an egg on the putting green. But that didn't stop a big group of die-hard golfers including our President Graham Roper (pictured above) from playing in the hot afternoon sun to support the annual Werribee Rotary Golf Day.

Despite the gruelling day, most golfers got through unscathed, thanks to the efforts of the drink crews who continually ventured around the course to quench the thirst of parched players.

At the end of the day, we sat down in air-conditioned comfort for dinner and the presentation of prizes. Congratulations to Marty Vaina and his team for winning first prize.

We have realised a profit of $29,000 which is a fantastic result thanks to the generosity of the players and numerous sponsors. Most of the proceeds will go towards the refurbishment of the Dementia Unit at Manor Court Aged Care.

Everyone was extremely grateful for the hard work of chief organiser Ross Conley and his team for making this event our biggest fund-raiser.

Click here to see photos of the day.

It was good to see a positive article in the Wyndham Star last week about our Bingo sessions. Well done to Brian Ahmed and President Graham for taking the initiative to promote the game and our club.

Click here to see the article.

Brian reported that, since we started in October, we have realised a net profit of about $10,000.

By the time you read this, the Rocan Bike Ride from Sydney to Melbourne will be almost over. But the conditions along the 7-day journey have been quite harsh. The riders have had to endure sweltering heat which has forced them to start riding in the early morning and finish by midday each day.

Geoff Smith has reported that the support crew consisting of Lexie Smith, Barb Purdy and himself are handling the pressure very well. Lexie and Barb are slaving over a hot stove to nourish the riders while Geoff is sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of the back-up truck.

Pictured above are Phil Purdy who is sweating hard and Geoff Smith who is not.

The large group of riders and their support crew will arrive at the Royal Yacht Club in Williamstown at about midday on Friday 8th March. If you can, please get there to clap them across the finish line.

Monica Schott has lived in Werribee for over 30 years and is currently doing a PHD on the ghost town of Cocoroc which was located on the MMBW Farm.

Back in the 1880’s all of Melbourne’s sewerage came to Werribee in open channels. 

The farm workers lived on site, mainly in the township of Cocoroc, which was situated in Farm Road, about half way between the Princes Freeway and the Werribee South beach. The MMBW policy at the time was that there were no female workers on the site.

In 1880, Melbourne was bestowed with the award of the smelliest city in the world thanks to the open sewer. It had the unenviable nickname of Marvellous "Smellbourne".

There were about 30 houses in Cocoroc, which boasted a hotel, primary school, shops, and the only swimming pool in Werribee.

As Melbourne grew, so did the work force to manage the treatment of the sewage, and a community of workers and their families that lived on site. The population peaked to over 500 in the 1950's. All but one family left the township in 1974; the last family moved off site in 1980.

The plant continues to treat Melbourne’s sewage and is now known as Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant.

Sadly, the MMBW has very little of the history of Cocoroc.

A newspaper article in the Yea Chronical on 23 March 1899 said “For the information of those whose Victorian geographical education has been neglected, “Cocoroc” is a small but “rapidly rising" township located between Little River & Werribee, close to the shores of Port Phillip Bay. It is chiefly noted as a health resort, and is guaranteed to contain a more varied collection of germs to the square inch, than Footscray.

RI President-elect Mark Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, Rotary Connects the World, asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service.

Mr Maloney says that Rotary is built on connection. When Paul Harris came to Chicago as a young lawyer, he formed Rotary for one compelling reason: to help him connect to others in a new city. More than a century later, we have at our disposal countless ways to form friendships and networks, most of which Paul Harris never dreamed. Yet Rotary’s ability to connect us remains unique — and unrivalled.

While the club remains the core of the Rotary experience, we are now far more creative and flexible in deciding what a club can be, how it can meet, and even what can be considered a Rotary meeting. We need to be organized, strategic, and innovative in how we approach membership, forging wider and deeper connections to our communities and forming new club models to attract and engage more — and more diverse — members.

Rotary is indeed a family. Yet too often, the structure of membership or the demands of leadership seem to place Rotary out of reach for today’s younger professionals. Rotary can and should be an experience that complements our families instead of competing with them. When our Rotary clubs are warm, welcoming places where service and family go hand in hand, we give family-oriented young professionals the opportunity to embrace Rotary service and model positive civic engagement. And when we make the expectations of Rotary offices realistic and manageable for busy professionals, we develop the skills and networks of a new generation of Rotarians — who will become Rotary leaders.

Our planned weekend away at the Yarra Valley Lodge on 4th and 5th May looks doomed due to a lack of support from members. We currently only have 4 couples who have registered their interest. If you would like to attend this social weekend, please contact President Graham or Peter Ross as soon as possible.

Click here to see a brochure about the weekend.

John Forrester's pastime involves working with other like-minded volunteers to ensure that the state of the Werribee River is always healthy and that it is an ongoing attractive waterway for everyone. Unfortunately, there is much work to be done to bring the river up to a suitable condition. The water quality is poor, many areas are being damaged and the amount of litter in and along the river is disturbingly high.

John is officially known as the Werribee River's Riverkeeper and is an important member of the Werribee River Association (WRA) which was formed in 1981. It is obvious from his talk that he wears the title with great pride and responsibility. As a Riverkeeper, he has a variety of different roles including organising clean-up working bees and being an advocate for the river within the community and to local and State authorities. Some other projects include revegetation and collecting information for research.

Unfortunately, with the exponential growth of Werribee over the past 20 years, the ongoing protection and maintenance of the river has been treated as a low priority by State and Local Government authorities. However, thanks to much lobbying from John and his coleagues, the State Government has established the Waterways of the West program as a means to raise the profile of the many streams in the area.

Some of the factors that have affected the river in recent times or will have a significant impact in the near future include:

• Protecting both sides of the river from Werribee to Werribee South by establishing buffer zones instead allowing land owners and businesses to have direct access to the water's edge.
• Expansion of Werribee Open Range Zoo in the next few years.
• A future port road and railway corridor at Werribee South.
• To the north of Werribee, farming land on the west side of the river will be converted to a new regional park - similar to Presidents Park.
• However, on the east side, much of the farming land will be superseded by housing estates which will result in minimal corridor width.
• Increased presence of blue-green algae.

Here is a picture of President Graham exchanging club banners with Gautum Acharya from the Rotary Club of Bombay North-West who was a visitor to our club last week.

Gautum is in Werribee to see his son who lives in Tarneit. He has been a Rotarian since 1985. His club has 80 members. He said that one of the cornerstone projects of the club has been to establish and run a Rotary eye hospital which provides free operations to cataract patients. 

Ian Guss and Craig Eyes are directors of Recovered Energy Australia. They are in the final planning stage which, if approved, will see the establishment of a waste gasification plant in Laverton North. The plant will convert residual household waste into electricity. Even though this form of waste treatment is not yet available in Australia, it has been in operation in other countries such as China and Sweden for more than 20 years. 

Some of the key points to come out of Ian's presentation include:

• Approximately 21.7 million tonnes of waste go to landfill in Australia each year. 4.25 million tonnes are dumped in Victoria. This is expected to rise to 6.4 million tonnes by 2035.
• In the past 20 years, waste generation has grown 4.5 times faster than our population growth in the same time.
• During the planning stage, the project has gone through a stringent set of criteria to ensure that they can obtain approval. Some of the boxes that are already ticked include technology, finance, site location, policy, legislation, community, markets, reputation and employment.
• The objective is to initially process 200,000 tonnes of waste per annum. The capacity is designed for 3-4 Local Government councils which equates to about a 97% diversion from landfill.
• The proposed construction completion ties in with the expiry of the existing council contract in 2021.
• The plant will generate 16 megawatts of electrical energy which will provide power for 35,000 homes for 12 months.
• Some of the advantages of the technology include:
  • Extremely low emissions.
  • No nuisance odours.
  • No pests.
  • Maximises energy recovered from residual waste.
  • It contributes to the Victorian greenhouse gas reductions target.
• The plant will be built in the industrial area of Laverton North. The nearest residential area will be 1.7 kilometres away.
• The plant will cost $100 million. Most of this will be funded by companies that have invested in wind farms in Victoria.

Ian says that, while it is taking a long time to get the project off the ground which is mainly due to the strict bureaucratic process they have to go through, they already have plans to build similar plants in the north and east of Melbourne. This would eliminate the need for waste trucks from the other side of Melbourne to travel across the Westgate Bridge to dispose their rubbish at the Wyndham tip.

Click on the image below to view a video of how the gasification plant works.

WERN (Western Emergency Relief Network), which is located in Footscray, is being forced out of their current premises. The organisers are now desperately searching for a suitable building with around 500 square metres to act as their warehouse, preferably in a central location such as Sunshine West or Derrimut.  If anyone knows of any available property, please let Joe Cumbo know. 

They are also planning a working bee at the Cross Street site on 23^rd February from 9:30 am till 1 pm to commence packing because they have to vacate the premises by early March.

Last year, the community within Wyndham was the largest benefactor from WERN .  So, helping WERN is helping our community.

Click here to view some statistics on how WERN is helping families in the west.

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.”

Contribution from Kim Deneys.

Brian Ahmed advised that Chris Ochaya has commenced construction of a chicken shed on the Tamarind community farm in Uganda. This is part of an ongoing plan to create a sustainable farm to support the local population.

With funding from our club and the equivalent in matching grants, Chris has already overseen the construction of a water pump and tanks to support the growing of crops and vegetables and to provide fresh water for the animals. In addition, a goat shed has been built to protect the goat herd. In this latest development, our club has donated another $2000 to enable materials to be purchased to complete the build of the chicken shed. When completed, the shed will look something like the one shown below. It will provide a valuable source of food for the locals.

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.

At last Tuesday's meeting, President Graham presented a cheque for $2000 to Roger from Dreambuilders Church to support their Transformations program which is designed to help men who are suffering from drug and alcohol dependency, depression, eating disorders and other life-altering conditions.

In thanking the club, Roger not only expressed his appreciation for the donation but also for the support our club is providing his organisation and the wider community. He said the money will be put to good use to ensure that they can continue the rehabilitation program.

Chief organiser of the Breakfast Club, Elizabeth Ross, is seeking more volunteers to serve breakfast to students at Wyndham Park Primary School. 

She is asking for assistance on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning each school week from 7:30 am to 9:00 am. She already has a loyal band of "Toastmakers" but, if more people were available, it means that the roster can be more flexible.

Anyone is welcome to share in the workload including members, partners, and friends. You can even work with your spouse or partner!

If you would like to help out, please send an email to elizabethross_3030@yahoo.com.

While flying is not Rex Booth's profession, he confesses to being an aviation tragic. Rex has his own single-engine plane housed near his home at Riddell's Creek. Not only does he use it to take family and friends on joy rides, he also volunteers his services through Angel Flight Australia (AFA) to fly people from remote and long-distance locations to the city,  mainly for them to attend important medical appointments.

AFA was established in Queensland in 2003 and is based on a similar service in the US. They saw a need for this type of service because people in the outback have little or no access to specialists nearby. Unlike Air Ambulance or the Royal Flying Doctor Service, AFA mainly carries passengers who have a medical problem but who don't require special medical attention while in transit.

Rex is one of 3000 pilots in Australia who volunteer their time and their aircraft to ferry people from their home town to the main cities and back. One key benefit of this form of transport is the reduced travel time. Rex transports patients from Mildura to Melbourne in 1 1/2 hours. A road trip takes about 7-8 hours. Flying also results in less anxiety for the person and their driver if they were required to travel by car. All flights are free. Funds are raised through generous donations from the public. 85% of the funds are used to cover fuel costs and the other 15% pays for the wages of 7 full-time staff.

Rex is passionate about this service because he can see the expressions of joy and relief on the faces of his travellers.

In addition to the flying service, Rex explained that their are 3000 volunteer car drivers who taxi people from one point to another at no charge. This is usually for shorter trips.

Click here to get a feel-good understanding of the great service that Angle Flight provides.

It's gonna be a hot one for our 2019 Werribee Rotary Golf Day this Friday. So, if you are playing or volunteering, you are advised to keep your cool.

With the temperature expected to be in the high 30's, here a few tips to ensure you don't fry:

• Take plenty of water with you and ensure that you take a regular drink to avoid dehydration. There will be drink carts but don't expect them to be at your beck and call when you are dying of thirst.
• There will also be beer available from the carts but try and keep your intake to a minimum.
• Wear a hat.
• Wear light-weight clothes that not only provide you with protection from the sun but also keep you as cool as possible.
• Take an umbrella and use it for extra sun shade in between shots.
• Apply sun screen to all exposed skin before you venture out on to the course. Slip slop slap.
• Take a small towel with you. Wet the towel and apply it to the back of your neck in between shots.

Don't forget that you can win a car from Ballan Holden in the hole-in-one competition. Thanks to Tino for making this prize available for the 4th time. No-one has come close to winning it yet but you never, never know until you have a go.

Just a reminder that the majority of the proceeds will go towards the upgrade of the dementia unit at Manor Court Aged Care.

Hope everyone enjoys the day. And remember to stay cool.

Members, partners and guests got the new year off to a pleasant start with a casual evening held at Tino and Robyn Ballan's house.

All who attended seemed quite relaxed after the Christmas break and ready to fire up in the New Year.

We even had a couple of prospective members there who joined in the spirit of the occasion. The Bulletin editor was in such a relaxed mood that he forgot to get their names. However, we are advised that they will be attending future meetings so the error will be corrected

Thanks to Tino and Robyn for opening up their home to us. They are very generous and gracious hosts.

Werribee Rotary members, partners and friends celebrated their Christmas Dinner in fine style at the Chirnsides by the River function centre on 11th December. The event focused on fun and fellowship mixed with a bit of formality.

Highlights of the evening were:

• A wonderful debut singing performance by Charlotte Daddy, daughter of Therese and Jason. She received a standing ovation.

• A special appearance from Father Christmas who distributed Kris Kringle gifts to all attendees.

• Musical entertainment from the popular group The Barking Dogs.

• Some audience participation on the dance floor with the Progressive Barn Dance.

• Introduction of the 2018-19 Board by incoming President Brian Ahmed.

• Announcement of Carlo Vimercati as the club's President for 2018-19.

• A presentation of Paul Harris Fellows to two long-standing members, Ross Smith and Ian Hovey.

All in all it was a great night.

Click here to see many photos of the evening.

We are desperately seeking helpers for the BBQ at Thomas Chirnside School next Monday from 4:30 to 6:30 pm as part of their Carols by Candlelight event. We have participated in it for many years and, to keep the tradition going, your assistance would be very much appreciated.

The school is located on the corner of Walls Rd and Racecourse Rd in Werribee - near the Werribee Racecourse.

If you can help, please give Geoff Smith a call on 0419 235611. Here is an image of him waiting by the phone for your call.

Based on the picture above, you would be excused for thinking that there is more giggle in the Cut, Giggle and Sew sessions than cutting and sewing. But nothing could be further from the truth.

The group of ladies have been congregating at the home of Mary Macaulay and working hard to make little gift bags from colourful scrap fabric and filling them with soap, make-up, lip gloss or lip balm. They have completed 100 bags and have donated them to Werribee Support and Housing to support their Santa Drive.

But wait. That's not all. The group has been collecting other recyclable items such as bottle tops, mobile phones, eye glasses and doing something useful with the collections to support Rotary projects and, at the same time, helping to reduce land fill. For example, the bottle tops will be donated to a local Werribee community project called Helping Hands to enable them to melt the tops to make prosthetic limbs for kids in disadvantaged communities throughout Cambodia.

Chief organiser Lyn Fava is proud of the work done to date by the Cut Giggle and Sew team and is hopeful that they will go from strength to strength. Lyn said that each session contains a good balance of skills, teamwork, companionship, fun and a sense of community spirit.

Thanks to Mary Macaulay for hosting the sessions and for the wonderful work of Therese and Charlotte Daddy, Micki Hovey, Marilyn Jeffries, Glenyce Denys, Anne Smith, Barbara Purdy and Lyn Fava.

And, of course, all who donated materials, and products.

Elly Spry was born and bred in Werribee South. She now lives in Werribee with her husband and two children.

She is one of many staff who work at ESTA (Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority). Their role is to be the first point of call whenever someone dials "000". They provide the critical link between the community and emergency services i.e. police, ambulance, fire brigade and SES. There are three ESTA call centres - Ballarat, Burwood East and Docklands. Due to the ever-increasing demand, a brand new centre is being constructed at Williams Landing.

Elly relayed some amazing facts about the Triple Zero service:

• ESTA answered more than 2.59 million calls in 2017-18.
• On average, there is one call every 12 seconds.
• There is in excess of 7000 emergency calls per day.
• There were 360,000 calls last year that were classed as non-triple zero calls.
• After receiving a legitimate emergency call, ESTA staff dispatched 2.1 million events to the relevant service which is an average of one every 15 seconds.
• 109 babies were delivered en route to a hospital.
• Triple zero calls (answered and dispatched) are increasing by one percent each year.

