Please send apologies to David Robertson before 10:30am each Monday at: tevita261@bigpond.com
Next Meeting – 1st May 2018
Attendance desk:
George Raffan & Sally O"Neill Reserves: (Garth Carter & David Robertson)
Set up & pack up:
Peter McNair & Andrew Rennie Reserves: (Mike Cocks & Kevin Tattrie)
Speakers & topic:
No Guest Speaker - COMMITTEE's Meeting
Rotary Club Meeting 24th April 2018
Welcome
President Derek opened the meeting by welcoming members and guests Mac Robertson, Lyn Tan and Pam Cave.
Toast
Kevin Tattrie toasted the Rotary Club of Devonport, Tasmania, which was formed in 1928. The club holds barbecues, a kite festival, a variety show and also supports Leukemia Foundation, Polio Plus and Devonport High School awards. The club distributes surplus food from Coles to needy residents.
Announcements
Ian Burnet thanked volunteers who manned the book stall at the Plaza the previous weekend. The stall raised $400. Ian said there was a need for more children’s books for the stall.
PP John Turner is seeking blower-vacs for the Fireworks clean-up. The roster is taking shape. The gate will accept credit cards.
PP John Bolton said that training on the cash desk would be held at 5.30pm next Tuesday.
Karin Eurell is seeking a volunteer to run the chocolate wheel at the Fireworks.
Bob Edwards urged members to book for Comedy for a Cause, which is on May 21.
Japan trip highlights
Sally O’Neill, PP Peter McNair and guest Lyn Tan presented a short slide show of highlights of their recent trip to Japan. The slides featured cherry blossom, Buddhas, food, temples, Hiroshima (but unfortunately not Mt Fuji – covered in clouds).
Guest Speaker - Jon Gidney - A short history of two-up
President Derek introduced club member Jon Gidney who gave a slide presentation “A short history of two-up”. He explained the colourful history, rules and terminology of the game. He showed members how to use the Kip to spin two coins. Spinner Ian Burnet then took over the kip and Jon ran a competition to find who correctly called the result most times (PP John Turner was the winner).
PP Peter Antaw told about his two-up experience in Darwin and Alan Hessian thanked Jon for his entertaining presentation.
Sergeant John Turner extracted some cash from members.
PP Paul Sullivan auctioned two bottles of quality wine, which were purchased by generous guest Pam Cave, who then donated them back to the club and Sally O’Neill re-purchased them, thereby raising $130 for the Charities Account.
Funds donated by Rotary Club of Northbridge contributed to local lawyer Alison French completing a Masters of Public Policy degree at Oxford University in November 2017. With the support of Northbridge Rotary, Alison travelled to Oxford in August 2016 on a full Rotary Global Grant Scholarship.
Of her year of study, Alison said: “It has been the most fascinating, challenging and inspiring year. I would not be here if it weren’t for the support of Rotary. Thank you once again for all of Rotary’s support and generosity”.
At Oxford, Alison took examinations in several subjects. In the Education course, for her assignment she wrote on improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.” That is an area of passion for me and I absolutely loved this course!” Alison told Northbridge Rotarians.
Alison also made presentations to many Rotary clubs in the Oxford area. “It was a lovely way to connect with the Rotary community at many talks throughout the year,” Alison said. She also spoke at the Rotary District Conference in Bournemouth. Alison said that the beach at Bournemouth does not compare to beautiful Sydney beaches but it was very nice to spend a weekend by the sea and mix with Rotarians young and old.
Other highlights of her time in UK were competing in the Oxford College rowing regattas for St Anne’s College and attending the Queen’s Young Leaders Award ceremony at the Australian High Commission (and seeing Prince Harry!).
Alison is currently completing her summer project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, working with World Vision on a child rights project. The aim is to make recommendations to eliminate violence against children in the Asia region. She has seven weeks in Cambodia to complete the project and will then return to the UK to undertake a short internship at the Australian High Commission in London before graduation, after which she will finally return home.
She says her next step is still to be confirmed but is likely to be Canberra-based with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
A small ceremony was held on 11/11/2017, in the village of Sagar Bhakanje, Nepal, to place a plaque on the wall of the nearly completed new school classrooms building.
The plaque recognises the reconstruction of this building was funded by the Rotary Club of Northbridge, and the people of Northbridge, in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Kathmandu.
After over 2 years of living in difficult living conditions, in the village of Sagar Bhakanje, on the cold steep trails high in the foot hills of Nepal Himalayas, Janaki Khadka of Hipron and Kurt Lomborg from the Rotary Club of Skivehus, Denmark and Hipron with the hospitality and help of locals are nearing the completion in rebuilding school classrooms, destroyed in the 2015 earthquake.
Local carpenters expect to complete building work within a month including making a special set-up in the Nursery Classroom.
Weather permitting, it is expected that the school classrooms will open in mid-January and students will be able to study in the classrooms.
In October 65 girls among 74 from classes 6 to 10, plus health worker & 8 health volunteers were given a lesson by Marie Egebjerg Jensen (from the Rotary Club of Skivehus, Denmark) and we distributed DFG (Days for Girls) kits.
At the lesson the DFG kits were introduced to the students and they were shown how to use it along with calendar entry.
The health volunteer promised to tell other women in their areas of the DFG kits. All went very well with additional girls wanting kits and presentation.
The DFG training and counselling was a huge success & another visit to Sagar Bakanje School, Nepal is planned in January-February 2018 to do further training, and to check they are using the kits and following the calendar of menstruation cycle.
