The Rotary Club of Northbridge gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of Northbridge Plaza
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
David Hyde
February 17
Join Date
Joanne Coleman
February 1, 1984
38 years
Club Meeting News - 22 February 2022
Welcome
President Jon welcomed members and our speaker, Tony Irwin. He also welcomed Anjana & Nash Kariki who were attending from the Rotary Passport Club of Sylvania Waters.
Toast
Ranald Stewart proposed a toast to the RC of St Ives which was chartered in 1965. Its major fundraising activity is the annual Bobbin Head Classic which over 11 years has raised $2.2m. This year there are 2,500 entrants registered for this event.
Announcements
Luke Keighery reminded everyone that the Footy Tipping Competition starts in 2 weeks and encouraged more participation with 50% of funds raised going to Interplast. Only 14 members have joined so far and the target is 20. Click on https://tinyurl.com/NorthbridgeRotaryFootyTipping to be part of it and make a difference!
Luke also announced he is planning a 500km walk from Portland, Victoria to Penola, South Australia starting on 7 March His aim is to raise funds for Northbridge Rotary to donate to Interplast (https://interplast.org.au/), a medical NGO that has been changing the lives of so many people in countries across the Asia Pacific region through their plastic and reconstructive surgeries. He encouraged members to support his walk. If anyone would like to support Luke, you can donate through this link - Click here should you wish to donate.
David Perabo, in Alan Hession’s absence, reported that the Fireworks Committee was meeting weekly and all matters were progressing. The Fireworks are to be held 7 May 2022.
President Jon then commented on the following:
The meal cost at the Golf Club had not increased from $25 for over 5 years, so an increase of $3 has been agreed. Total member cost will increase from $30 to $32, with $4 going to the Club Account.
The meeting with Northbridge Plaza regarding their sponsorship of the Fireworks had been very successful, with continuation of their $8,000 sponsorship and recognition of our 30 year relationship. Jon also mentioned that we plan to replace the BBQ at the Fireworks with food vans; and we are looking for some substantial raffle prizes if members could think of their sources.
Jon reported the Bookstall had a slow day on Sunday, but recognised the substantial amount raised over the years Kim has been running it. The Club is still looking for a volunteer to take over from Kim in running the bookstall.
Guest Speaker - Tony Irwin - Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
David Perabo introduced our guest Speaker, Tony Irwin, Technical Director of SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd and Chair of Engineers Australia Sydney Division Nuclear Engineering Panel.
Tony started his presentation noting that the intention has always been to replace the retiring coal-fired power stations in NSW with solar and wind in remote Renewable Energy Zones, but he was now proposing that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could be a better option.
All current wind and solar infrastructure needs to be replaced by 2040. In terms of sustainability, we also need better storage.
He went on to explain how the SMRs actually met the three requirements of future energy solutions:
Reliability
Low greenhouse gas emissions
Low cost
The plan is to re-power existing power stations with the SMRs and re-train existing staff. This in turn maintains the economic stability of the local community.
This approach was first deployed in the USA; the UK is using a Rolls Royce model; and Russia has ice breakers powered by nuclear reactors.
They are trying to leave the word “nuclear” out of the discussion due to adverse community reaction.
With regards to sustainability, the total annual waste from the reactors would fill only two shipping containers which can be safely stored. All component parts of the SMRs could be recycled after its lifespan of 60 years. The lifespan of a solar panel is about 25 years and to date there is no cost effective procedure for recycling the used panels. The same goes for giant wind turbines.
David thanked Tony for his very informative presentation.
A full copy of Tony’s presentation has been emailed to all members by Helen.
Sally O’Neill
A little bit of humour ....
If anyone has any jokes or funny stories, feel free to send them to me for the humour section of the Bulletin!
Thank you to all shoppers who donated to the Northbridge Rotary Club a bucket appeal on the weekend of 5/6 February, at Northbridge Shopping Plaza, raising funds for those in Tonga who have lost their homes, possessions and in some case family members to the recent volcano and tsunami.