Part of Elly's role is to engage with the community to advise people on when to ring triple zero. She says the number should only be rung when the emergency is considered to be a serious, unexpected or dangerous situation that requires immediate action. This includes danger to life, health and/or property. Some examples include air, rail, road or water accidents, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, drug overdoses, electric shocks, drownings, bomb incidents and fire threatening life or property.

Elly emphasised that Triple Zero is for critical situations or events that are happening now. Callers must be able to differentiate between emergency and non-emergency situations. Falsified, mischievous or hoax calls may lead to prosecution and even a prison sentence.

Elly loves her job but she says each day is different. Some calls are uplifting and others are quite stressful but you are trained to remain in control of the situation in order to collect accurate information and to keep the caller as calm as possible. You are not allowed to get emotional with the caller. The supervisor will be monitoring your responses and decision making processes. If a situation becomes too stressful, another staff member might take over. ESTA employs a number of counsellors to assist staff to deal with any problems they may have as a result of a call.

Footnote - Elly proved to be an engaging presenter with a very interesting story to tell. She has been one of many good speakers who have added value to our meetings this year. Well done to the program organisers Geoff Smith and Brian Ahmed. But don't rest there - keep up the high standard into next year.

Brian Ahmed has generously agreed to open his restaurant at 7am on Tuesday 18th December to enable us to have an informal Werribee Rotary Christmas Breakfast. The normal sumptuous breakfast fare will be on offer. President Graham has encouraged as many members and partners to attend as possible.

Some of the key items from the Board meeting of 26th November included:

• Donations:
  • $1000 to Les Porter for his bike ride around the Wyndham area with all proceeds going to the Salvation Army.
  • $2000 to the Dreambuilders Transformation program.
  • $500 to the Rotary Clubs of Bendigo Strathdale and Liverpool West to support their cause to bring a young lady called Natalia from PNG to Sydney for major surgery to overcome her facial disfigurement and leg deformity. Read her sad story here.
• The Community Committee is organising another tree planting day on Sunday 19th May next year where we will plant 1500 trees.
• Two Werribee Secondary College students have been selected to participate in the upcoming Science Experience program.
• Anthony Pante and Peter Sandlant are planning an Under-18 football match between Werribee and Hoppers Crossing as part of Mental Health Awareness.
• We will be donating a significant proportion of the Golf Day proceeds to Manor Court to enable them to purchase new furniture in their renovated Dementia Wing.

Our very own member, Ross Smith, is Managing Director of Manor Court Aged Care. Ross has been the MD for 14 years so he has considerable knowledge of the industry and the challenges it is facing both now and in the next few years..

Manor Court

Back in 1972, Werribee had no aged care facility and members of Werribee Rotary decided to do something about that. The idea gained momentum. Land was purchased and public meetings were conducted which resulted in plans being prepared for the construction of a building to cater for 20 residents. The first residents moved into the facility in 1979. In the ensuing 30 years and over several expansion phases, Manor Court has grown to its current size of 100 beds. 

Manor Court was named after Manor House Mansion built in 1889 by Percy Chirnside. It was destroyed by fire in 1966.

Some 2017-18 facts about Manor Court:

• Revenue $7.5 million comprising:

  • 71% Government funding.

  • 27% from residents.

  • 2% from other sources.

• 115 staff.

• $18.5 million assets.

• $8.5 million resident accommodation bonds.

• $200,000 profit.

Aged Care Industry

While there has been some adverse publicity about the industry, Ross doesn't believe it is in crisis. But, he says there are some big problems looming based on the following predictions:

• By 2020, the number of people over 60 years will exceed the number of children under 6 years.

• The number of people over 65 years:

  • 1950 - 700,000

  • 2016 - 3,750,000

  • 2050 - 7,900,000

• The number of people over 80 years:

  • 1950 - 100,000

  • 2016 - 900,000

  • 2050 - 2,800,000

Prior to 2000, the industry was dominated by churches and not-for-profits. 50-bed facilities were the standard size but most of them were struggling financially. In 2007, the Government dramatically increased funding which resulted in these facilities becoming highly profitable. However, this was the invitation for big for-profit organisations to enter the market. They gobbled up the smaller operators and constructed many new facilities with high-bed capacities.

In 2013, the Government made an about-turn decision to reduce aged-care funding in favour of programs such as NDIS.  As a result, Manor Court's funding from 2013-2015 was only half of CPI and, in 2017-18, there was no increase at all. Currently, 40% of the aged care facilities in Australia are running at a loss, and it's getting worse.

The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that, over the past 18 months, there have been a number of stories about widespread abuse of residents. This culminated in the Federal Government announcing a Royal Commission on the industry.

Ross says that the number of abuse claims is very low as a percentage of the number of residents in care. 65% of the current complaints are financial abuse by families who have a vested interest in their parents income and assets. The level of physical assaults around the country by staff is low and continuing to trend downwards because all facilities regularly monitor staff performance and also conduct thorough checks of staff before they are employed.

Manor Court has regular audits conducted by the Accreditation Agency and they consistently achieve the maximum score of 44 out of 44. One of the biggest challenges for all facilities is the cost of staff which comprises 75% of the overall costs.

Ross says that the future of the industry rests with the creation of a long-term bi-partisan Government plan to support and promote the industry in a similar way to the NDIS program. This may result in a major revamp of the industry including things like:

• Funding to meet the demand for another 80,000 beds by 2030.

• The concept of a "Big Box Care" approach which would see large high-rise facilities being constructed.

• Introducing Personal Care Assistants.

• Establishing tax or levy to fund aged care - similar to MediCare.

• Reduction in paperwork and compliance procedures to ensure that staff spend more time with the residents.

• Better training of staff.

• Increased wages for staff.

Thanks Ross for your in-depth analysis of the aged care industry. Let's hope things improve before we walk through the door.

Commander Amanda Kates is the State Manager for Victoria and Tasmania of the Australian Federal Police. After service in the Royal Australian Navy, she joined the AFP in the 90's. She has served in many areas including specialist roles in national crime investigations and protection liaison.

The AFP has either a presence in, or has strong ties within, regions such as North and South America, Asia, South-East Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East as well as places closer to home such as PNG, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand.

Some of the work that the AFP gets involved in includes:

• Airport security.

• Child protection.

• Counterfeit currency.

• Cyber crime.

• Drug crime - cocaine is flooding the Australian market because criminals can make 5 times as much here compared to other countries.

• Fighting terrorism - the AFP works closely with the state police on terrorism. For example, they had been working with VicPol to monitor a potential terrorist attack in Melbourne. This led to the arrest of 3 men several days ago. 

• Fraud.

• Human trafficking - the AFP works hard to stop slavery, sexual servitude and child sex tourism.

• People smuggling - there are still hundreds of people trying to illegally reach Australia via boats. They are being stopped in Indonesia but Amanda fears that, if there is a change of government or policy, the boats will return to our shores.

• Proceeds of crime - After a long investigation, they recently conducted a drug raid which led to the arrest of several dealers and the confiscation of assets such as 2 Lamborghini's, 3 houses, various firearms and $8.5 million in cash.

• Peacekeeping - Amanda has been to Timor Leste and Sudan on peacekeeping missions.

• Close personal protection such as bodyguards for visiting royalty and many international dignitaries.

• Witness protection.

During 2017/18, the AFP was successful in:

• Confiscating $80 million in criminal assets.

• Reducing harm to Australians by assisting with successful transnational crime investigations to the value of $5.7 billion.

• Charging 58 people as a result of child protection investigations.

• Seizing over 17 tonnes of illicit drugs.

• Achieving a 98% court conviction rate.

120 officers were assigned to provide security for the recent APEC conference in PNG.

In addition to their international role, the AFP also provides community policing in the ACT. 

Some of the most notable international investigations that AFP officers have been involved in include:

• Bali bombings in 2002.

• Jakarta bombing in 2003.

• Downing of aircraft MH17 over the Ukraine in 2014.

• Rescue of the Thailand youth soccer team from the caves in 2018. 

Our venture into Bingo at the Italian Sports Club on a Monday night is proving to be fruitful. So far we have netted over $1500 and there is promise of much more to come as each week passes.

Regular patrons are delighted with our involvement, particularly because all proceeds will be distributed to the community.

A poster has been designed and will be circulated around the local businesses. We are also hoping to publish it in the local paper.

Click here to view the poster.

Our meeting on Tuesday 27th November will be at Manor Court Aged Care, 5 Hogan Grove, Werribee. The guest speaker will be Ross Smith who is the Managing Director.

Manor Court was the brainchild of members of our club back in the 70's. Some of our current members such as Ian Knight and Roland Wade were instrumental in getting the original building constructed.  And we have been supporting the facility ever since in many different ways.

Currently, the Aged Care industry is going through a major review. In fact, the Federal Government recently established a Royal Commission into the industry after some adverse publicity. Ross will talk about the issues facing the industry and Manor Court.

It is important to have a high attendance at the meeting so that we learn more about how we can help as a club. You will be served a delicious meal cooked by the head chef, Carmelo. 

Please bring your partner if possible.

Club secretary has advised that our Annual General Meeting will be held at the Italian Social Club Werribee at 7.00pm on Tuesday 4th December 2018.

The agenda of the meeting will be :

1. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting on 28.11.2017

2. Adopt the Financial Accounts for the year ending 30.06.2018

3. To defer the announcement of the 2019/2020 Rotary Club Board of Directors until the Christmas Function on 11.12.2018

4. Any other business received by the Secretary 7 days prior to the meeting

Note: If you wish to apply for any role on the 2019/2020 Board, you should submit your application in writing by 30.11.2018.

President-elect Brian Ahmed will nominate his Board for 2019/2020, and in the event that there 2 or more nominations for a role, a ballot will be taken.

Here is an image of The Barking Dogs rehearsing for our Christmas Dinner meeting to be held on Tuesday 11th December at Chirnsides By The River function centre.

Apart from the wonderful music supplied by The Dogs, there will be much more to look forward to including some fine food and a visit from the great man himself, Father Christmas.

We will also be having our traditional Kris Kringle. All attendees are invited to bring along one home-made or home-grown item as their gift.

The cost for the evening will be $60 per person with drinks at bar prices. We would love to have everyone's attendance to make it the best night possible. 

To all of those interested in getting together for a cutting and sewing working bee, and having a chin-wag at the same time, you are welcome to come along this Saturday to Mary Macaulay's place at 6 Kameruka Court, Werribee from 10am to 12pm.

This is the second session after the first one proved to be a lot of fun. You will be making wonderful bags from bits of fabric and filling them with small cosmetic items. 

So oil up your sewing machines and sharpen your scissors for another productive morning of fabric, fun and fellowship.

Footnote: Lyn Fava is asking everyone to save their milk bottle tops and deliver them to her. The tops will be melted down and made into prosthetic limbs by a local workshop for disabled children in under-privileged countries.

The Peace Through Service Conference is being held at the Melbourne Convention Centre on February 15th February 2019 as a forerunner to the Multi-District Conference on 16-17 February.

The early bird price for this exciting one-day event is $150. However, after 30th November, the price will be $200.

So, if you want to hear some inspiring and thought-provoking presenters speaking about ideas to promote international peace and harmony and to learn about how our club can become a Peace Builder club, please book now.

Click here to see the Peace Conference flyer.

Click here to see the Conference program.

Click here to visit the Conference registration page.

Werribee Rotary member Michael Redding recently completed a visit to Uganda to catch up with Chris Ochaya and his family. Chris was the 2018 Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship recipient. He was in Australia in 2018 to learn good farming techniques that he could use on his return to his country.

Michael said it was fantastic experience to see how Chris has utilised his new-found skills and knowledge and has started to transform the Tamarind community farm into a first-class sustainable agricultural showpiece that will support the local population.

Click here to read Michael's story.

Dr Leon Lewi has combined his love of Rotary and his medical vocation to become a passionate advocate for a special Rotary program called Interplast.

Leon is a long-time Rotarian. He was one of the charter members of the Rotary Club of Keilor having moved into the area in the 60's to commence his medical practice. After 50+ years, he is still an active Rotarian and he is still practising medicine in the same clinic that he started. He claims that he is only part-time but his wife, Pauline, reckons he only has Mondays off.

Leon explained all about the Interplast program. In Australia and New Zealand, we often take it for granted that if we ever need medical care, we will be treated quickly and effectively by highly qualified doctors, nurses, surgeons and other specialists.

But right next door in the Asia Pacific region, a lack of resources combined with limited training means people with repairable conditions are often not treated fast enough or well enough – if they are treated at all.

Interplast was set up to organise for Australian medical teams to volunteer their time to travel to countries in the Asia Pacific region to conduct surgical procedures and to train local doctors and nurses. Each trip costs about $50,000 which is basically used to transport up to 300 kg of equipment to and from the relevant country. Funding comes mainly from such sources as AusAid, community and corporate support and Rotary.

Some of the countries that they travel to include Mongolia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and the Kiribati Islands.

Some of the most common surgical procedures include:

• Cleft lip and palate

• Lower limb reconstruction

• Hand and upper limb reconstruction

• Ear deformities and craniofacial

• Burn contractures

• Skin lesions and soft tissue deformities

Local surgeons are also grateful for the learning they receive during these visits. Some of them now undertake their own surgeries without supervision.

Since 1983, in excess of 40,000 patients have been consulted and over 23,000 surgical procedures have taken place as part of the Interplast program. Each year, the number of Interplast trips increases. In 2017, there were 70 trips and 75 are planned this year.

We have officially taken over the Bingo licence at the Italian Sports Club. Brian Ahmed reported that he and Nuge and Ross Smith were present last Monday night for our first evening.

Brian addressed the group and advised them that there would be no change to the current arrangements. They were very receptive to this news and excited that all proceeds would go towards local community projects.

Bingo will take place on a Monday night for about 48 weeks per year.

The net proceeds from the first night was $650.

Mary Macaulay gave a summary of the Cut, Giggle and Sew session held last Saturday. According to Mary, there was plenty of a giggle with a bit of cutting and sewing thrown in.

The group consisted of Barb Purdy,  Ann Smith,  Mary Macaulay,  Therese Daddy,  Micki Hovey,  Lyn Fava and Glenyce Deneys.

They made 20 gift bags for Werribee Support and Housing clients. Each bag, which was created from donated fabric, was filled with lip stick, lip gloss and soap.

The group will get together again soon to make another 60 packs as Christmas gifts to be handed out with food parcels.

Thanks ladies for your efforts.

Click here to see a few more photos of the sewing bee.

For the first 24 years of his working life, David Mullins was a mechanical maintenance engineer in the aviation industry. For many of these years, he was a diligent employee for the company, Hawker de Havilland but his heart wasn't really in it. He didn't see it as a long-term career. During this time, David took up photography as a hobby. Eventually, it became more than just a recreational pastime. He was starting to turn it into a business and he ultimately left his job to set up a visual arts operation called Relativity3D.

David, who lives in Point Cook with his wife and two sons, is now a freelance photographer with a great reputation for producing quality images. He provides Wyndham Council with many of the local images that they use for their official magazines and reports. He has also captured some tremendous photos of Melbourne and surrounds. Internationally, David loves to travel to Cambodia and other parts of Asia to photograph many impressive and unusual subjects. His extensive work is now being shown in various art galleries around the world.

But photography is only one string to his bow. He has also immersed himself in using very complex software to turn imagination into real life images and objects. He now has a massive collection of 3D images that he produces for many clients including architects and property developers. He has even done 3D modelling for a New York surgeon who wanted a 3D cross-sectional design of a human eye.

Another fantastic body of work is merging old images of Melbourne with new images. The results are quite amazing. 

To top it all off, David now has a 3D printer which he uses to create exact replicas of items. He is now creating artificial hands for children that are sent to various parts of the world.

Click here to visit David's website where you will see the full extent of his talent and creativity.

Secretary Ross Smith presented a summary of the key items from the Board meeting on 22nd October:

1. Drought - the consensus was that any funding should be provided to Victorian farmers. Graham Roper will determine if this can be achieved.

2. Bunnings BBQ - it was agreed that all proceeds up to $1000 from this Thursday's BBQ would go towards the Les Porter Salvation Army 1000km bike ride.

3. Cancer Wellness Centre - Rotarian Yvonne Moon has acquired a house in Wyndham to establish the ROCAN Wellness Centre. The Board determined that there should be a cluster fund-raiser to support this facility.

4. Interplast - It was agreed to donate $500 towards the support of a girl in her late teens from an Asian country who has a massive growth on her face as a result of being badly beaten and is being transported to Sydney to have facial surgery.

5. WERN - We are continuing to support the Western Emergency Relief Network by contributing $1000 towards our membership.

6. Bingo:

   • Our application to be a registered Bingo provider at the Italian Social Club has been approved.

   • ECHO, the outgoing business, has relinquished their right to run Bingo at ISCW.

   • We have lodged notice of intention to commence Bingo from 29th October 2018.

   • A new Bingo bank account is being established.

At very late notice, the Footscray-Yarraville City Band is inviting you to a beautiful musical theatre production called “The Silent Anzac” that will be performed at the Williamstown Town Hall this Saturday, 27th October 2018 at 7.30 pm.

