Please send apologies to David Robertson before 10:30am each Monday at: tevita261@bigpond.com
Next Meeting – 24th April 2018
Attendance desk:
Garth Carter & David RobertsonReserves: (John Turner & Brian Robson)
Set up & pack up:
Mike Cocks & Kevin Tattrie Reserves: (Peter Antaw & Ian Burnett)
Speakers & topic:
Jon Gidney TOPIC - The Two-Up Challenge
Rotary Club Meeting 17th April 2018
Welcome
President Derek opened the meeting by welcoming members and guests Michelle Dawson (guest speaker), Mac Robertson and Anita Robertson.
Toast
PP Peter Antaw toasted the Rotary Club of Cotia Granje Viana in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Peter was hosted by the club’s IPP Horatio Consolmago, the father of our club’s 2002 exchange student Denise Consolmago. The club’s 50 members celebrated its 25th anniversary with paella and speakers who addressed organised crime.
Announcements
President Derek thanked all those who assisted with the successful Seniors’ Lunch on April 13. 42 senior people attended, including one 104 year old. Participants donated $481 to the club.
President Derek announced that the Changeover Dinner would be held on June 26 and the cost to members would be “reasonable”.
PP John Turner is seeking more volunteers for the fireworks . He asked whether any member has access to a blower vac for clean-up?
Ian Burnet thanked members for their contributions to Shelterbox and asked for more (tax-deductible) donations.
Several members volunteered to place Fireworks posters at various locations on the lower North Shore.
Guest Speaker - Michelle Dawson - Kolling Foundation
Eleanor Chevor introduced Michelle Dawson of Kolling Foundation. Michelle holds a Master of Labour Law and Relations. She is currently seconded to Kolling Foundation, as its acting Chief Executive Officer. Kolling Foundation raises funds for Royal North Shore Hospital, Ryde Hospital, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital and the Kolling Institute of Medical Research.
Michelle noted that her father had attended a Rotary Group Study Exchange program and had subsequently led the family into community work. She summarised the role of Kolling Foundation, a charity hosted at RNSH. The Kolling Institute carries out cutting edge medical research. Michelle is currently seeking funding for early career medical researchers and for endowments for medical research.
After several questions from members, John Weingarth gave a vote of thanks to the speaker for her fascinating talk.
Sergeant PP John Turner painfully extracted cash from members. Chris Switzer successfully auctioned a bottle of vintage port, with Luke Keighery the successful bidder.
Comedy For A Causepresents a showcase of some of the best comedians from the Sydney and Melbourne International Comedy Festival in aid of Northbridge Rotary Club and their supported Charities.
A record crowd estimated at more than 4,000 attended Northbridge Rotary's Community Fireworks 30th Anniversary Spectacular on Northbridge Oval on May 13.
The event was a great success, according to the organizer, Rotarian Rob Coote. “We were lucky with near perfect weather and it was a great night for families who attended the evening,” Rob said. “The fireworks were spectacular, there was varied musical entertainment from local school bands plus exciting rides for the many happy children in attendance.
“We had about 120 Rotary Club members, spouses and Friends of Rotary helping on the night,” Rob said.
The spectators included North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman, Premier Gladys Berejiklian 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 raised a surplus of more than $40,000 (net of expenses), which will be used to support local and overseas charities.
In this regard the Board of the Club at its May meeting resolved to award 100% of the surplus to organizations in greatest need. These included StreetWork (a local youth charity ) to assist in purchasing a new community vehicle ,the Rural Fire Service, children and women’s emergency accommodation, Rotary’s Polio Eradication programme, The Rotary Foundation, medical research into the causes and treatment of dementia and high need overseas charities in East Timor and Nepal (water delivery infrastructure and schools..)
Rotary President Paul Sullivan expressed the Club’s appreciation to Northbridge Plaza (managed by AMP Capital) as the primary sponsor of the event and the new co-sponsor Commonwealth Bank.
The invaluable assistance and support of all our other sponsors and supporters were also much appreciated. These included – Willoughby Council, Westpac Banking Corporation, Anytime Fitness, Ray White Real Estate, Coates Hire, Northbridge Hotel, Borusso’s Pizza and Pasta, Willoughby Leisure Centre, Backvintage Wines, Just Cuts Northbridge, Northbridge Physiotherapy, and Castlecrag Montessori School.
Also, the event would not have been the success that it was without the support of all those other entities who provided prizes for our Raffle, that helped us raise much-needed funds for our charities. These included – Bridge Climb, Simon & Johnson, Taronga Zoo, National Maritime Museum, Luna Park Sydney, HarbourView Restaurant and the Northbridge Golf Club.
The Rotary Club of Northbridge thanks, all sponsors and supporters for their tremendous support.
Northbridge Rotary Club has helped to build a new school in a remote area of Nepal which was devastated by a massive earthquake in 2015. Part of the funding for the project was raised by the club through the generosity of Northbridge residents.
The new school building at Bhakanje village, high in the Himalayas at 2,386 metres, was opened for use in February 2018. At the opening, the villagers of Bhakanje, the school’s teachers and students, and the two managers of Himalayan Project in Nepal expressed their gratitude to the community of Northbridge for their humanitarian support to this devastated community. A brass wall plaque was fixed to the building reading:
The reconstruction of this building in 2016‐17 is funded by Rotary Club of Northbridge, Sydney, Australia and the people of Northbridge in cooperation with Rotary Club of Kathmandu and Himalayan Project Nepal 2017.
The new school building has a total of four classrooms, one being a nursery for small children. The stronger, longer-lasting building replaces the original school building which was mainly destroyed by the 7.7 force earthquake. The new building’s brick walls and truss roof are of earthquake-resistant design. The walls are lined with wooden panels to help insulate school students from the cold.
The new Bhakanje school is said to be one of the most beautiful and functional schools in that region of Nepal.
Rotary Club of Northbridge managed the reconstruction from October 2016 until February 2018 in cooperation with Rotary Club of Kathmandu, Himalayan Project Denmark and Himalayan Project Nepal.
The Rotary Foundation has won the prestigious award for Outstanding Foundation at the 2017 conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in San Francisco. The conference drew more than 3,400 senior fundraising professionals from 33 countries.
The annual award honours organisations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs.
AFP’s judges cited Rotary’s comprehensive campaign to eradicate polio as a major driver of the selection.
They also mentioned that Rotary applies a methodical, purposeful approach to support a wide variety of international causes, from providing clean water to educating the next generation of peace professionals.
Rotary Foundation Chair-elect Paul Netzel accepted the award on Rotary's behalf. “With the generous support of our members and partners, we’ve taken on some of the toughest humanitarian challenges in the world, none more so than the devastating disease of polio,” said Netzel. “We will defeat polio and it will be a landmark achievement for global public health.”
“This award helps to spread our belief that service to humankind truly changes our world and, for that reason, it is the greatest work of life,” Netzel said.
The Rotary Club of Northbridge and many of its members contribute generously to The Rotary Foundation each year.
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.
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.
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
Thursday 31st May 2018. 7:00pm - 10:15pm