Special thanks to 2 school boys Will Hyde & his friend Alex (pictured) who helped with our appeal. Both Wil and Alex have spent time in Tonga as part of a post school volunteer program, but unfortunately were pulled back early due to COVID, hence their interest. They have been in contact with the school principal in Tonga to let them know what is being done here to support them.
The 2021 annual Christmas ‘Tree of Joy’ appeal, organised by the Northbridge Rotary Club, was a tremendous success - given the restricting circumstances we all faced - the Northbridge Community once again generously showed their support in donating around 300 Toys & Gifts to disadvantaged children & distributed through the Starlight Children’s Foundation of Naremburn & Narang Muru - an Indigenous Community for Youth in the Fairfield area.
We know these toys & gifts brought happiness & joy to hundreds of children at Christmas & this inspires the Northbridge Rotary Club to continue this annual appeal with the support of the Northbridge Plaza & the Community.
Thanks to Northbridge Plaza management, the Northbridge Rotary Club bookstall continues at Northbridge Plaza on the third Sunday of every month from 9am to 5pm.
Our next bookstall is on Sunday 20th March 2022
The Club is selling a range of adult fiction at $4 each plus childrens’ books at $2 each; all in mint condition and sales continue grow each month.
Books can be purchased with cash or via credit card. As always, all of the money raised from these sales goes to a range of worthy causes.
In 2021 the Northbridge Rotary Club donated $3,000 to the Nusa Tenggara Association (NTA), an Australian-based NGO which has been assisting poor farming communities in parts of eastern Indonesia. The money was allocated to women from 6 different weaving groups with the opportunity to earn a better income by producing diverse products with hand woven cloth on the eastern Indonesian island of Flores, one of more than 550 Islands of the Nusa Tenggara Province.
Flores is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia, with an average income of less than a fifth of the national average. Twenty-seven percent of the population earns less than a dollar per day, malnutrition and stunted growth there are common and primary school enrolment remains low in this Covid-affected area.
The NTA, through its peak partner NTA Indonesia, is supported by over 250 people in Australia and other countries and is governed by an elected Board. It draws on small networks of people committed to working voluntarily on fund-raising, monitoring, liaising with project participants and sharing technical expertise. It is accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is a member of the Australian Council for International Development. This ensures it has systems and measures in place which meet Australian standards, including in the areas of fraud control, accountability to donors and child protection
Members of the Flores Island community sewing group pose with their new heavy-duty machines.
Luke Keighery
Director International Service
Rotary Club of Northbridge
The NTA has operated in eastern Indonesia for 30 years and its deep knowledge of local circumstances means project risk is low and outcomes are maximised. It uses a community self-help approach with a high level of participation by the beneficiaries on the planning, implementing and evaluation level; supplying training and tools to increase their income through traditional weaving - applying a tie dye and weaving technique called ‘Tenun Ikat’ - which can add substantially to a family’s income.
Most women in the Sikka regency of Flores are familiar with this extraordinary handicraft, producing textiles to wear on a daily basis, special occasions and for traditional gift-exchanges such as a weddings and funerals. In order to sell these textiles successfully, they either need access to the market outside their local community or have to produce something different to what is already on the market.
According to Stephanie Heighes – the NTA Operations Manager, the Rotary Club of Northbridge’s $3000 donation was used to provide 3-day-training classes for 14 women in product diversification (using their own hand-woven cloth) and 5 heavy duty sewing machines for participating weaving groups, enabling them to apply the learnt techniques and increase their income.
“Covid-19 made it impossible for the Australian Team to join the biannual monitoring visit as it had for the previous 30 years,” said Stephanie.
“We hope some members of the Rotary Club of Northbridge will be able to join us during one of our field visits in the near future, when international travel is possible again. This will enable you to hear and see the direct impact of this generous donation.”