As part of the Armistice Centenary commemoration, the show features a specially commissioned major work recounting the exploits of the Australian submarine HMAS AE2.

Tickets are very reasonably priced at just $28 for seniors and concessions. 

This is the band’s farewell performance prior to leaving for the Western Front on 2nd November to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice.  The band will be performing a wreath laying service at the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux which will be filmed and live-streamed to Australia. 

Click here to view a trailer of what you can expect to see at the show.

Click here to view a flyer.

Click here to make a booking.

This is the third year that Werribee Rotary has conducted the Year 10 Creative Expression Competition at Wyndham Central College.

There were ten students who submitted entries on the theme: 'How can you make a difference and help strengthen our community?'

The Year 10 students had to interpret this in a creative way, and entries included:  painting, drawing, photo series, comic book, photo essay and 3D painted model presentation.

The judging panel comprised Kim and Glenyce Deneys and Michael Redding who selected the following winners:

1. Most Creative Entry (Prize $250) to Hayley Scott - essay/photo. Click here to view Hayley's entry.

2. Runner-Up (Prize $150) to Nathnael Haile - drawing. Click here to view Nathnael's entry.

3. Runner-Up (Prize $150) to Bizawit Mokenen - comic book. Click here to view Bizawit's entry.

School Principal Leanne Gagatsis-Halge expressed her thanks to the club on behalf of the school. She said the competition was a valuable opportunity for the students to express themselves about how they could help the community.

Jack Herbert and Laurance Gogorossis provided us with an overview of the design and progress of the West Gate Tunnel Project. They both work for the major contractor, Transurban.

Jack is the Stakeholder Community Engagement Manager. His team works with the residents and business owners and keeps them informed of any impending works which may affect them. The key issues are construction noise, vibration, air pollution and traffic movement. They are kept informed via newsletters, websites, social media, forums and meetings. 

Laurance is a Senior Project Engineer. 

Construction commenced in early 2018 and the tunnel is expected to open in 2022.

There are three components to the build:

• West Gate Freeway upgrade

• Tunnel construction

• Port to City

Some of the key works include:

• Building new noise walls along the West Gate Freeway.

• Building the tunnel portals.

• Building the Maribyrnong River bridges.

• Widening the West Gate Freeway.

• Changing the high-voltage power lines.

• Building the elevated road and connections to City Link, the port and the city.

• Building the Hyde Street ramps.

• Excavating two tunnels beneath the Maribyrnong River that will allow for three lanes each way.

• Extracting, sorting and dispersing 1.5 million cubic metres of rock and soil.

• Upgrading the Federation Trail.

Two tunnel boring machines will be purchased from China at a cost of about $100 million each. They are 15 metres high and will bore at a rate of about 9 metres per day.

Both Jack and Laurance promised to return in 1-2 years to update us on progress.

Click here to visit the West Gate Tunnel Project website to find out much information about this massive project.

One hundred years ago, World War 1 came to an end with the signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918 at Compiegne, France.

To mark the centenary of the signing of the WW1 Armistice, the Air Force Association will hold a public torchlight commemoration on 4th November 2018 to honour those brave men and women who served and gave their lives to help shape the world in which we live today.

You are invited to participate in this historic event at the RAAF Base in Point Cook.

WHEN:   Sunday 4th November 2018, 7pm-8:30pm

WHERE: Australian Flying Corps Memorial, RAAF Base Point Cook

Click here to view a flyer of the event.

Annalisa Cannizzaro is a Community Engagement Specialist at Westgate Community Initiatives Group (WCIG) which is a not for profit employment services provider committed to supporting individuals to find a meaningful role in society. While the topic of her talk may have given us an expectation that it would be a bit mundane and less-than-inspiring, nothing could have been further from the truth.

It was quite evident that Annalisa was very enthusiastic about her role. She told some uplifting stories about people who, despite some challenges in life, were able to find gainful employment and improve their quality of life thanks to the support of WCIG.

She told us that, in Australia, there are 4.3 million people living with a disability. This is 1 in 5 people. There are 1.3 million people in Victoria and 43,600 people in Wyndham people living with a disability. WCIG is a government-funded facility that helps these people in a positive way by providing various services including training and helping to source appropriate employment opportunities. They have offices in several suburbs in the west where there is above-average unemployment including Footscray, Sunshine, Werribee and Corio.

One of their cornerstone training programs is called SEE (Skills for Education and Employment) which provides 800 hours of free training to eligible job-seekers of all ages to improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills. At the end of the program, students will have a greater chance of being employed.

Other key programs within WCIG include:

• Disability Employment Services which assists people living with a psychiatric, physical or sensory disability in gaining meaningful and sustainable employment.

• Youth Services which assists young people who have dropped out of mainstream education to develop individualised pathways plans which will prepare them for employment.

Annalisa cited various inspiring stories as examples of the positive outcomes that have been achieved. She emphasised that no-one is unemployable. They just need to be supported through training, encouragement and being employed at tasks that fit their strengths.

She also highlighted the importance of engaging with businesses and social enterprises who are willing to give these people a chance regardless of their disability or differences.

Annalisa knows there are some people who unfortunately slip through the cracks and do not get the appropriate level of support. She concluded by asking for our help by informing WCIG of:

• Anyone who is struggling to engage in school.

• Anyone with a disability who needs more help or information.

• Anyone who is suffering from anxiety, depression, physical or intellectual disability, chronic illness or injury who would like to work.

Members may remember Reece who was a guest speaker a few weeks ago talking about her country, Kiribati. She has now invited us to attend a movie called "Anote's Ark" next Monday (15th October) which will highlight the major challenges of climate change facing the tiny island nation.

This movie will be shown at the ACMI Cinema in Federation Square and is part of the Environmental Film Festival Australia. It will feature Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati and will focus on the fact that this low-lying Pacific island nation may soon be underwater, thanks to rising sea levels.

The movie commences at 6:15 pm, finishes at 7:30 pm and costs $20 per person. If you would like to attend, please contact Jason Daddy as soon as possible. He and his family will be there and, after the movie, they plan to have a meal in a nearby restaurant.

To see a trailer of the movie, click here.

For more information about this critical environmental issue, click here to view a Ted Talks interview with Anote Tong.

Brian Ahmed advised that it's all systems go to start the construction of a hen house (chook shed) at the Tamarind farm in Uganda. With the help of extra funding through donations from various farmers who hosted Chris Ochaya during his visit to Australia and also through a District Matching Grant and additional funds from our club, we now have sufficient money to purchase cages, feed supply and chickens.

Brian has had regular communication with Chris who is very eager to get it all up and running.

Australian Rotary Health has invited us to help lift the lid on mental illness by supporting Hat Day on October 10 or any day during Mental Health Month.

Eric Wright is the CEO of Fight Cancer Foundation which is a national charity dedicated to providing care, treatment and support for cancer patients and their families and funding vital research into cancer treatment and cures.

The Foundation was originally known as the Bone Marrow Donor Institute (BMDI). It was established in 1989 by a small group of families devastated by leukaemia with the aim of establishing a donor registry to give hope and save lives. In 1991, Rotary became involved and was instrumental in building the Bone Marrow Research Centre in Parkville.

Fast forward to 2003, BMDI's first accommodation centre, Rotary House, was opened in North Melbourne for rural and interstate patients and families who needed to access Melbourne's treating hospitals. Since opening, the facility has provided:

• 860 families with a home-away-from-home.
• 60,000 room nights accommodation.

The guests are mainly bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients from country Victoria and Tasmania. They are usually patients of either the Royal Children's Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital or Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Unfortunately, due to the high demand, there are some patients and their families who cannot get accommodation at Rotary House. Many of these cannot afford normal hotel accommodation especially if they need to stay for weeks or months. In such cases, they either:

• Withdraw from treatment and go home.

• Sell their homes or treasured possessions to fund their accommodation.

• Rely on family or friends to assist financially.

• Find cheap motel accommodation which increases the risk of infection.

• Live in cars near the hospital.

The existing Rotary House is now past it's used-by date. It is aged, needs high maintenance and is not specifically designed to cater for the special needs of the patients. The plan is to sell the property to a developer and to purchase a new purpose-built facility which will consist of:

• 30 one and two bedroom units.

• Communal spaces such as a library, gymnasium, play area and meeting rooms.

• Income-producing retail/commercial space to offset ongoing operating costs.

The new Rotary House will also be located in the Parkville area, close to the "big three" hospitals.

Rotary Clubs across Victoria will be invited to participate in this visionary project which will provide long-term benefits to people during their battle with cancer.

Next year's District Conference is a multi-District event to be held on 16-17 February at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

The early-bird cost is $175 (until October 31) plus $110 if you would like to attend the gala dinner. If you take up the early-bird offer, you go into a draw to win free registration for 2 people plus accommodation for 2 nights.

The conference will feature outstanding Rotary and general speakers including:

• Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp.
• Former Police Commissioner Christine Nixon.
• Former Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett.
• Grace Forrest, the founder of WalkFree an organisation against slavery.
• Ambassadorial Scholar Brittany Arthur.
• Dr Edna Adan, humanitarian, politician and director and founder of Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland.

Click here to visit the conference website and to register.

Click here to view a flyer of the conference.

BUT WAIT.........THERE'S MORE!

As a lead-in to the conference, there will be a Peace Through Service Forum on Friday 15th February. 

It will look at the underlying causes of conflict including poverty, disease, hunger, lack of water and the lack of education.

It will also highlight the areas in which Rotary does its most significant work.

There will be an outstanding program of inspirational speakers, panel discussions and networking opportunities to recommit our efforts to address some of the most pressing concerns of modern times.

Click here to read more about the Forum.

Here is a summary of discussions and decisions made at the Board meeting on Monday 24th September 2018:

• $500 will be donated to Wyndham Park Primary School's Breakfast Club to purchase enough cheese for the next 6 months.
•  The club is investigating the possibility of having a second-hand book sale.
• We are donating $2000 to Victorian farmers who are suffering from the drought.
• We have agreed to get involved in the Future Leaders of the West program and will be searching for an appropriate candidate to do the course.
• A donation of $100 was approved for the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
• We have agreed to continue our support of Gordon TAFE Apprenticeship Awards. We will offer three prizes, one to the value of $1000 and two at $500 each.
• We are investigating the possibility of having a FAIM trip to Kiribati.
• We will have another tree-planting day in April/May next year.
• Entries for the Wyndham Central College Essay Competition are now being evaluated.
• All of the mock interviews have been completed and it has been a great success. We are considering expanding it next year.
• A footy match between Under 19 teams from Werribee and Hoppers crossing is being planned in 2019 as a means of highlighting the problems associated with mental illness.
• We are seeking students for the RYPEN and MUNA programs.
• An application has been submitted for our Bingo licence.

Pictured above with President Graham and Past President Ross Conley are the lucky winners of the footy tipping competition. Mary Maguire was first past the post followed by Ross Smith and then, in third place, Tony Todaro. 

Chief organiser Ross Conley presented them with their prizes and thanked everyone for their participation.

Werribee Rotary is a member of Western Emergency Relief Network (WERN) which provides essential household items to needy families in the west. Due to a very cold winter, much of the stock, particularly bedding items, has been severely depleted. 

WERN is now desperately seeking our support for the replenishment of essential items. Here are some of the key items required:

• Kitchen.
  Dishes, Cutlery and Pans

• Beds & Bedding.
  Blankets, Sheets, Doonas and all sizes of Mattresses and Bases.

• Electrical

  • Fridges and Washing Machines.

  • Dryers, Portable Air Conditioners and Coolers.

  • Microwaves, Toaster and Jugs etc.

• Dining and Lounges.
  Must be still usable and not rubbish.

• Cupboards and Bedroom Suites

Please remember that WERN is not a TIP so the items must be usable and in good working order.

This is an urgent request so your help would be much appreciated.

Almost 100% of rural New South Wales is either in drought, on drought watch or experiencing the onset of drought, while 57% of Queensland is classified as in drought. Farmers are facing ruin in what some are calling the worst drought in living memory, with costs of stock feed and transport spiralling.

Rotary has decided to do something to help. D9800 has a new initiative, working with Foodbank to collect all types of practical goods and treats - items that struggling communities have asked for and most particularly what the school communities have requested.

So how can our club get involved?

First step - watch this video explaining the project.

Then read the following information which gives further details:

• Feed a Farmer Information
• Feed a Farmer Foodbank Flyer
• Feed a Farmer Interactive Flyer

The quality of our speakers in recent times has been nothing short of fantastic. The speaker at our last meeting was definitely no exception.

Reese Masita is a member of the Victorian Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) Association. She grew up in the tiny island nation but has been a resident of Australia for many years now.

Reese described Kiribati as the world's best kept secret. Here are some facts about the country:

• It was formerly known as Gilbert Islands.
• It is the first country to see the dawn of each new day.
• It sits in all 4 hemispheres.
• 21 out of the 33 islands are inhabited. There are a few man-made concrete causeways that link some of the islands. Otherwise, you have to travel by canoe from one to the other.
• It is very remote. To fly there from Melbourne, you take a 5-hour flight to Fiji and then another 3-hour trip to Kiribati.
• Their language has only 13 letters. 
• The islands grew from coral build up on the tips of underwater mountains.
• Tarawa is the main island and has a population of 53,000 on just 17 square kilometres of land. It's widest point is only 200 metres long.
• The islands are at risk from:
  • Rising sea levels - within 60-80 years the islands will be permanently covered by water. All inhabitants will be relocated to Fiji before then.
  • Limited drinking water.
  • Crops including coconut palms and breadfruit trees are dying from sea water.
  • King tide floods - these are a recent phenomena.
  • Disease. Children are particularly vulnerable.

You could describe the Kiribati people as an easy-going and resilient race. Their philosophy seems to be that whatever happens they will overcome it and just move on with life.

However, Reese explained that there are a number of community facilities that could either be renovated or constructed to make things better. Some of their major issues include poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. Our club, in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs of Melton and Hoppers Crossing, is considering travelling to Kiribati on a FAIM trip to provide the necessary skills to make a positive difference to their community.

It would seem that, based on Reese's compelling presentation and her infectious enthusiasm, there won't be a shortage of volunteers.

You could tell that Reese's love of her country is so intense. So much so that she will be moving back there soon with her husband who is a doctor. She is even thinking about establishing a Rotary club in Tarawa.

Click here to see a few more photos of the evening.

Melbourne has been shortlisted for the 2023 RI Convention bid after several years of hard work by a dedicated group of Rotarians.

This would be the largest convention held in Melbourne since the previous RI convention in 1993. We can expect 20,000 delegates from around the world.

The selection panel will spend 3 days in Melbourne in November. They will explore:

• Rod Laver Arena and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
• Our transport system to ensure easy migration of delegation between hotels and venues.
• The many attractions that make Melbourne a magnet for tourists.

The inaugural Cut, Giggle and Sew working bee will take place this Saturday (27th October) from 2pm to 4pm at Mary Macaulay's house - 6 Kameruka Crt, Werribee.

Attendees will be making re-usable cloth bags from off-cuts of fabric and other material.

Apparently, the plan is to do lots of cutting and sewing with some time out for a bit of socialising with a glass of wine or a cup of tea and a scone. So please bring a bottle of wine (if you wish to have a tipple) and a small plate.

Please contact Lyn Fava (0412 353385 or lyn@perfectharmony.com.au) to confirm your attendance.

Happy sewing to all.

Rotary’s Garden DesignFest 2018 will be held over two weekends in November and will give garden lovers the chance to indulge their passion and, at the same time, help raise money for End Trachoma by 2020.

Gardens in rural Victoria (Ballarat and Macedon Ranges) will be open on 10th and 11th November and gardens in the Melbourne Metropolitan area and the Mornington Peninsula will be open on 17th and 18th November. The professionally designed, private gardens will be open to the public from 10am to 5pm. The designers will be at the gardens when they are open and are happy to share their expertise and planting notes with visitors.

Garden DesignFest is a biennial event organised by the Rotary Clubs of Kew, Brighton North and Central Melbourne. It has raised $530 000 for Rotary and other charities since it began in 2004. More than 20 Rotary clubs (from Districts 9780 and 9800) will be involved in presenting the event in November.

This year’s main charity is End Trachoma by 2020. Australia is the world’s only developed country with trachoma, an infectious eye disease that can be prevented with good hygiene practices.There is also an organised bus tour to selected gardens. Going on a bus tour is a great way to see several gardens in one day. It includes lunch, garden notes and a Garden DesignFest ticket if you want to visit other gardens the next day.

Click here to visit the GardenFest 2018 website and to view the gardens on display.

Club secretary Ross Smith has advised the members that, before we can proceed with taking over Bingo at the Italian Sports Club, there are a few formal procedures that need to be completed:

1. ECHO, who holds the existing licence, need to advise the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) that they are returning their licence.

2. We then have to apply for that licence through the VCGLR.

Ross advised that it could take 3-4 weeks before the licence is approved after which we can take over the operation.

