Please send apologies to Peter Hodgson before 10am each Monday at: peterhodgson@optusnet.com.au
Next Meeting – 16 August 2016
Attendance desk:
Ranald Stewart & Peter Hodgson (Reserves: Therese Stubbs & Liz Grey)
Set up & pack up:
Peter Grinter & Garth Carter (Reserves: Lee Jackson & Ian Burnet)
Speakers & topic:
Thurshara Peiris Topic: Disability Rights
Rotary Club Meeting August 9th 2016
Introduction
President Paul welcomed everyone and especially welcomed guests Meenoy Chamdavieng, Dennis van Somera and Sally O’Neill’s guests Julienne McKay and David Campbell.
Toast Bob Farrar proposed a toast to the Rotary Club of Oristano, Sardinia. Bob spoke about the activities of the club, their fundraising activities and the size of the club (347 members).
Announcements
Don Landers called an Extraordinary General Meeting to adopt and new Club Constitution. The motion to adopt the new Constitution was moved by Peter Hodgson, seconded John Turner and passed by the members present. Don then closed the extraordinary general meeting.
Karin Eurell announced that Sally O’Neill was recently awarded a Sapphire pin by John Talyor, Rotary North Sydney in recognition of the work she has done for Sailability over the past 11 years.
Sally O’Neill introduced Meenoy Chamdavieng from the Vientiane Women and Youth Centre for Health and Development (VYC).
Meenoy spoke about the Centre and that the work the VYC does in Vientiane is unique, no other organisation in Vientiane provides the service, ie advice and diagnosis of HIV, STDs, family planning, etc, to young students and factory workers.
Meenoy explained that if the clinic and mobile clinic didn’t exist, the people just wouldn’t go elsewhere, so it is very important that the Centre continues.
While funding of the Centre comes in part from the Laos Government via the Lao Women’s Union, this is insufficient and it is a constant battle to seek donations, with the staff having to take part wages frequently.
The Assistant District Governor addressed the members about the Rotary Zone function to be held by the District Governor at North Ryde RSL on 24 August and asked if members would consider attending.
Michael Cox announced that a Welsh Choir will be singing at 2:30 pm on 21 August at St Peter’s Presbyterian Church (on the corner of Miller Street and Blue Street near the entrance to Shore School).
Ranald Stewart welcomed and introduced .Dennis van Someren from Rotary Kenthurst and Gloria Larman from Shine for Kids, a children of prisoners support group.
Guest Speakers- Dennis van Someren from Rotary Kenthurst - Gloria Larman from Shine for Kids
Dennis spoke about the important work Shine for Kids performs and explained his role and personal experiences as a child growing up and now as a volunteer. Shine for Kids provides support for children of prisoners in jail. He spoke about damaging consequences to children when a father or mother is incarcerated.
Gloria spoke about the history of Shine for Kids and how the charity was formed in 1982 initially helping children in Sydney and later in Bathurst. Shine now works with children in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. The charity now has 45 staff, 300 volunteers and an expense budget of $3.0 million. In 2015 Shine for Kids supported 5,000 children of prisoners. The number of children supported represented an increase of 21% compared with 2014. More information can be found on the Shine.
At a special dinner held in July, the Rotary Club of Northbridge inducted Paul Sullivan as its President for the 2016-2017 year. NSW Treasurer and Willoughby MP Hon Gladys Berejiklian attended the dinner and presented awards.
Paul, a long term Northbridge resident, is a former small business owner. He is an active member of Northbridge Golf Club and, with his wife Christine, a keen traveller and camper. Paul has been a member of Northbridge Rotary since 1993. It is one of the largest and most active Rotary clubs in Sydney.
“The international motto for the coming year is Rotary serving Humanity,” Paul said after his induction. “I believe that Rotary provides an opportunity for us to change lives”. Among Paul’s goals for the year are increasing membership of the club, an active fundraising program and having a fun year.
Northbridge Rotarian David Robertson travels to Fiji twice each year and he always manages to take with him donations which provide practical help to poor and disadvantaged families.
In May, the Rotary Club of Northbridge supplied David with many packages of rubber gloves for the Lautoka Hospital in Fiji to lessen the chances of cross infection. David also brought soaps to wash nurses’ and doctors’ hands before seeing their patients, surgical scissors and toothbrushes and toothpaste for each child so they can be taught oral health and keep their incredible white smiles.
Last year, David – a Castlecrag resident - brought more than 500 solar-powered lights to remote villages in Fiji which do not have regular electricity to provide a source of light for school children and their parents
“Most people know Fiji for its fabulous resorts and some of the friendliest people on earth,” David said. “What they don’t know is that just a few kilometres away there are seriously poor and disadvantaged families living in extreme poverty. They don’t get the tourist dollar, and on some islands the villages have no access to health care”.
Northbridge Rotary expressed its sincere thanks to Ansell for supplying the gloves; Donations In Kind for donating the toothbrushes and soaps; and to David for carrying the 30 kilograms of baggage from Sydney to Fiji.
Photo caption:
Northbridge Rotary member David Robertson (left) presents medical supplies to the Manager of Nursing Services at Lautoka Hospital, Matron Milika Narogo (centre), to help reduce infection at the hospital in Fiji.
A crowd estimated at more than 3000 attended Northbridge Rotary Club’s community Fireworks Spectacular on Northbridge Oval on May 7. It was close to a record attendance in the 29 years of the annual event.
The event was a great success, according to the organiser, Rotarian Peter McNair. “We were lucky with good weather and it was a great night for families who attended the evening,” Peter said. “The fireworks were spectacular, there was more entertainment for the children and a variety of food. Seven Rotary barbecues were flat out all night!”
“We had about 100 Rotary Club members, spouses and friends helping on the night,” Peter said. “By the end of the evening, we were all exhausted but our efforts were well worthwhile.”
The spectators included Willoughby MP Gladys Berejiklian, North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman and Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney. The Mayor welcomed the huge crowd and thanked Rotarians, volunteers and sponsors for making the huge community event so successful.
The event is expected to raise more than $30,000 (net of expenses), which will be used to support disadvantaged youth locally, third world health and education needs and for emergency relief for victims of natural disasters. Peter said that, because Rotary was a volunteer organisation, 100 cents of every dollar of proceeds would go to the charities.
Rotary President John Turner thanked Northbridge Plaza which was once again the major sponsor of the event and also expressed his appreciation to Willoughby City Council for its contributions. He thanked sincerely other sponsors of the event: Century 21, Westpac, Willoughby Leisure Centre, Borusso’s Pizza and Pasta, Northbridge Physiotherapy, BackVintage Wines, Coates Hire and Castlecrag Montessori School. “Without such generous sponsors, we would not be able to hold the event”, John said.
He also thanked Rural Fire Service and its volunteers who provided the specialised equipment used on the oval. He noted that Northbridge Golf Club generously allowed the use of part of the golf course.
For further information contact Peter McNair, 0415 242 628
About 120 enthusiastic seniors helped to celebrate Seniors’ Week by attending the Rotary Club of Northbridge’s annual Seniors’ Lunch on April 15.
“Everyone seemed to have a great time and Rotarians were warmly thanked for their service to the community”, the lunch organiser Rotarian Karin Eurell said. “I was particularly pleased to see our local senior citizens enjoying themselves and the Rotarians work well together as a team to make it all happen”.
The lunch in St Marks Hall included refreshments and entertainment. The hall was decorated with colourful table cloths, balloons and flowers. The meal and drinks were served by about 40 Northbridge Rotarians, partners and friends of Rotary
Speaking to the attendees, Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney thanked Karin Eurell and the Rotary Club for its community and charity work. She summarised the background to the Council amalgamation proposals for Willoughby and answered several questions from the floor.
Among the attendees acknowledged by Rotary President John Turner were three locals who were more than 100 years old, and who were warmly applauded. John thanked Lansdowne Gardens and local wine merchant BackVintage Wines for their contributions to the event.
For further information, contact Karin Eurell 0412 468 884
The people of the tiny village of Naulo Gau in Nepal were so grateful for a donation from the Rotary Club of Northbridge that they have now adopted the nickname “NORTHBRIDGE NEPAL” for their village.
The donation of more than $18,000 was made possible by generous local residents who gave to the Rotary club’s bucket appeal at Northbridge Plaza in May 2015.
Northbridge Rotary’s International Director Derek Matz said that life changed forever when the fishing village of Naulo Gau, 30 kilometres from Kathmandu, was totally destroyed by a 7.8 earthquake.
“Residents of the village were left completely homeless and had to build temporary shanty homes during the severe conditions of Nepal’s freezing winter,” Derek said. “Conditions were so bad that many families including children were sleeping in the mud and the possibility of disease was of great concern”.
Using Rotary funds, there were 12 houses built in the past year the largest of which accommodates 10 people. They have provided emergency shelter for these desperately poor villagers.
Northbridge Rotary Club also donated two brand new ECG machines to the local Banepa Sheer Memorial Hospital in Nepal, where many lives are being saved with this equipment.
Derek Matz said that Northbridge Rotary also sincerely thanks members of the Rotary Club of Banepa, Nepal, for overseeing the project and distributing the funds.
For more information contact Derek Matz (0412 418 334) or Ranald Stewart (0416181447).
The Rotary Club of Northbridge gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of Northbridge Plaza for our Annual Community Fireworks Night & Pictures on the Pitch Film Night