Catherine O'Connor, President of the Rotary Club of Laverton Point Cook, presented us with a challenge to join in an activity and fund raiser with the objective of ending polio. She said, while we are close to eradicating the disease, it's disturbing to hear that a few cases have been found close to home in PNG. We need to get on top of this as quickly as possible before it spreads further.

So Catherine has invited us to form a team and take a walk around Albert Park Lake on Saturday 17th November to raise money to end polio.

All we need to do is register 5 people from our club to walk around the lake.

But there is a small catch. You need to dress up as a punk, prince or princess. No big deal.

Are you up for it?

If so please email Susie Cole to register or to find out more details.

The last meeting was devoted to a club forum. The contribution from members was constructive, healthy and passionate. Key topics of discussion were:

1. Bingo

• Echo – Elderly Citizens Help Organisation Inc, has held a bingo operator license for about 30 years.

• They have been running Bingo at ISCW for the last 5-6 years.

• Echo, and the individuals who run the Monday night sessions, have had a parting of the ways, and no longer want to work together.

• Michael Nazzari & his wife run the sessions, and the ISCW have suggested Werribee Rotary as a suitable replacement to Echo.

• Werribee Rotary has asked Echo if they would be prepared to assign their license to us, but there has been no agreement at this stage.

• Michael Nazzari, Ross Smith & Brian Ahmed addressed the club, and explained what the responsibilities are;

  • 26 D9800 clubs hold a current Bingo license

  • Werribee Rotary would need to register for a license

  • One club member would need to be the nominee and is liable

  • Must maintain a separate bank account, and lodge a yearly return with VCGLR

  • No requirement for insurance, or audit of accounts

  • Financial liability to the club, if it allowed sessions to trade at a loss

  • There is a potential profit of more than $25,000 per year

  • Last Monday made $900 profit

The only concern expressed by members was that Werribee Rotary would be seen to be supporting gambling.

It was agreed that the Board progress its discussions, and keep the members informed.

2. Drought Relief for Farmers

District 9800 has set up a drought relief fund through RAWCS which is tax deductible, and 100 cents in the dollar will be distributed.

Pres Graham advised the Board will consider a contribution at the next meeting.

3. Membership

A number of members spoke during the discussion on how we increase membership. There were wide ranging views on how this should be achieved.

• That if we focus on the social aspects of the club, members will come.

• That the members need to nominate members for the membership committee to follow up.

• That we need to focus on membership retention from existing members.

• That we should have less guest speakers, and more social nights.

• That we should have more/better guest speakers to make meeting nights interesting.

• That younger generation members are interested in projects, not having a good social night

• We don’t recognise member achievements.

• We are desperately short of females.

• That many members don’t know about many of the projects the club is doing.

• That if you are going to invite a member as a guest, the night needs to make a big impression.

• That we don’t hold enough social functions & partners are not involved.

It was agreed that if the total Werribee Rotary product was not good we won’t attract new members or retain existing ones.

We should have another discussion in a few weeks.

The guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne's 26th annual Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Breakfast will be Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd).

Sir Angus was awarded the Knight of the Order of Australia in January 2015 for extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit in service to Australia, through distinguished service in the Australian Defence Force, continued commitment to serve the nation in leadership roles, particularly the national responses to the MH370 and MH17 disasters, and in a variety of roles in the community.

The breakfast will be held at the RACV Club, Level 17, 501 Bourke St, Melbourne on Wednesday 28th September commencing at 7:15am and concluding at 9:00am. The cost is $65 per person.

Click here to make a booking.

Click here to see a flyer of the function.

Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21.

Gupta has been a Rotarian since 1977 and has served Rotary as district governor, training leader, and resource group adviser, and as a member, vice chair, or chair of several committees.

To acknowledge and celebrate Rotary Foundation month, there are a number of events being held during November which you are invited to. 

Sat Nov 17th - Prance in the Park 

• New fundraiser event - limited to 100 Rotarians of D9800  - aiming at 20 clubs x 5 participants
• To support World Polio Day
• More details to follow

Wed Nov 28th  - 26th Annual Paul Harris Breakfast 

• 7:15am - Keynote by Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston
• Would be good to get a table of 10 - $70pp
• Click here to get more details

Thu Nov 29th - 6th Annual Goldfields Cluster 

• 6:15pm - Keynote Murray Verso
• Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo $35pp
• Click here to read the latest District 9800 Foundation newsletter.

The quality of a guest speaker is measured by the number of Rotarians who fall asleep or who start fidgeting or who keep checking their smartphone during the presentation. It is also based on the number of questions that are asked at the end. Graeme Symonds must have been good because every member remained wide awake and were hanging on every word he had to say. Further, after his formal presentation, the questions kept coming because people wanted to know more about the project that Graeme is managing.

Graeme is Network Director for a British-based organisation called NetFlow. They were recently awarded a 20-year, $1.8 billion contract to take over from VicRoads to construct new road infrastructure in the west and to maintain a number of major roads. Their main customer is the City of Wyndham.

Graeme said he was shocked by the state of the roads in Melbourne's west and he is confident that we will see some major improvements within a few years.

The initial focus is to design and construct eight structures such as overpasses in areas such as Doherty's Rd, Sayers Rd and the Duncan's Rd Interchange. These 8 projects are all planned to be completed with the next 2 years. Another component of their contract is rehabilitation of 8 existing bridges/overpasses. On top of that, they will spend the next 20 years providing enhanced maintenance on key roads in the west. In 2042, they will then hand it all back to VicRoads.

Graeme has asked us to be tolerant of the work they are about to start. He says there will be some short-term pain on the roads for much long-term gain. But, to minimise congestion and frustration, a considerable amount of this work will be done overnight. So, very shortly, we will see NetFlow's distinctive and highly visible equipment and staff working around the west. He emphasised that, during their current recruitment process, they are focused on employing people who live in the west.

Graeme said that his company has tendered for similar contracts in Melbourne's north and south-east. 

Click here to view a video of the work that will be undertaken.

There's no doubt that 7 year old Andi Treloar would have to be the youngest ever guest speaker in the club's 50-year history.....and probably one of the most inspiring as well.

When Andi, who lives in Point Cook, visited Adelaide last year, she saw a number of homeless people lying in the streets. She asked her parents what they were doing. They explained that these people had nowhere to live and they had no money to buy food. She was told that, for most of them, their only source of food was from the public rubbish bins. Andi told her Mum and Dad that she wanted to help them. Little did they realise that their daughter was serious.

Initially, she made snack packs for the homeless and personally delivered it to them on the street. Some of them were confused that this little angel was generous and thoughtful enough to provide them with some form of sustenance. But they were all sincerely thankful. One person was so grateful that tears welled in his eyes and, unable to speak, he placed his hand on his heart as a way of expressing his thanks.

Andi is determined to go further. She has set up a GoFundMe page in the hope that others might subscribe to her cause. In the future, she wants to set up a restaurant for the homeless.

President Graham handed Andi a cheque for $250 on behalf of the club.

Michael Redding advised that the club has been offered an opportunity to take over the management of Bingo every Monday night at the Italian Sports Club.

The existing operators are planning to retire and they have provided the club with the first option to run the weekly event. Based on the figures provided by Michael, we stand to make a good financial gain. Our only obligation is to have at least one member of the club attend each Monday night. They are no other responsibilities.

The matter will be on the agenda for our upcoming club forum on Legs-Eleven-th September.

Here is an artist's impression of what Werribee's water tower could look like if it was painted with a mural.

Arts Assist is seeking your support to paint a mural on the heritage-listed water tower by voting in the State Government’s Pick My Project grant scheme.

About the project:

• Transform the disused water tower, located at 1 Tower Road, into a giant artwork
• Paint a mural on the concrete surface
• Artwork theme will highlight the tower’s historical significance to the local community and to the development of Werribee and surrounds

• Help make Wyndham a great place to live, work and visit
• Celebrate the important role the tower played in local growth
• Become a significant artistic and tourist landmark

1. Click here to visit the Pick My Project website or click here to visit the Facebook page.
2. Click the “Add to shortlist” button top right corner
3. Register to vote by following the prompts
4. Ensure “Werribee 3030” is selected as the preferred voting location (top right corner)
5. Submit your vote (plus 2 other favourites)

If you can't vote online, you can vote by calling 1800 797 818.

Pictured above - Past RI President Ian Riseley and PDG Juliette Riseley with President Graham Roper.

Werribee Rotary Club celebrated its 50th anniversary in fine style on Saturday 18th August at the Werribee Racecourse Function Centre. The evening was a good mix of fun, fellowship, formality, nostalgia and self-indulgence, all appropriate ingredients to make the night something to enjoy and remember. Guests even had a chance to dance in between meals and speeches.

Some of the highlights of the evening included:

• A speech from Immediate Past Rotary International President Ian Riseley, Australia's 5th Rotary International President.
• Presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow (Diamond) and crystal ornament to Past District Governor Colin Muir for his significant donation to The Rotary Foundation.
• A presentation by President Graham Roper to the club's remaining charter members Past President Tino Ballan and Past District Governor Ian Knight OAM.
• Music from the band Kartoon who got in the spirit of the occasion by dedicating their first bracket of songs to the 1968 era.
• The cutting of a special 50th cake by the more senior members of the club, Tino Ballan, Ian Knight, Tom Lentini, Jeff Garfield, Peter Ross, Roland Wade and President Graham Roper.
• The following video recordings that were shown at various times during the evening (click on the highlighted names to view the video):
  • Charter members, Tino Ballan and Ian Knight, who walked down memory lane and told guests about the formation and early days of the club.
  • Club members, Lyn Fava and Rob Fava, who offered some contemporary thoughts about the club and Rotary.
  • Past Rotary exchange students Graeme Pett (Canada - 1970), Yoko Majima (Japan - 1992) and Simone Barbosa (Brazil - 1998) who fondly recollected their 12 months in Australia and expressed their best wishes to their host club for reaching its major milestone.
  • Chris Ochaya from Uganda and his wife Sarah who thanked the club for its support of their Ugandan community farm and who wished everyone well for the celebrations.

Click here to view some photos of the evening. There will be more photos available in next week's edition of The Bulletin.

Click here if you would like to view or print a copy of the menu.

Special thanks to Lexie Smith, Ann Smith, Micki Hovey, Geoff Smith, Phil Purdy, Ross Smith, Roland Wade, Rob Fava and President Graham for all their hard work to make the function a great success.

LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS FROM RI PRESIDENT

Barry Rassin, the RI President for 2018-19, has sent the club a letter of congratulations for reaching 50 years.

In the letter, he said "Since your club was founded, you have had the opportunity to make a significant difference in our local and global communities. I know that you have devoted your time and effort to your club because you have felt what I have felt since I joined my own club in 1980: a true sense of fellowship and purpose. Your dedication to our organization has made all the difference...."

Click here to read the whole letter.

Thanks to everyone who attended and for making it a function to remember for the next 50 years.

Steve Murphy is the CEO of a not-for-profit charity called Envision. This organisation has paired up with the Rotary Club of Wyndham to deliver the Helping Hands project, which turns recycled plastic bottle caps into prosthetic hands. He said there are 2 1/2 times more bottle caps in the ocean than plastic bags. Animals can choke on the caps.

Steve explained that, by using a $300 3D printer and a handmade machine that turns bottle caps into filament, the team can custom-make a hand that allows the wearer to undertake basic tasks such as picking up a cup or holding a fork.

The team, led by Joe Ferlazzo, is keen to create 100 of these prosthetic limbs for kids in disadvantaged communities throughout Cambodia and other Third World countries – but first, they need people to donate as many plastic bottle caps as they can.

The project is using an $18,000 Wyndham council grant to get schools involved in the project. The aim is to collect 1 million bottle caps.

The team is also seeking funding to allow them to buy a higher-quality 3D printer and other supplies.

Joe, who helped develop the prototype, said it was a cheap, simple concept that could change somebody’s life. He said it took about 500 grams worth of recycled bottle caps, and 40 hours of work, to create one hand.

Steve Murphy said the project also trained and mentored long-term unemployed job seekers.

Click here to see a short video which explains what the Helping Hands project is all about.

Not only does the team produce prosthetic hands but they also produce many other items that aid people with disabilities. Some of these include a device to open tin cans and another to help people open doors easier with their keys.

Joe has even created a robotic toy which attracts much interest from the school kids. Below is a picture of some of the items that have been created from recycled bottle caps.

As a young boy, Brent Allford's father, who was a barrister and an alcoholic, robbed a bank and was jailed for 5 years. This had a profound influence on Brent's life. In his mid-teens, he started drinking. However, he had difficulty in differentiating between having a few drinks and having many drinks. He didn't know when to stop and, as a result, he became a binge drinker. 

The guest speaker at the annual President's Breakfast organised by the Rotary Club of Brighton North will be Immediate Past RI President Ian Riseley.

The breakfast will be at the MCC Members Dining Room on Friday 31st August commencing at 7:15am.

Click here to see more details of the function.

Click here to register.

Due to roadworks in Bulban Road, the normal access to Werribee Racecourse Function Centre for our 50th anniversary dinner is not possible. Cars are only allowed to travel in an easterly direction along Bulban Road. Therefore, we have prepared a couple of maps which will provide you with some directions to the alternative entry point which is Gate 4 in Racecourse Road.

Thanks to Roland Wade and Rob Fava, Gate 4 will be lit up to allow for easier access. Rotary signs will also be placed on the side of the road on various routes to guide you to our destination. SEE YOU THERE!

Click here to view or download the maps.

September is End Polio month and DG Bronwyn would really appreciate our assistance in contributing to the End Polio campaign. 

Her aim is for all members to take a jar of smarties that she supplied during her visit, enjoy them and then refill the jar with $2 coins. When filled with coins, each jar will contain a total of $100. For each $100 donated, it will be matched with a special District Foundation contribution plus a 2-for-1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This will result in over $1000 being donated to the EndPolio Campaign.

Come on, get smart and get your Smarties so that we can put an end to Polio.

In District Governor Bronwyn Stephen's mind, Rotary allows a person to take an idea to help another person, a community or the whole world and for like-minded people to join them to make it happen.

She speaks with great authority about the power of Rotary to realise your dreams of helping others. Several years ago, she identified a need for urgent support for village people in Cambodia who were dying of diseases such as cholera, typhoid and malaria. Inhabitants also suffered from hunger and malnutrition because they lacked the skills to sustain themselves. Bronwyn was instrumental in establishing the World of Difference project within her club which was specifically aimed at establishing better health practices and providing sustainability solutions for these remote villagers. This was an extremely successful campaign.

Her real message is that, if she can do it, you can do it.

Bronwyn was very complimentary in her praise for our club. She cited a few examples of our projects and activities including:

• The High Tea which enabled us to connect with a school and to promote cultural diversity in our community.
• The Uganda project which not only helped to educate Chris Ochaya in farming techniques but is now helping the local Ugandans to support themselves.
• The Rotary Golf Day which is a major fundraiser and enables the club to contribute in a positive way to the Wyndham community.
• The Barking Dogs are a real point of difference which promotes the club and Rotary.

Some of the projects that she would like us to get involved in are:

• Donating funds towards the restoration of Rotary House which is the accommodation component of the Bone Marrow Donor Institute.
• End Polio - Thirteen cases of polio have been detected this year which is a worrying sign. There was even one case in Papua New Guinea. We must keep going until we have total eradication.

• Clubs involving communities in Rotary projects as much as possible. We shouldn't just continue doing things ourselves. Let's open it up to the community.
• Each club chartering a Rotaract Club. This is where the future of Rotary will come from.

Lindsay Cox has been a member of the Salvation Army officer since he was 15. Since 1996, he has been employed as Museum Curator and Archivist. One of his hobbies is creating cartoons about life in the Salvos. Here are a few samples of his work....

His other hobby is writing and talking about the history of the Salvos especially their involvement during war times.

The Salvation Army has been supporting Australia's armed forces during war times for the past 100 years. In the First World War their chaplains tended to the physical and spiritual needs of diggers wherever they were. One example was the chaplain to the First Infantry Brigade, “Fighting Mac” McKenzie, who went ashore with the troops at Gallipoli. In one 3-day period, Fighting Mac conducted 647 funerals and, after one funeral service, he found three bullet-holes in his hat. He was later awarded a Military Cross for his work, an honour virtually unheard of for a military chaplain.

After Gallipoli, they were deployed to France where the famous “Hop In” sign made its first appearance, accompanied by the Red Shield symbol of service. The Hop In centres offered soldiers a cup of tea and a bit of advice or encouragement if they needed it.

As WWII commenced, the Salvation Army went to work, at home and on the battlefield offering home comforts, advice, support and spiritual assistance. The famous Salvation Army ‘Hop in’ tents and canteens were set up in training camps in Australia, in the deserts of North Africa and in the jungles of New Guinea. Where an Australian soldier, sailor or airman served, the Salvos endeavoured to be there too.

The Salvos have also been present during other times of conflict including Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East.

We welcomed our new Assistant Governor Julianne Bartels at our last meeting. As one of District Governor Bronwyn's deputies, Julianne is keen to help resolve any issues that we may have during the year and to roll up her sleeves to support any of our projects.

Here are some of the basic details about Julianne:

• She was born and raised in Werribee.
• Her paternal grandfather worked for the State Research Farm and her maternal grandmother worked as a post-mistress in Werribee South.
• Her father was a school teacher based for may years at Laverton.
• She is very devoted to her family.
• Twenty-five years ago, her husband David established a business which processed infringement notices.
• Julianne is now the owner and principal director of that business.
• She joined the Rotary Club of Melton Valley in 2008 because she wanted to help others less fortunate than her. She also loved the fellowship that Rotary offered.
• One of her pet Rotary projects is Busy Feet, a dance and movement activity for children with intellectual and physical disabilities, aged 6 to16 years. She says it is a fantastic program.
• She is also heavy involved in WERN (Western Emergency Relief Network) which our club is a member of.
• Another project that she supports is End Trachoma which is aiming to eradicate the trachoma eye disease in aboriginal communities. She gets involved by accumulating packs of toiletries and distributing them to needy indigenous communities.
• Several years ago, she became a founding member of the newly-established Rotary Club of Caroline Springs.
• As AG, she will meet with the presidents of the Chirnside Cluster once a month to ensure that the lines of communication are kept open between the four neighbouring clubs.

In the same mould as the movie "ET", Julianne states that, if we have a problem or we need assistance, all we need to do is "phone home".

Julianne will be returning to our club in a couple of weeks when DG Bronwyn pays her official visit.

You are invited to a special tour of the new Critical Care Unit at the Werribee Mercy Hospital on Thursday 26th July commencing at 6:30 pm.

President Graham needs to advise the hospital of numbers by this Friday (20th July). So, if you would like to attend and haven't already indicated your interest, please contact Graham as quickly as possible.

As part of our Club Assembly, the Chairpersons of each committee presented their plans for the year ahead. Here is a summary:

1. Youth (Marty Vaina)
   • Involvement in RYLA.
   • Search for a suitable Summer Science student.
   • Continue with the Apprentice Connect program at McKillop College.
   • Organise another Rock 'n Roll night.
   • Arrange a junior football game between Hoppers Crossing and Werribee Districts Under 18 teams to be played at Chirnside Park to highlight the Beyond Blue program. There have been a number of situations where boys from these clubs have taken their lives. The game is planned to be played on Saturday 11th August as a curtain-raiser to the main Werribee Football Club game.
2. International (Rob Fava)
   • The initial focus for this committee is to assess the practicality of organising a FAIM trip to the Kiribati Islands to build a community structure.
   • There will also be on-going support for our Uganda project.
3. Vocational (Michael Redding)
   • A number of projects are planned with Wyndham Central College including:
     • Mock interviews with 17 students to teach them how to handle job interviews. A number of members of the club who have businesses have vowed to support this program.
     • Year 10 Creative Expression competition. This proved to be successful last year and promises to be bigger and better next year.
     • Investigating the formation of an InterAct Club at the school.
4. Community (Geoff Smith)
   • Continue with the mid-week Bunnings BBQ's.
   • Organise another tree planting day. We would also invite the public to assist.
   • Continue to assist with the Carols by Candlelight, beach clean-up and the school breakfasts.
5. Cultural Fiesta (Lyn Fava)
   • This event will be held in conjunction with Wyndham Central College and is planned to replace last year's High Tea.
   • The aim is to focus on promoting and embracing diversity and will include food and dancing from many different cultures represented at the school.
   • There will also be a focus on making and selling Boomerang Bags. Lyn is asking members and partners to support this by supplying material that can be used to make the bags. If you have any old ties or off-cuts of fabric, sheets or curtains, please bring them to Rotary.
   • The funds from this event will go towards the ROCAN Wellness Centre which is planned for construction in the Riverwalk Estate.

District 9800 has a new website. It now uses ClubRunner which is the same system that we use for our website and Bulletin. ClubRunner is used by over 5,000 clubs and Districts worldwide.

Click here to see the new site.

It has the same look and feel as our website. You can even click on the Member Login icon in the top right-hand corner of the home page to log in to the secure District members area using the same Userid and Password as you use for our website. This will be particularly useful for our club executives to update club and member information.

A smartphone app has also been created for the new website. Click here to download instructions on how to set it up on your phone.

For those who had some difficulty in understanding any of the above, please contact Geoff Smith or Phil Purdy for an explanation.

Jacob Taurins was a Past President of the Rotary Club of Essendon North. His parents, Martin and Diana, are members of the Rotary Club of Gisborne. Last week, Jacob passed away at the age of 50 after a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

Many of our longer-term members and partners would have known Jacob or at least knew of him. If you would like to learn more about Jacob and the significant challenges he had to face since he was diagnosed with the disease in 1989, click here to read an article written by his father late last year.

The theme for this Rotary year is "Be The Inspiration". Jacob and his parents definitely epitomised this theme.

About 8 years ago, our club raised $65,000 for MS by organising three 24-hour Mega Swims. We were blessed to have Jacob attend one of the swims to support our cause.

Werribee Rotary extends its deepest sympathies to Martin, Diana and family for their loss.

At the club's meeting on 3rd July, we bid a sad farewell to our exchange student Andrea Fredskild.

Andrea arrived in Australia 12 months ago as a shy and wide-eyed girl and is now returning to her home in Denmark as a confident young lady. She was a student at Westbourne Grammar where she developed long-lasting friendships with her fellow students. She thanked everyone for their support of her, particularly her Rotary hosts. With their love and caring, she always felt at home and was very grateful to those who took her on trips to many parts of Victoria and Australia. One of her greatest highlights was the trip to Central Australia with her fellow exchange students.

Andrea said that, while she is excited to be returning home to see her family and friends, it is sad to leave. The whole exchange program has been an amazing experience to her. She has great memories of our country which will remain with her for a long time and promised that she would return one day.  She thanked our club for being so supportive.

On behalf of the club, President Graham thanked Andrea for being a part of our club for the past 12 months and wished her every happiness and success in the future.

Click here to see some photos of Andrea during her time in Australia.

Tarneit grandmother Sue Tantaro is doing all she can to support her three grandsons –Anthony, Jakob and Lukas – who were all born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a condition that causes muscle wasting, breathing difficulties and heart problems.

The degenerative disease means by the time the boys are 12, they will lose their ability to walk. In their teens, they’ll lose their upper body function and will eventually become quadriplegics.

Most DMD sufferers usually die from heart or respiratory failure in their early to mid 20s. The condition affects one in 3500 boys and one in 50 million girls.

Sue’s eldest grandson, Anthony, was diagnosed three years ago just shy of his fifth birthday. The family then discovered his condition was hereditary.

By this time, Maree’s sister, Samantha, already had son Jakob, now five, and was heavily pregnant with Lukas, now three. Both boys have since been diagnosed with DMD.

Sue’s other daughter, Logan, is now being tested for the disease-carrying gene. If she is found to have it, Logan will opt to have children through IVF, which can eliminate the risk of her children having DMD.

“I think I’ve cried every day since Anthony was four and 10 months. As a grandparent, I worry about my daughters, who worry about their own children,” Sue said.

Samantha and Maree will eventually have to quit their jobs to be full-time carers for their sons.

The family is keen to raise awareness about early detection of the disease, and will hold a fundraiser next month to go towards the boys’ medical and lifestyle expenses.

Sue estimates that it will cost more than $1 million to care for the boys, who will need wheelchairs, modified cars and houses, and regular physiotherapy, speech therapy and hydrotherapy.

“The government does help, but there’s not unlimited funds,” she said.

“We are working with the charity organisation Save Our Sons. There is hope … you always live in hope.”

Sue is attempting to raise $100,000 to take the boys to Italy to receive a special drug that may benefit them. The drug is available in Australia but it is very expensive because it is not on the PBS. She has raised $35,000.

Click here to view a moving video of the three boys.

It's not too late to join Jason, Therese and Charlotte Daddy and Rob and Lyn Fava at the 39th independence celebrations for the tiny nation of Kiribati.

The celebrations are taking place this Saturday (14th July) at 6pm at the Collingwood Town Hall.

A wonderful evening is planned to celebrate the unique Kiribati culture.

You can expect the following:

• Traditional I-Kiribati Dancing
• Island feast
• Singing
• Dancing
• Hangi style pig 

This is a feast style event in the traditional way of Kiribati, so bring a dish to share at the banquet. BYO alcohol and finger food or snacks for your table.

Cost of entry is only $10.

It should be noted that the International Committees of our club, and a few other local Rotary clubs, are planning to focus on supporting Kiribati this year. The country consists of hundreds of islands in the Pacific Ocean spread over an area larger than the United States. Many of these islands are under threat of disappearing due to an increase in the sea level caused by global warming.

If you would like to attend the celebrations on Saturday please contact Jason Daddy.

The Rotary Club of Flemington has presented our member Lorry Rowe with the club's Vance Hilton Community Leadership Award for 2018. The award is named in honour of Past District Governor Vance Hilton who was a dedicated member of the club.

The award recognises a person who has, through their unwavering dedication to their community, enhanced the lives of people through a project or program which makes a difference.

In presenting the award, President Lesley McCarthy said "Lorry has dedicated her life to helping those in need. Through her daily endeavours at the Fit4Use store, she leads a team of volunteers who collect, sort, display and sell countless items which are donated daily. She also financially supports an orphanage and school in the Philippines which cares for disabled students, and a school in Thailand for girls".

Congratulations Lorry. Well deserved.

Next year's District Conference promises to be much different and much bigger than anything before. It will be a Multi-District Conference consisting of four of the Districts in Victoria. It will be held on 16-17 February 2019 at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

Organisers are working hard to deliver a great conference. There will be many inspiring speakers and a large number of breakout sessions to enable delegates to choose sessions with specific Rotary content. There will aslo be a Youth Forum as well as an Interact/EarlyAct Forum.

Registrations will open on July 1st.

Click here to visit the conference website.

Click here to view an updated flyer of the event.

Click here to register online.

On Saturday 18th August, Werribee Rotary will be celebrating its 50th birthday with a special function at the Werribee Racecourse Function Centre.

The guest speaker will be RI President for 2017-18, Ian Riseley. Many current and past members and their partners will be in attendance to ensure that we celebrate our proud history of providing humanitarian support for our local and international communities.

If you are a past member and have not received an invitation, click here to view the flyer.

If you would like to attend, click here to make a booking.

On Tuesday 26th June, members and guests attended a formal function to see Graham Roper become the 50th President of the club, taking over the reins from Ross Conley.

In his farewell speech, Ross highlighted some of the key successes during his year as President which supported the 2017-18 Rotary theme of Making a Difference. Some of these achievements included:

• Additional support for the Tamarind farm project in Uganda with a donation of a further $5,000 to build a chicken shed.

• The High Tea at Wyndham Central College raised $5,000.

• Providing scholarships to three Wyndham Central College students and apprenticeship awards for three Gordon TAFE students.

• The annual charity golf day raised a record sum of $30,000. This resulted in a donation of $20,000 to the Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of their Critical Care Unit appeal.

• Planting over 700 trees as part of RI President Ian Riseley's challenge for all Rotarians worldwide to make our world more sustainable.

• The breakfast program continued to support young school children.

• The mid-week Bunnings BBQ has been a great success. In total we have raised $12,000 for the year.

• Donation of $74,000 to various projects and community groups.

Ross expressed his gratitude to all for their support of him and the club's projects.

Graham thanked Ross for guiding the club for the past 12 months. He said it will be a challenging year ahead. Not only do we need to celebrate our 50th year in style, in order to acknowledge all past and present members of the club and the fine humanitarian work they have performed over the years, but we also have to build on the momentum of some of our current projects as well as introduce a few new concepts. Some of these include:

• Running a mental health forum.
• Placing strong emphasis on increasing our membership through a positive marketing campaign.
• Refocus on helping the homeless in our community.

In keeping with the new Rotary theme "Be An Inspiration", Graham believes we can all be inspirational to ourselves and to the wider community.

Click here to see some happy snaps of the evening.

Congratulations to the dedicated members of the club and friends of Rotary who, over a 9-year period, participated in five 200km charity walks around Victoria with the aim of raising $200,000 for the Royal Children's Hospital Palliative Care Unit.

A cheque for $202,732 was presented recently at a function hosted by the RCH Foundation to recognise this great achievement and the impact the project has had on the unit and the families they support. Rotarians Lyn, Lou and Mary attended and were, in turn, presented with a torch for our club symbolising the light and support this effort has given to the families caring for children with life-limiting conditions.

Pictured above is a group consisting of some of the walkers and support crew and senior staff of the RCH Palliative Care Unit at the cheque presentation.

Congratulations to all who participated in the walks. Your efforts were greatly appreciated.

The picture below shows club members Mary Macaulay, Ross Conley and Lyn Fava proudly displaying the cheque and the torch.

Congratulations to Lyn Fava for being presented with a Paul Harris Fellow at the club's Changeover evening.

Lyn joined Rotary in 2008 and has been a very active member during her 10-year membership. She was President in 2012-13. Her strong commitment to supporting our community has seen her involved in various projects including providing shelter for the homeless, caring for the aged and promoting social inclusion. She plans to continue this theme.

Emma Sutcliffe and Wolf Graf are very passionate about improving our environment. They introduced us to the Boomerang Bag. The Boomerang Bag is a bag made by volunteers from scrap fabric (old curtains, sheets, etc) that can be picked up at a shop, used and then brought back for the next person to use. 

The concept was started by two women in Queensland five years ago. It was picked up in our local area by a group of Year-9 school students who wanted do do something to reduce the amount of plastic bags that we use. Their year-long project initially delivered 30 bags to the Little River General Store. Since then, over 200 bags have boomeranged throughout the Little River community.

Many public workshops have been run which has resulted in the production of over 700 bags from over 100 kgs of fabric which would have otherwise been sent to the tip as landfill.

The fabric is sourced from various places including the Fit4Use store where Lorry Rowe has generously donated many rolls of material which have been made into handles, pockets and bags.

From its simple beginnings, Boomerang Bags now has 745 groups established worldwide. This has resulted in 250,000 bags being made from 62,000 kgs of fabric.

The aim is get people to share, think, replace, reuse and to change their habits of using plastic. Plastic pollution is at crisis levels all around the world. Emma and Wolf say that it is time to stop making and using single-use plastic items such as straws, coffee cups, shopping bags and water bottles which have such a profound and long-standing detrimental effect on our world. Boomerang Bags will assist in reversing the plastic trend.

Three Year-10 students from Hoppers Crossing Secondary College and their teacher, Alan Harkness, attended our meeting last Tuesday to tell us all about the Science and Engineering Challenge conducted by Deakin University in April. Werribee Rotary sponsored the students by paying for the hire of a bus to the venue in Geelong. Other Rotary clubs sponsored other schools in this program.

A team of about 15 students from the school competed against other students from schools in and around Geelong. They were required to perform a number of experiments. We heard from Jayden who worked with a team to build a catapult which was required to fire a tennis ball towards a target. Justine worked on a water turbine project as well as a stringways experiment. Dhruv also worked on two projects, one was called Clutching at Straws and the other was ElectraCITY. They all enjoyed the experience and agreed that it benefited them because it encouraged creativity, problem solving, teamwork and innovative thinking. It also gave them an insight into some of the possible opportunities in a science or engineering career. 

All presenters expressed their gratitude to the club for sponsoring them to be part of the challenge.

Registrations will be closing soon for our 50th anniversary celebration dinner on Saturday 18th August at the Werribee Racecourse Function Centre.

For catering purposes, we are encouraging you to book now before it's too late.

Our guest speaker will be Ian Riseley who has just completed his year as RI President.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the great rock 'n roll band Kartoon.

Click here to book on-line.

Matt Maudlin has been involved for many years in improving the live of the homeless. Until last year, he was CEO of Servants Community Housing in Hawthorn which provides affordable accommodation for people without the means to provide a shelter for themselves. The facility is supported by a number of Rotary clubs in the area. Matt was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of North Balwyn for his services to the community.

In 2017, Matt left Servants. He is currently working to support a number of different humanitarian causes including anti-human trafficking. However, his heart still lies with the homeless. And he's determined to do something about it.

Recent statistics indicate that there are 116,000 homeless people in Australia. There are three different levels of homelessness:

• Primary - People living on the street or squatting.
• Secondary - People who move around from one home to another, usually at friends places.
• Tertiary - People living in boarding houses and caravan parks.

Matt has decided to establish a concept known as Purple Cloak.

Peter Fenwick says that leaders in sport, politics, religion, academia, business, public service, media and the trade unions often abuse positions of trust.

Peter thinks we have lost the belief that we can do things ourselves. We live with the notion that, if we can't afford some desired service, it should be provided by the government. It is perceived as having an inexhaustible supply of funds. The result is rising debt, unsound money, poor investment decisions and unfair burdens on the productive, the thrifty and the young.

To reverse this trend, Peter says we must take more responsibility for ourselves and not force others to provide for our every need. The solution, according to Peter, is subsidiarity.

Subsidiarity relates to the principle of devolving decision making to the lowest practical level.  This means that employees are trusted to manage their own time and make their own decisions (always with the option of seeking advice).  This principle allows staff to grow and feel empowered, rather than never daring to try anything.

Last Sunday, Bronwyn Stephens from the Rotary Club of Melbourne South was inducted as our District Governor for 2018-19. She will be the fourth female to hold the position.

Bronwyn joined Rotary in 2008 and has been a dedicated Rotarian since then.

To Bronwyn, Rotary’s new vision statement resonates. ‘Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, across the globe in our communities and in ourselves.’

Bronwyn visited Bosala in Cambodia in 2012 after it was devastated by outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, dengue and pneumonia. She immediately moved into action by organising for the village to receive aid with food, clean drinking water and emergency medical treatment. This led to the establishment of the 'World of Difference' program and one that continues to be very dear to her heart.

Bronwyn will make an official visit to our club on 31st July.

On Sunday afternoon, at the District Changeover, PDG Ian Knight OAM was presented with a Polio Plus Pioneer award.

This is a prestigious award that is presented annually to only a handful of Rotarians worldwide. In 1987-88, when Ian was District Governor, Rotary introduced the Polio Plus campaign. At the time, 350,000 cases of polio were being reported globally.

Thanks to Ian's efforts as DG in promoting the campaign in the District and in raising significant funds, there are now only a few cases reported. Not only did he work hard during his year, he has continued to promote the campaign for the past 30 years through his various District roles including as District Foundation Chair.

Congratulations Ian.

Click here to read Ian's acceptance speech.

Incoming President Graham Roper has advised that our club changeover will be held at Jacksons on K restaurant on Tuesday 26th June. 

The cost is $50 per person which includes canapes and a 2-course meal. Drinks are at bar prices.

Pre-payment by EFT is preferred. Bank account: 158445270. BSB: 633-000.

Click here to view or download the invitation.

The 2018 Camberwell Art Show is held from 6-15 July at the Swinburne University Advanced Technologies Centre, 427 Burwood Road, Hawthorn.

The Art Show is celebrating 53 years as Australia’s finest community art events for established and emerging artists with the focus on quality art. See 1350 paintings exhibited from Australia's finest artists.

Rotarians have been invited to attend Club Fellowship evenings at the show.

To visit the Camberwell Art Show website click here.

On Saturday 23rd June, you will be treated to a wonderful night of 70's music at the RoCan Gala Night to be held at the Lakeside Convention Centre in Taylors Lakes.

The cost of a ticket is $150 and all funds raised will be allocated to the Cancer Wellness and Accommodation Centre which is planned to be built in Werribee.

The MC is former TV presenter John Deeks and entertainment will be supplied by a variety of performers including Donnie Sutherland, John St. Peters, Ray Burgess and Andrew McSwain's 20-piece big band.

Click here to learn more about the function and to understand why you should support this wonderful cause.

Please call Yvonne (0407 303 255) or Gina (0419 396 979) to reserve your place.

The Rotary Club of Laverton Point Cook is holding its second Red Tie Gala evening on Saturday June 16th to help raise funds to eradicate trachoma in Australia by 2020.

The event will be held at Windmill Gardens Reception Centre, 533-539 Leakes Rd, Plumpton. Tickets are $100 per person.

This is a formal evening and you are asked to wear a red tie or scarf and a masquerade mask.

Click here to book tickets for the function.

Here is a picture of John Micallef presenting President Ross with a certificate of thanks from the local constabulary for our support and sponsorship of the group of police officers who participated in the 2018 Oxfam Trailwalker in March this year.

The trail is 100km long and runs across some of the hilliest terrain in the Dandenongs. The group were known as the Wyndham Warriors. There is no record of how they performed on the day. Maybe they are still walking. The event raised $2,500,000 for Oxfam.

Mark Thomas joined the police force in 1996. For the first 7 years, he performed in a number of different roles. He was regularly exposed to deceased cases including drug overdoses and car accidents. He was not psychologically affected by the various traumatic sights he witnessed. He had been taught at the academy to handle such situations. However, in 2003, he attended a disturbing suicide case which had a huge impact on him. But he did nothing about it. He ignored the early signs that he was suffering some form of breakdown.

Mark's condition slowly worsened over the next 10 years. The suicide incident was always clear and vivid in his mind and he would keep reliving the events of that night. He had difficulty sleeping and would wake most mornings with no energy or enthusiasm. But he kept everything bottled up. He sought no professional advice or assistance. He thought the problem would disappear.

However, he reached a point where he was suffering from what he described as a catastrophic loss of self. In short, he was a mental wreck. His condition deteriorated to the point where he became hospitalised. He had an overwhelming sense of depression and anxiety which left him feeling entirely alone and unable to cope. Finally, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

As Mark recovered with help from specialists and medication, he wondered if he was the only one who suffered from PTSD as a result of a work-related trauma. He discovered that he wasn't alone. He linked up with a couple of fellow police officers who were in a similar situation. Ben had been one of the first on the scene at the major crash inside the Burnley Tunnel and Stuart had witnessed all the trauma of the Black Saturday bushfires. As part of their rehabilitation, they decided to do something about it. They created a support group and developed a Facebook page which very soon attracted many followers. In fact, the group has grown to 2,000 people comprising all emergency services personnel. The group is called Code 9 which is a call sign meaning "police in trouble". Victims are invited to regular group therapy sessions to discuss their issues and to receive advice on how to deal with the problem.

With the help of members from the Rotary Club of Yarraville, Mark has now set Code 9 up as a registered charity. The aim is to raise funds for emergency personnel who are suffering from PTSD. The funds will be used to buy and train Labrador dogs to become assistant dogs for those who are afflicted with mental stress problems.

Click here to view the Code 9 Facebook page.

Forty members and guests attended last week's meeting at the new facilities at the Werribee Football Club. Prior to conducting a tour of the building, club director, Ian Hovey, provided a brief overview of the redevelopment project.

Some of the facts included:

• Council was first lobbied by WFC in 2008 to consider replacing the old building. This request was declined although it did result in various upgrades to the oval area including floodlights and behind-the-goal nets.

• After more intense lobbying over the next 5-6 years to Council and State and Federal Governments, an architect was finally appointed to draw up plans.

• During 2014 and 2015, a total of $11.75 million was pledged by a number of different parties for the construction of a new building:

  • Werribee Football Club $1 million
  • Wyndham Council $5.5 million
  • Federal Government $3.5 million
  • State Government $1.25 million
  • AFL $250,000

  • AFL Victoria $250,000

• Demolition was completed in November 2016.

• Construction commenced in early 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017. Unfortunately, it took a further 3 months before the club was able to take occupancy.

• At the time of occupancy, there were still in excess of 1000 defects identified that are slowly being rectified.

• The building consists of the following features:

  • Five change rooms allowing for consecutive games to be played on the one day. One or both of these games could be women's games
  • The home change room includes a gymnasium, warm-up area, coaches briefing room, medical room, massage room, recovery room and locker room.
  • A 180-seat function room upstairs that can be divided into two smaller rooms.
  • A 500-seat undercover outdoor area for spectators.
  • Many upstairs viewing rooms for coaches, statisticians, umpires advisors, timekeepers and the media.

  • An office area for administration staff.

• The building has now been regarded by AFL Victoria as a first-class football facility and, as a result, will become a venue for some of the best competitions for both men and women.

Click here to see a few photos of the evening.

The Western Emergency Relief Network (WERN) appears to be going from strength to strength.

WERN provides emergency relief and assistance through supplying good quality second hand furniture, electronic  and white goods, to people in need due to homelessness or mental health, family violence, refugee, fire or flood situations.

The people assisted are those who have been identified to have an urgent need for material aid as a result of experiencing trauma or loss, where they have a need to move or perhaps cannot afford basic living requirements, where they are struggling to buy essentials such as furniture and other household goods.

Many Rotary Clubs in the western suburbs, including Werribee, are member affiliates of WERN and provide invaluable assistance in a variety of ways including the collection, assessment, repair and cleaning of donated goods. WERN facilitates the supply of all appropriate items to be available to individuals and families in need through our network of Member Welfare Agencies.

WERN has helped 825 families since commencement. Here are some more impressive facts:

• Over $515,000 worth of goods have been donated;
• Almost 15,500 items provided to families in need;
• 6,800 Volunteer Hours provided; 
• Around 650 collections completed.

Click here to view a more detailed assessment of WERN's success. 

Guest speaker, Terry Moroney, a member of the Rotary Club of Albert Park, arrived at our meeting looking like a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Yasser Arafat.

He was in fact donning the normal headwear worn by men in Saudi Arabia. He spent 5 years there working for a German telecommunications company in the 90's. He was originally contracted for 18 months but the contract kept getting extended.

Terry proceeded to give us a warts-and-all overview of life and culture in the Middle East. It would be fair to say that it wasn't all fair sailing and, based on some of his stories, it would seem he was lucky to return to Australia in a vertical position.

Some of the facts about Saudi Arabia are:

• It is officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• It is ruled by King Salman, who has handed control over to his son, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman who has started to introduce some radical changes to the country.

• It's population is 33 million. Of these, 8 million people are non-nationals from countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

• Terry was based in Riyadh, the capital. There are many roundabouts with water fountains.

• It is not uncommon to see 12-lane highways with many under and over passes.

• The streets are mainly the domain of men. Women tend to stay indoors.

• Alcohol is illegal. Supermarkets can sell non-alcoholic beer. However, it's amazing what can be done when you add yeast and sugar. The same goes for white and red grape juice.

• There is a public place in Riyadh called Chop Chop Square. This is where people found guilty of murder have their heads chopped off and thieves have their hands cut off. Terry never felt the need to pay a visit to this place.

• Expatriates, like Terry, lived in compounds. He lived in a 3-bedroom house.

• You take your life in your hands if you drive in Saudi Arabia because the quality of driving is atrocious.

The Rotarian Action Group for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness (RAGMSA) is organising the 2018 Global MS Lunch on Sunday 27th May.

The details of this important function are:

• Location: Highfield Estate, 330 Barringa Road, New Gisborne
• Time: 1pm for 1:30pm
• Cost: $50 per person which covers a 2-course lunch, tea, coffee and a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival
• Drinks: At bar prices

• Guest Speakers:

  • Prof Trevor Kilpatrick (MS Research Status)
  • Amanda Wendt (My Rotary)

  • Amanda Campbell (Living with MS)

There will also be entertainment, an auction, door prizes and a raffle.

If you would like to go, please RSVP by 22nd May to Diana Taurins on 0419 564 389 or email taurins3@vegas.com.au

WEAR SOMETHING RED in support of MS.

Faye Juetz has been a member of Zonta International for 29 years. She belongs to the Melbourne West club which has about 14 members.

Zonta was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1919. They will be celebrating their centenary next year at the international convention in Brisbane. Faye's club was chartered in 1981. They were initially based in Footscray but have since moved around a bit to other suburbs including Williamstown and Yarraville. They are now based in Altona but are currently looking for another home.

Like Rotary, Zonta's common goal is to provide service to local and international communities. But they focus on supporting women. Their theme is "Empowering Women Through Service and Advocacy". Their vision is a world where women's rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential.

Some of their key projects are:

• Assembling birthing kits for women in developing countries.
• Making Breast Cushions which are crescent shaped pillows designed for protection and comfort after breast surgery.

• Victoria Police workshops which challenge perceptions regarding family violence.
• Assisting refugee women who settle in the Wyndham region.
• Establishing a Wyndham "Coffee n Chat" group for conversational English.
• "You the Man" theatre-based education program to raise awareness of dating violence and bystander intervention.
• Supporting the defibulation program at the Royal Women's Hospital which treats female genital cutting.
• An international women's day walk as part of "Zonta Says No" campaign.

On Tuesday May 15th, our Rotary meeting will be held at Chirnsides by the River function room which is part of the recently-completed Werribee Football Club facility.

There will be a walk-through of the new building during the meeting.

The cost will be $32 per person. Partners are welcome to attend.

If you haven't already indicated your intention to attend or not, please let President Ross know as soon as possible.

On Sunday 29th April, a large contingent of Werribee Rotarians and family members rolled up to a location in Heaths Road, Werribee with shovels and hammers to plant 750 trees. This was part of Rotary International's challenge to plant 1.2 million trees by Earth Day.

The challenge was for all Rotary clubs around the world to plant one tree for every member. Werribee Rotary decided to do better than that and plant a tree for every year of service of all members in the club. The club has 36 members with a total of 750 years of service. Therefore, the aim was to plant 750 trees and, after much back-breaking work, the goal was achieved in 3 hours. A fantastic team effort by everyone.

Chief organisers Jason Daddy and Kathryn Williams deserve credit for planning such a great day. But every participant should be very proud of their contribution to greening the world.

Click here to see photos of the day.

Peter Copp is the Executive Director of the Werribee Mercy Health Foundation and he was at our meeting to receive a cheque for $20,000 from President Ross.

Peter thanked us for the very generous donation which was made possible through funds raised at our Golf Day. The foundation target was $2 million and, with only several months to go, approximately $1.5 million has been raised. Peter is confident that, with a bit more publicity and promotion, they will reach their goal.

He said the funds will now make critical care in Wyndham possible. He cited a recent incident where, after giving birth in the birthing ward at the hospital, a woman fell gravely ill. The only available hospital with a vacant critical care bed was in Frankston where she stayed for 5 days before returning home to be with her new-born child and her family. In the future, this situation will not happen.

Peter explained that the new building is nearly finished. Here is an image of what it will look like.

Our guest speaker, Dr Murray Verso, told us that trachoma is a contagious bacterial eye disease. It is caused by a lack of sanitation and personal hygiene. Repeated incidences of the disease can lead to blindness.

Australia is the world's only developed country affected by trachoma. It is prevalent in remote Aboriginal communities mainly because children do not clean their faces.

Ophthalmologist and former Rotary Scholar, Lien Trinh, initiated a program after discovering the high incidence of trachoma in outback Australia. Every Rotary District in Australia has now formed a special group to raise awareness and funds and to implement actions to eradicate trachoma by 2020. Murray is a member of the District 9800 group.

A number of projects are already in place to ensure that children in affected communities keep their faces clean. Some of these projects are:

• Providing every home in remote communities with at least one acrylic mirror which is designed to facilitate pride in one's self and to highlight hygiene issues.

• Provide every child at school with their own face washer. The usual practice is to share face washers and towels.

• Run soap-making workshops so that people can make their own soap for their household.

• Provide hand-operated washing machines to allow families to wash their clothes.

• Donating funds towards the upkeep of community pools to ensure they are clean and safe from disease.

Murray explained that our club could help in various ways:

• Make a donation for the purchase of mirrors, soaps or hand-operated washing machines.

• Raise the profile of projects within the club and locally.

He said we could even come up with our own ideas about how to support the objective.

By achieving the goal of ending trachoma by 2020, it will coincide with a major event - the centenary of Rotary in Australia.

Click here to view a video about trachoma in Australia.

Click here to visit the End Trachoma by 2020 Facebook page.

Despite the less-than-expected numbers at the Rock 'n Roll night, organiser Marty Vaina said the night was still an enjoyable evening.

The music was great, the dance floor was full and the food and drink were in ample supply. To Marty and others this was a measure of the success of the function. Plans are already underway to make the next R&R night bigger and better.

Well done to the organisers, in particular the brains behind the event, Marty Vaina, for putting in the effort to try something different.

Our club will donate $3,750 towards a relief fund that was set up to support those severely affected by the recent bush fires in Western Victoria and Southern NSW. In Victoria, 18 homes were lost and 40,000 hectares of land was burnt while, in NSW, 65 homes were lost in the Bega area.

The money to be donated will come from funds we received from the Fit4Use store in 2017.

The Rotary Club of Hoppers Crossing is holding "STYLE ME AUTUMN" fashion show on Tuesday 17th April from 6:30pm to 9:30pm to raise funds for the Werribee Mercy Hospital Critical Care Unit.

The event will be held at the Park Hotel in Watton St, Werribee. The cost of this function is $40 which includes finger food. Drinks can be purchased at bar prices.

Tickets can be purchased online through TryBooking.

You are invited to join District Governor Peter Frueh and Anne and District Governor Elect Bronwyn Stephens and Mark for the District 9800 Changeover lunch at “The International” in Brighton on Sunday 3rd June.  

This year the Changeover will be celebrating our District and all that we have achieved together – Rotarians and Clubs, with assistance and support from the District Leadership Team. 

There will be fun, special projects and Rotarians honoured.

Entertainment will be supplied by our own sensational “Barking Dogs” with Sue Foley. So bring your dancing shoes.

Dress to impress but don’t feel the need to be uncomfortable.

In true Rotary style, there will be funding opportunities for two projects of $1,000 each. Submit a short, informal project plan, register a table of 10 before May 18th and be ready to claim the prize and announce the project to all our District Rotary friends. You could even gain support from other Clubs and possibly receive a Foundation District Grant.

Click here to view a flyer of the event.

Book now at www.trybooking.com/367423

  

Here is a sample of the many pieces of artwork that will feature in an art exhibition at the Events Centre from 18-24 April.

Our guest speaker was Christine Harrison who is the General Manager of the Dax Centre which houses a unique collection of artwork called the Cunningham Dax Art Collection. 

The Cunningham Dax Collection consists of more than 15,000 artworks created by people who have experienced mental illness or psychological trauma.  The Collection includes works on paper and canvas, photographs, textiles, sculptures, installations, artists’ books and diaries, digital media and films.

The Collection is named after its founder Dr Eric Cunningham Dax (1908 – 2008).

Dr. Dax was an English psychiatrist who moved to Melbourne when he was appointed as the Chairman of the Mental Hygiene Authority in 1952.  In this role, Dr. Dax made many positive changes to Victoria’s mental health services.  One such change was to introduce an art therapy program into Victorian psychiatric hospitals.

Victoria’s psychiatric hospitals began to be closed down in the 1980's and the thousands of artworks that had been created in the art therapy programs may have been destroyed.  However, Dr. Dax believed that these were very valuable as educative tools.  So he salvaged around 8000 of these works, which is how the Cunningham Dax Collection began.

In the early 2000's, the Collection expanded to include artworks made by people who have experienced trauma.  This expansion led to a number of group donations, including the Childhood Trauma Collection, the Holocaust Collection, the Tsunami Collection and the Bushfire Collection.

The Cunningham Dax Collection is the only one of its type and size in Australia and only one of three such collections in the world.

It was decided to bring the collection to Wyndham because they have very few visitors from the west to their centre in Carlton and there are many people afflicted with mental health issues in our community who might benefit from seeing the exhibition and participating in the workshops.

Click here to see a video about the Dax Centre.

Click here to see details of the Giving Voice Exhibition at the Events Centre.

The Rotary in Action event, to be held at the Encore Events Centre this Sunday (6th May) from 10AM to 12PM, is a joint initiative between the four Rotary clubs in the Chirnside Cluster. Attendees will hear about how Rotary is taking action to make a positive difference in supporting communities around the world and in Wyndham.

Numbers are a bit light on so it would be great if you could support the hard-working team of organisers.

Click here to register. The cost is only $25 per person.

Click here to visit the Rotary in Action Wyndham 2018 Facebook page.

Click here to view a flyer of the event.

Pictured above is President Ross and Ian Knight presenting a cheque for $4,000 to Dennis Shore who is the Chair of the District 9800 Foundation Committee. Every year the club, and many other clubs in the District, donate to the Foundation.

Dennis believes the Foundation is magic. He explained that Rotary Foundation grants perform magical projects and programs to make people's lives better.

The Foundation's mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, peace and goodwill through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.

Rotary Foundation focuses on six key areas of support:

1. Disease Prevention and Treatment - PolioPlus has been the Foundation's cornerstone project for the last 30 years. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio. Thanks to the Foundation, the number of cases so far this year has been reduced to 5. Therefore, children are still at risk until we eliminate the disease entirely. However, disease prevention is not just all about polio. A more recent project that involves 14 Australian Districts and 13 clubs in our own District is to eliminate malaria in Timor Leste.

2. Peace and Conflict Prevention and Resolution - up to 100 fellows a year train at 6 Rotary Peace Centres around the world to become the next generation of peacemakers. There are 3 Australians who are involved in this program in 2018.

3. Basic Education and Literacy - this program enables Rotarians to provide technology, teacher training, vocational training teams and text books to underprivileged communities. Some of the projects that our clubs are involved in include a 3-year teacher training program in Nepal and equal education for blind students in Istanbul.

4. Water and Sanitation - Werribee Rotary has been the recipient of Foundation funding to help build a new bore water system in Uganda. There are many other examples of this around the world.

5. Economic and Community Grants

6. Maternal and Child Health

Dennis explained that, while the Foundation is a wonderful source of funding for many worthy projects, we need to "feed the giving tree" to ensure that it continues to provide on-going support. The Rotary Foundation is the only charity organisation that has had a 100% rating for the last 10 years. It is rated as the best charity organisation in the world. This can only continue if clubs and individuals are prepared to regularly fund it.

President Ross congratulated Phil Purdy for completing another on-to-conference bike ride in aid of ROCAN. He also thanked members of the support crew Barb Purdy and Geoff and Lexie Smith who worked tirelessly during the 7-day ride to ensure the riders were well nourished.

As a way of expressing the club's thanks, Ross presented Phil with a cheque for $1,500 which will go towards ROCAN.

David Abbey (pictured right) gave a short talk on the history and importance of the scholarship named after his father, Past RI President Royce Abbey and his mother Jean Abbey. The idea of the scholarship was formulated in 1989, the year after Royce's year as President. It is designed to support and fund selected people from under-developed nations to come to Australia to learn more about their vocation with a view to utilising their new-found knowledge back in their country. Our very own Chris Ochaya from Uganda was a recipient of this scholarship.

David also talked about the Royce Abbey Award which is given to Rotarians who have shown a strong commitment to helping the scholarship recipients. If a club wishes to nominate someone for the award, they pay $1,000 towards to the Scholarship Fund. Since its inception, there have been 327 awards presented which has amounted to $327,000 being given to the fund. Recently, our current RI President, Ian Riseley, was presented with a Royce Abbey Award.

David thanked our club for taking on the very large responsibility of hosting Chris. He believes that this was one of the most successful scholarship projects. He advised that Werribee Rotary recently contributed $1,000 to the fund and, in parallel with that, had nominated Brian Ahmed to receive the Royce Abbey Award for his dedication in supporting Chris during his 3-month stay in Victoria.

Brian expressed his thanks for this recognition but was quick to point out that he was helped by other Rotarians and many agricultural businesses that hosted Chris and taught him some invaluable farming lessons.

The District Conference in Warrnambool last weekend was attended by about 700 delegates who were entertained and enlightened over the two-day event. Some of the more memorable moments of the conference included:

• A Friday-night cocktail function at the Flagstaff Hill Historic Museum.
• Our club dinner, also on the Friday night.
• A range of informative, emotional and inspiring guest speakers, the best of whom were Michael Crossland, Sheree Marris and Sonja Dawson.
• A Conference dinner at the Emmanuel College Basketball Stadium on a very warm and slightly uncomfortable Saturday night.

• Donations in Kind
• Boroondara Cares
• Bendigo Youth Choir
• Pledge To Plant
• Interplast

The Rotary Club of Caroline Springs is hosting an afternoon tea on Sunday 6th May where you will hear from western suburbs identity, Les Twentyman.

With many years of experience behind him, Les will be talking about the problems that our youth in the west are facing. Many of the young people he comes in touch with are exposed to poverty, abuse, violence, discrimination and isolation. It's his wish and determination to achieve a positive future that is free from these challenges.

If you would like to attend this function, click here to view the details.

Our last meeting was dedicated to learning all about food safety. Our instructor was Gavin Bucket (not pronounced Bouquet) who delivered a Food Safety for Dummies course which focused on making everyone aware of the risks associated with food hygiene.

Some of the messages included:

• Bacteria is a micro-organism. There are a diverse variety of bacteria but only a small number are harmful.
• Bacteria can be spread to humans through other humans, animals, soil or water.
• You can't always tell if the food you are preparing or eating has been contaminated with food poisoning bacteria.
• That's why food storage, personal hygiene, preparation and transportation of food is so important. If the food is contaminated, you cannot always tell.
• Bacteria flourishes under the following conditions:
  • Moisture
  • Air
  • Time
  • Temperature
• Some of the main causes of food poisoning are:
  • Food prepared too far in advance
  • Cooling food too slowly
  • Not reheating food to high enough temperature
  • Cooked food contaminated with bacteria
  • Under cooking
  • Inadequate thawing
  • Cross-contamination
  • Storing hot food below 60 degrees
  • Infected food handlers
  • Using left-overs
• The most potentially hazardous food groups are:
  • Products high in protein e.g. raw/cooked meat
  • Seafood e.g. raw/cooked fish or shelfish
  • Poultry e.g. raw/cooked chicken, duck
  • Dairy products e.g. milk, cream cheese, ice-cream
  • Eggs e.g. raw eggs, cooked eggs in salads
  • Carbohydrates e.g. rice, pasta
• To minimise the risk of introducing bacteria to food, you should:
  • Always wash your hands and use gloves
  • Wear appropriate clothing
  • Have clean linen and laundry

1. Our mid-week Bunnings BBQ last week realised a good profit of $1,100. Well done to everyone who assisted.

2. The next mid-week BBQ at Bunnings is on Thursday 17th May, followed by another one on 14th June. As usual, we will be seeking assistance from members and Friends of Rotary. Please email Jason Daddy if you can help.

3. We now have sufficient numbers to cook sausages at the Werribee Mansion Fun Run this Sunday from 8:30-11:30am. The event is in aid of the Leukemia Foundation and our very own Kathryn Williams will be participating. So, while your services may not be required for the BBQ, you are encouraged to come along to cheer Kathryn on.

Here's a picture of a few of our privileged members enjoying each others company in the Grand Ballroom at Government House. They were part of a group of 700 Rotarians invited by the Governor, Linda Dessau, to meet and hear Ian Riseley, our current RI President.

One would assume that the free beer, wine, canapes and fresh scones would have soothed their somewhat awkward appearance in formal attire. It's been a while since we've seen these guys in a suit and tie.

Footy is back!

And we would love to have you on board for the footy tipping comp. The cost to join is only $50 and you could win a heap at the end of the season if you are a smart (or lucky) tipster.

Click here to register in the Werribee Rotary competition. If you have any problems signing in, give President Ross a call.

But you need to be quick because the first game starts next Thursday night (22nd March).

Pictured above are Phil Purdy, Denis O'Brien and Lexie Smith who were preparing for the ROCAN bike ride to the District conference in Warrnambool. The group of riders and support crew set off last Saturday morning. They are now 5 days into the ride with only 2 days left before they reach their destination. At last report, they were in Halls Gap on Wednesday evening and everyone was still in one piece.

Click here to see some great photos of the ride.

Since its opening, the Fit4Use store has gone from strength to strength. Their current hours of operation are Mon-Sat 10-4pm

The Rotary Club of Flemington is looking to extend these hours. Their options are:

• Thurs and Friday, 4-8pm

• Sunday, 10-4pm

Their preference is Sunday with a 50:50 sales split between Flemington and Werribee.

Two people will be required on each shift.

We are looking for any members, partners or Friends of Rotary who are interested in helping out as a volunteer.

We will also require a coordinator to manage the volunteers on an ongoing basis. This coordinator will be the main liaison between the Flemington and Werribee Rotary clubs.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or taking on the coordinator role, please contact Ross Conley by Friday 23^rd March.

You only have a few days left to place your order for hot cross buns from Adrian Burt's Baker's Delight store in Hoppers Crossing.

Werribee Rotary will make $2.00 from every pack of 6 sold. This is a chance for us to raise some much-needed funds for the club and, at the same time, to enjoy the taste of the fresh buns.

Click here to download the order form. Send it to your family , friends & children.

Don't forget, the forms need to be back by Tuesday meeting on 20/3/2018 at the latest.

Adrian will bring the buns to our club meeting on Tuesday 27/03/2018 for pickup.

While this is only an animated image of Phil Purdy, it is a good indication of the speed that he rides when he's cycling on the road. And he will be on the road again this Saturday on the annual ROCAN ride which is a 7-day journey to the District Conference in Warrnambool with a group of other riders....most of whom ride a bit faster than this!

But it's not a race. They are riding in support of ROCAN which is a not-for-profit organisation set up to help fund research into ovarian cancer. This will be their 9th or 10th ride-to-conference and, in that time, they have raised over $500,000 which is a staggering amount of money.

Phil heads off this Saturday at 7am from Riverwalk Village Park in Newmarket Road, Werribee. He would be very grateful if some of our members could be there to see him and his mates off. Part of the support crew, as always, will be Barb Purdy and Geoff and Lexie Smith. Safe travels to everyone.

We all headed to the Werribee Bowling Club on Tuesday evening for a BBQ and a spot of lawn bowls. And it proved to be a fun night.

It was fairly obvious that not too many people understood the concept of a biased bowl because some bowls ended up three rinks from where they started. Phil Purdy and Jeff Garfield were the main offenders. Others put too much effort into their stroke and the bowl subsequently ended up in the gutter. Was that you Jason Daddy? Regardless of the result, it was good to see most attendees have a go at it.

And it was back to old times when Tino Ballan took control of the BBQ. As is Tino's way, the meat was cooked to perfection. And we were grateful to Robyn for supplying all the salads - they were the best. Special thanks to the Vocational team led by Michael Redding for organising a great casual evening.

Click here to see some happy snaps of the night.

Del King is currently District Community Service Chair, a former GSE Team Leader several years ago and a Past President of the Rotary Club of Flemington.  She has also served on the District Youth Exchange Team, has hosted numerous students and has spoken on many panels on her GSE experiences.  

For those who may know, or know of, Del, she is currently in a critical condition in Royal Melbourne Hospital with a deterioration of the illness which has plagued her for the last five years.

She was admitted to ICU last Saturday and her condition has deteriorated with multiple organ failure.  She is currently on life support, dialysis and being treated by a number of specialists.  

Her son has returned home from his Youth Exchange in Germany to be with his family.

Del has impacted on so many lives in her work as a police officer, hiking Kokoda twice with students from the Flemington area, GSE to India, her work on Youth Exchange and standing up for disadvantage everywhere.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family at this time.

Our joint guest speakers, Naomi Geenwood and Peng Eng, have been making a real difference to the lives of disabled children and their families in central Vietnam for the past 4 years.

The population of Vietnam is 91 million. One million children have a disability. 70% of disabled children do not have access to school. Further, 1.5 million kids are orphaned.

The Kianh Foundation is a grass-roots UK-registered charity founded in 2001 by Jackie Wrafter and her friend Jacci Bulman to address the desperate need for improved care and development for children with disability living around the Hoi An area of central Vietnam.

Their vision is to provide access to good education and health services for every disabled child in Central Vietnam. Their mission is to provide holistic and integrated multi-disciplinary services for disabled children, their families and the communities living in Central Vietnam.

Naomi and Peng spend considerable time at the centre. Naomi is an Occupational Therapist and Peng is a Special Education Trainer. Their main aim is to train the staff in rehabilitation techniques and educational programs for disabled children. Many of these staff are now at a level where they not only support the children in the centre but also provide their own training to carers in other centres.

Naomi and Peng believe that all individuals have abilities and that, given appropriate opportunities, they can be enabled to learn.

The Kianh Centre is located in Dien Ban which is a predominantly farming area in central Vietnam. The centre comprises one therapy room, 5 classrooms and a kitchen and mess hall. In 2012, there were 24 students ranging in age from 5 to 13. Now there are 101 students from 1 to 18 years in age. There are 120 children on the waiting list. Many of them suffer from cerebral palsy.

The centre is now seeking funding in order to expand the size of the facility. They are asking people to contribute to the cause by sponsoring a child or a staff member.

Pictured above is the latest construction built by Chris Ochaya and his friends at the Tamarind Farm in Uganda. You will recall that Chris was in Australia last year as a Royce and Jean Abbey Scholarship recipient to learn farming techniques.

His previous project was the erection of a water tank stand and a pump house which is now functioning well and supplying fresh water for the local communities and for the farm.

The new building is a goat shed. When Chris was in Australia he learnt some valuable lessons about how goats should be protected and housed. Part of the erection includes a raised section where the animals can rest without wallowing in their own waste. The goats will be a very useful food source and will provide both milk and meat for the community. The milk will be an on-going donation. The meat will be a once-off sacrifice.

The poles pictured in the foreground of the photo will be used for the erection of the poultry shed which is the next big project on Chris's list.

Click here to see a few more photos of the goat shed.

Click here to read more about the Tamarind Project.

"I'm asking every Rotary club to plant at least one tree per member" - RI President Ian Riseley

Our Tree Planting Day is happening this Sunday commencing at 9am. We are asking all members and their families and Friends of Rotary to come together to plant 750 trees along the Werribee River near the Shaw's Rd bridge. 

For planting:

• Bring a shovel and a rake.

• Bring a pad or cushion to kneel on.

• Bring your kids.

• Bring your grandkids.

We hope to be finished around 12 after which we will have a BBQ lunch.

• Werribee Rotary will provide the meat.

• Members with 20 years+ service, please bring a salad.

• Members with less than 20 years service, please bring a desert.

• Bring a fold up chair in case the grass is wet.

For directions, follow the map below.

See you Sunday and don't forget to wear your Rotary shirt and cap.

 

 

Congratulations to one of our founding members, Tino Ballan, for being awarded a triple sapphire Paul Harris Fellow.

President Ross presented the award at our last meeting to a surprised and humbled Tino. In fact, he was almost lost for words which is fairly unusual. But he did express his thanks for being given the honour.

In the mountains of Poland, 26 children traumatized by violence get a chance to be kids again at Rotary camp.

Beneath the emotional scars of living in a Ukrainian war zone, Mykyta Berlet flashes the same mischievousness of any other 12-year-old boy headed to camp.

He wants to laugh, play pranks and on the last night of camp “we will cover everyone with toothpaste,” he says excitedly.

Mykyta and 25 other Ukrainian youths headed to the resort town of Zakopane in the foothills of southern Poland are naturally focused on fun. But their two-week respite organized by Rotary members has a higher purpose: To help the children heal and cope with the trauma they may encounter when they go home.  

Each camper has a parent or sibling killed or injured in the fighting in Ukraine. Psychologists at camp will guide them along the way during an itinerary that mixes escape and therapy.

Olga Zmiyivska, a member of the Rotary Club of Kharkiv Multinational in Ukraine, has brought children to the camp for two years and has witnessed its impact.

“After the trip, they are more willing to make contact and open their hearts,” she said.

Continue reading....

Pictured above are the happy faces of Bronwyn, Pam and Isabel with a fistful of the pencils that were part of our Guess the Number of Pencils competition. The box of 1,828 pencils were delivered to Donations in Kind for distribution to school children in East Timor.

Last week's meeting was a joint club meeting between Werribee and Laverton Point Cook at the Waterstone Cafe in Sanctuary Lakes.

Our guest speaker was Jodie Willmer. Jodie was familiar with the workings of Rotary because she was an exchange student in 1991. She had a choice of going to Japan, South Africa or West Germany (as it was still called then). After much deliberation, she chose Germany. She described her German venture as one of the highlights of her life to date and she is very grateful to Rotary for selecting her to go.

She is now a consultant to the not-for-profit sector and various social enterprises and she still uses the experience that she gained as an exchange student in her work today. There are three key things that she learned during her 12 months away that have stayed with her ever since. The exchange program taught her:

1. Resilience - An example of this was that, during her early days in Germany she got homesick. Initially, she made a few calls to her parents in Melbourne but they were expensive trunk calls. Then she decided just to embrace her new surroundings and learn as much as possible about German history and their way of life. Not only did this remove her homesickness but it also made her independently stronger. 
2. Open-mindedness - She found that the Germans were very direct in what they had to say. There was no ifs, buts and maybes. If you say you're going to do something, then you do it. This has held her in good stead to this day as she works and consults with organisations.
3. Governance - In Germany, she was asked to speak at many Rotary clubs. It taught her to be prepared and organised, especially if people are relying on you. It also made her face up to challenges and, if people are not pulling their weight, she is capable of engaging in courageous and honest conversations. It also taught her to not only develop good strategic plans but also to successfully execute those plans. One of the keys to this is to break large activities or projects into smaller discrete tasks that are clearly-defined and achievable with a set beginning and end time.

Special thanks to Margaret Wade and Joe Cumbo for participating in the 3030 Beach Patrol cleanup last Sunday at Werribee South Beach. They were part of a community team that collected 250kg of rubbish including 300 bottles and cans, 3500 cigarette butts, 300 straws & 100 "slurpy" drink cups.

The next cleanup day is on Sunday 4th March at Baden Powell Reserve in Tarneit as part of the Australia Day Cleanup program. Elizabeth and Peter Ross will be there and they hope that you can join them.

Click here to see a flyer of the event.

The Rotary Club of Albert Park is marking the centenary of the Rotary Foundation by organising an evening of fun and celebration on the large ferris wheel, the Melbourne Star, at Docklands. ‘Star Carnivale’ will commence at 5.30 pm on 22 April and they are asking for your support for this unique event.
 
Seats on the Melbourne Star are $35 per person and, if a club buys a whole ‘pod’, $400 will be donated to the Foundation in our club’s name.  A pod holds 20 people.  Hampers are available should attendees wish to pre-order online. Drinks are at $6 per glass for wine, beer and cider and $3 for soft drinks on the night.  The ‘flight’ takes around 35 minutes. 
 
The Star will be lit up in Rotary colours for the evening. There will also be an international speaker, Astro Physicist Rachel Livermore, who will update us on the ‘Galaxy’. There will also be music and a few Star Wars characters for photo opportunities.

President Ross is asking for your support of this event as a way of us repaying the favour to Albert Park for contributing to our Ugandan water project. Please let Ross know if you would like to go.

Click here to see a flyer of the event.

Click here to visit the Rotary Club of Albert Park's website.

On Sunday 4th March, there will be a Clean Up Australia event to be held at Baden Powell Skate Park in Tarneit and you are invited to come along and join in the fun.

Peter and Elizabeth Ross will be attending and they would love to have your company.

Click here to see the details.

Kathryn Williams was called on at very short notice to be the guest speaker after our scheduled speaker Cr Mia Shaw was unable to attend. Not only did she willingly agree to present but she did it in great style.

She had already presented her job talk about 12 months ago so, this time, she focused on some of her personal characteristics.

She started with a quiz to test the audience. Here are some of the questions:

Pictured above is Michael Redding in Vietnam presenting the third of four new tricycle wheelchairs to Lien who lives in Vung Tau with her family. She was born with a severely deformed hipbone and joints and her legs are shrunken. She moves by dragging herself along by her hands.

She uses an old wheelchair inside her home. Her new tricycle wheelchair now allows her the freedom to travel independently to other places.

The wheelchairs have been funded by our club.

The 3030 Beach Patrol group are conducting another clean-up at Werribee South this Sunday (11th February).

If you would like to represent the club, the working bee starts at 11:30am and will finish at 12:30pm. There will be a BBQ afterwards.

If you have a spare hour, your assistance would be appreciated.

Click here to see the details.

Women in Rotary is organising the annual the International Women's Day breakfast to be held on Wednesday 7th March at the Crown Palladium.

There will be a number of great presenters and panellists including newsreader Stephen Quartermain (MC) and Victorian Ombudsman Victoria Glass OBE.

Click here to view a flyer of the event.

Our Community Committee Director, Jason Daddy, advised that we have a busy time ahead in providing our brilliant BBQ services. This includes:

• BBQ breakfast at Relay for Life on Sunday 25th March.
• BBQ sausage sizzle at the Werribee Mercy Health Easter Fair on Sunday 25th March between 11am and 3pm.
• Bunnings BBQ on Easter Saturday (31st March).
• Mid-week BBQs at Bunnings once a month. There will be 10 of these throughout the year and each of them will be on a Thursday. Here is a list of the dates:
  • February 22
  • April 12 (School Hols)
  • May 17
  • June 14
  • July 12 (School Hols)
  • August 23
  • September 20
  • October 25
  • November 15
  • December 20 (School Hols)

Alek Akuie was our representative at the recent RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) camp in Mt Evelyn. With humour, sincerity and much enthusiasm, she told us about her week-long experience.

When she arrived at the camp, she was extremely nervous as were all the other attendees. She felt way out of her comfort zone. However, it wasn't long before they were bonding, thanks to the leaders who encouraged the group to do some fun things together. By Day 2, many friendships had already started to develop.

Alek was very impressed with the quality of the speakers. Their subjects generally related to leadership and building confidence. She was particularly moved by the presentation of a young lady called Annie who, as a young girl, wanted to be an actor. Sadly, she was involved in a fire which resulted in scars to 50% of her body. Now she goes around Australia talking to people about not giving up, no matter how adverse your personal circumstances may be. In fact, Alek and her friends were so encapsulated by Annie's speech that tears were shed, partly through sympathy but mainly through inspiration.

Alek believes that she learnt so much from her RYLA experience. As she embarks on her working life, hopefully in the police force, she feels she will be a better person and a stronger leader. She also believes that she can do so much more by working within the Sudanese community. She has even used her new-found experience to great effect by being part of a camp for less fortunate kids. 

Everyone agreed that the vibrancy and enthusiasm portrayed by Alek will result in her having a successful future regardless of what she does.

Here is a photo of Alek and her friends at the RYLA camp.

We were fortunate to have three speakers presenting on headspace - all for the price of one! And judging by the large number of questions, they proved to be very interesting and informative.

headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds, along with assistance in promoting young peoples’ well-being. This covers four core areas: mental health, physical health, work and study support and alcohol and other drug services. There are 101 offices around Australia. The operation is funded by the Federal Government. Kim, Nicky and David work at the Werribee branch of headspace.

Kim works full-time at Werribee as a counsellor and she loves her job. She and her colleagues see about 1000 youths each year of which 600 are new and the remainder are repeat attendees. Each person is entitled to 10 free counselling sessions. This makes it much more accessible especially in our area where there is a high number of disadvantaged youths.

Kim works with people with a vast range of mental health difficulties. This includes school bullying, family violence, autism and intellectual disability. The branch also offers drug and alcohol support, GP services and employment advice. They also have group sessions and a family support program. The staff consist of professional counsellors and volunteers.  Kim said that, at the end of the day after hearing many stories of despair, she still leaves the office with a sense of hope that the headspace program is making a positive difference.

Nicky and David are both volunteers and have a similar happy and positive disposition as Kim. Both have had their own mental health experiences but, with the help of headspace, they now offer their personal advice. They have been able to build a sense of self and a sense of purpose in their life and can use this to help others.

We are invited to an exclusive culinary fund-raising event called "A Taste of Heston – the BBQ Indulgence" to launch the locally written, multi-award winning play "Point of No Return" on its 2018 Victoria tour. Many of the members and partners will already have seen this wonderful play and, due to its success, the producers are now taking it on the road.

The function is at 7pm on Friday 23rd March and will be held in one of Wyndham’s finest homes at 456 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing. You will enjoy an exquisite 8-course Heston Blumenthal themed BBQ menu presented by Bart Beek (Executive Chef for Everdure by Heston Blumenthal).

Click here to see the flyer.

Click here to make a booking.

Annaliza, one of the young women living at the orphanage was born with cerebral palsy and given up by her mother who suffers a drug addiction. Annaliza is a very cheerful person. She greets each day excited to talk to her friends at the orphanage, sharing her radiant and contagious smile with all she meets. Normal daily tasks such as showering, cleaning, and getting ready for school are exceptionally difficult for her, as she cannot walk and has limited upper mobility, but she happily takes each task on and is grateful for the independence won by her abilities. Her courage is only outdone by her kindness and humility. Grateful for the love she receives from the staff and her “brothers and sisters” at the orphanage, Annaliza is constantly complimenting, thanking, and loving others. She is also incredibly generous. It seemed every week I was there, Annaliza had some special gift for me, whether it be her own bracelet, a special water cup, or some fruit from the orphanage’s guyabano tree. These small tokens were pieces of herself and for that were all the more precious.

The ultimate prize for any golfer is to score a hole-in-one. Some have been playing for 50 years and not been able to achieve nirvana. Then there are others who have only just started their golfing journey and they get lucky. Such is the case with Phil Purdy.

The scene for this miracle event was the 3rd hole at the Altona Lakes course last Friday - Phil obviously wasn't very busy or he left it all to Barb. He hit the ball off the tee hoping for it to go in the general direction of the green 123 metres away. He looked up. Not only did the ball land on the green but it bounced a couple of times and then, low and behold, it rolled straight in the hole. Phil went wild with excitement. He raised his hand ready for a high-5 but then realised he was playing by himself and there was absolutely no-one else on the course to witness or share in this euphoric moment.

We can only assume that Phil did actually score the ace because he practices the 4-way test in everything he says and does. But he also occasionally admits to practising the 5th test - "Will I get caught?".

Unfortunately, the excitement was short lived. With tears of joy still in his eyes, he teed up on the next hole and proceeded to hit the same ball into the lake! Talk about going from chocolates to boiled lollies. Don't worry Phil. Your fellow golfers are all envious of your once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

At our Christmas Dinner in December, the new Board for 2018-19 was announced. The only person missing from the line-up was the President-elect for 2019-20 was Brian Ahmed. His absence raised a few eyebrows considering we were dining in his fine establishment. But we all agreed it was a great announcement.

Brian joined our club on 20th June 2006 and, in between his busy egg/chicken and restaurant businesses and his role as President of the Victorian Farmers Federation, he has been an active and effective member of our club. 

Click here if you would like to know a bit more about Brian's life to date.

We wish Brian much success as the leader of our club.

The competition to guess the number of pencils in the box has closed and the winner has been announced. Congratulations to Christine Conley whose entry was the closest to the actual number of 1828 pencils. Christine has won a $150 voucher to ShadowFax Winery.

Second closest was Rahul McPherson who works for Tino Ballan. He wins a ticket for two people to the Werribee Cinemas. Special thanks to Roly Wade for donating both prizes. And thanks to everyone who had a go at the guessing game. For the statistically minded, the lowest entry was 345 and the highest entry was 7582. The average was about 3000 which just goes to show that it was deceptively challenging or that some people just had no idea. 

We were successful in raising $190. The funds will be deposited into our club account.

The pencils will now be donated to Donations in Kind to be distributed to school children in Pacific-rim countries.

RI President Elect Barry Rassin from the Bahamas has announced the Rotary theme for the 2018-19 Rotary year. 

Rassin, a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, unveiled the theme, Be the Inspiration, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego. “I want you to inspire in your clubs, your Rotarians, that desire for something greater. The drive to do more, to be more, to create something that will live beyond each of us.”

Rassin stressed the power of Rotary’s new vision statement, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” This describes the Rotary that leaders must help build, he said.

For those who would like to learn more, click here to view Barry's speech.

On Saturday 24th February, Donations in Kind (DIK) is holding an Open Day at their premises in Maribyrnong Rd, West Footscray to celebrate their move to the new warehouse.

Tea and coffee will be available thorugh the day and there will be a good old sausage sizzle lunch.

The operating cost of maintaining the warehouse is high so one of their aims is to seek financial support from clubs by buying a bay of racks.

Click here to see a flyer of the Open Day.

Members, partners and friends eased back into Rotary mode for 2018 by attending a very pleasant evening at the home of Tino and Robyn Ballan.

It was good to see everyone in a very relaxed and refreshed manner and ready for the challenges of the New Year.

Thanks to Tino and Robyn for their hospitality.

Click here to see some more photos of the evening.

During 2017, our club donated funds to the NTCM Charity in Vietnam to purchase four tricycle wheelchairs for people who are unable to walk.

The first of these was recently delivered to Mai Tram who is disabled as a result of an accident. Prior to receiving the wheelchair, she had been able to get around in an electric wheelchair but this had reached its end-of-life.

NTCM has many volunteer supporters who go out and identify people in need. What follows is a thorough interview and verification process to establish the support that they require.

A very happy Mai Tran expressed her extreme gratitude for the generosity of the club.

Special thanks to our member Michael Redding for coordinating this worthwhile project. He will be travelling to Vietnam shortly to deliver the second of the four wheelchairs.

Our Annual Golf Day is happening this Friday 2nd March commencing at 12pm and the hard-working organising committee is expecting another successful day. The weather forecast is very promising and a large field of players will be competing for a number of team and individual awards.

The biggest prize will be a car from Ballan Holden if you score a hole-in-one on the 15th green. After two years of no success, the chances are increasing that someone will score an ace this time around.

The after-match dinner will start at 6pm and finish by 7:30pm.

For a number of years now, we have cooked sausages at the Thomas Chirnside School's Christmas Carols by Candlelight. This year, we have been advised, at late notice, that the function will be happening next Monday (18th December) commencing at 4:30pm. A number of members and partners have volunteered but if you can also help out, it would be appreciated. 

Contact Geoff Smith if you are planning to come.

As usual, our Christmas dinner at Wyndham Cache went off with a big bang. Everyone got into the spirit of the occasion.

The major highlight, apart from the visit by a very jovial Santa, was the Rotary's Got Talent quest. We had three contestants who vied for the coveted prize of being the best performer. The brave souls were:

• Andrea Fredskild (our exchange student) who sang the song "Santa Lucia" in Danish. She was accompanied by Ross Conley on keyboard. A very accomplished performance by Andrea.
• Peter Ross who gave a stirring recital of Banjo Patterson's poem "The Man from Ironbark".
• Geoff Smith and his companion Pam Lang who sang a wonderful rendition of the song "The Prayer". They sounded very much like Charlotte Church and Josh Groban.

• The announcement of the Board for 2018-19.
• Distribution of Kris Kringle gifts by Father Christmas, ably supported by his two elves.
• Another great musical performance from the Barking Dogs. It was good to see many of their fans getting up and dancing to the music.

At the Committee for Wyndham's annual Gala Dinner last week, our very own Peter Ross was presented with the 2017 John Nicol Community Service Award.

The award which was created in honour of the late John Nicol recognises members of the committee who are tireless in their efforts to make Wyndham a better place to work and live. Peter has spent the past 50+ years, in various capacities including as a Rotarian, doing good things for the local community. Last year the honour was awarded to Tino Ballan.

The Community Committee has been given a large number of coloured pencils. The plan is to deliver them to Donations in Kind for distribution to children in South Pacific nations.

However, before we donate the pencils, we thought we might have a bit of fun and create a competition called GUESS THE NUMBER OF PENCILS. For $2 you can enter in the competition to guess the number of pencils. Prizes include a $150 voucher for Shadowfax Winery and tickets to the Werribee Cinema.