This Week s Meeting: The latest of our Club meetings this week with updates from our hard-working Committee Chairs.

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1 President: Grant Sheldon Editorial Executive: Stephen Roe Volume 78 Issue 33 Tuesday 12 th March 2013 This Week s Meeting: The latest of our Club meetings this week with updates from our hard-working Committee Chairs. Neil Henderson Fellowship (for Michael Pepi) Highlights have included: A successful Australia day BBQ at the home of Rob and Jan Thomas. Assistance with the Bites and Lights function. Assistance with Irish Day next Tuesday. Assistance with Friday night fellowship at the upcoming Relay for Life. Charter Night at Ascot House on 21 May a special guest speaker to be announced soon. President s Night on 29 June to be held at Sherwood Receptions, Greenvale. Treasurer s Report As Glenn Smith was in Canberra assisting his federal counterpart, President Grant gave an overview of the Club s healthy financial position. In summary, club coffers have risen by 30% since 1 July. Some funds are committed for activities such as the Joe Bradbury Award, money collected for Relay for Life and provisioning for the disaster-relief fund, but money is still available for other worthwhile projects so keep the suggestions coming in from your committees! A sizeable donation will also be made to The Rotary Foundation towards the end of the current Rotary year. Simon Cookson International Myanmar: An 11-member delegation departs 24 March for 10 days. 180kg of new medical equipment, provided by the DAK foundation, will be transported and delivered by the delegation. Operation Cleft: An exciting new project is on the horizon in Bangladesh. Graeme Wood has been a long-time supporter of Operation Cleft, and through Michael Kirk of the Box Hill Central Rotary Club, we have a chance to become a project partner. DAK has donated $25,000 and a global grant is being sought to match this. Kenya: A delegation departs on 14 September to visit our two new projects New Hope for Widows and Orphans, and the Obstetric Fistula Program as well as our original projects administered by Matt O Brien.

2 Philippines: Michael Portelli reported on the recent and very successful delegation. Accompanied by daughter Gemma (also at today s meeting), Michael said that despite the enduring poverty, the journey had been inspiring and he commended the experience to all members. Michael said he was amazed at the dedication of Catherine Scerri who has devoted her life to helping Manila s street children, saving hundreds from hunger and abuse. The delegation attended meetings with the Rotary Clubs of Manila Metro, Manila Maynilad Seafront and Los Banos Makiling and Michael presented President Grant with gifts from those Clubs. Other highlights of the trip included meeting with the Australian Ambassador, Mr. Bill Tweddell, visiting the new Bahay Tuluyan centre and guest house, assisting with the café (Cathy and Nick Nicou have worked tirelessly in training the staff for its opening) plus visiting the two houses constructed through a RCE/Kangan joint venture. Alistair Fraser Community (for Richard Lawrence) The first Car Boot Sale was very successful with solid support from MVCC and the local community. The four Breathometer machines are proving a consistent source of funds for projects and we have received a TAC grant for three additional machines. Graffiti clean-up day will be held on 21 April. A new entry sign is to be erected at Rowallan to highlight our Club s on-going involvement. A plaster cast Rotary International sign at the Pioneer Retreat is to be restored. Roger Priestley spoke of plans to re-build the main pavilion at the traffic school. Barbara Wyatt New Generations/Vocational/Foundation Successful vocational visit to Alf Puglia s factory. Next visit to the MCG and National Sports Museum on 11 April. James Ha was our successful applicant for NYSF will speak of his experience on 2 April. Our Club is very active in Youth Exchange. Barbara emphasised that it is a whole of Club program with support required from all quarters, and thanked those who had assisted thus far. o Ebony Gerrish has returned from Germany and will speak on 2 April. o Charlotte Salmon is well established in Australia and will speak again on 11 June. o Elliot Neagle is now in Japan and we should receive an update shortly. Proposing to sponsor two candidates for RYPEN. Proposing to sponsor two candidates for MUNA. Funding has been completed for Ben Roehlen s award, with Chantelle White now two years into her award. Planning is underway for a public speaking competition organised through the Aitken College Interact Club, the topic: Should junk food be sold at the canteen? Victoria Police Leadership Mentoring Program participant, A/Inspector Graham Banks, will address the Club on 9April. Irish Day next Tuesday at Fredricks. Wear something green, and there will be a prize for the best Irish joke!

3 From the Almoner Contact Simon Cookson was the popular winner of the bottle of wine but failed to earn a commission on the elusive joker. Jackpot now $150 Great to see Peter Baker up and about after last Friday s operation. His recovery is such that he ll probably be back on the tennis court next weekend! Sadder news with the passing of Isobel Owen earlier this month. Isobel was a regular attendee at many of our functions and will be sadly missed. Sincere condolences to Pat O Connell and family. To facilitate its widest distribution, please forward to your editor any address to which you would like Contact sent partners, friends, other family members? Spread the good word! The Four Way Test: Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? The Rotary Club of Essendon P.O Box 161 Essendon, VIC 3040 Club President: Grant Sheldon Club Secretary: Rob Thomas Birthdays: Mary Tartaglia 12 March Wal Dibben 13 March Graeme Wood 13 March Karen Anderson 13 March Shirley Kukk 16 March Denis Kosnar 17 March Maureen Mollica 17 March Club Anniversaries: None this week WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO WOULD MAKE A GREAT ROTARIAN?. Today s attendance: 32 members plus guests Daryl Lee of the RC of Strathmore, Leigh Baker, Gemma Portelli and Liz Connell from Capital Health.

4 Club notes: 17 March Niddrie s Biggest Car Boot Sale in the car park behind Wallis Mall, car entry from Carrington Road. 9am -1pm. The second day of our newest initiative. If you can assist, please contact Richard Lawrence, Michael Mahoney or Alistair Fraser for more information. (See later for a wrap-up of the very successful first day!) 11 April Vocational visit to the MCG (guided tour by Alan Joyce) followed by a visit to the National Sports Museum. Starts at 10a.m. Numbers limited to 25. Normal cost $30, to us $16! Please book early through Peter Duras. Charlotte s home meal hosting roster: 15/04/13 Lisa Lowcock 03/06/13 Anne Rogers 22/04/13 Paul McDonald 10/06/13 Glenn Smith 29/04/13 Cathy Nicou 17/06/13 Sam Tartaglia 06/05/13 Veronica O'Sullivan 24/06/13 Rob Thomas 13/05/13 Roger Priestley 01/07/13 Graeme Wood 20/05/13 Michael Portelli 08/07/13 Anthony Taranto 27/05/13 Denis Rietdyk Please swap your assigned date with another member if it does not suit. Contact Barbara Wyatt if you would like more information. Relay for Life update Thanks to everyone who has registered so far. We are still taking registrations for the event so get your registration form in quick to be included in a great event. There will again be a special Survivors and Carers function at Relay this year. It will be held on the Friday evening at 5 pm and will be followed by the Survivors and Carers taking part in the first lap of the relay at 6pm. If you would like to be registered for this function please let Lisa Lowcock know. If you would like to participate in the Light Up Candlelight Ceremony it will occur at 7.30pm Friday night. For those who are unfamiliar with the candlelight ceremony we purchase a large paper bag and tea candle at the event for $2 and write/draw/decorate a tribute to someone who has been affected by cancer. At 7.30pm there is a light up ceremony. It is such a special moment. On the hillside of the track the word HOPE is spelled out in candles. Very moving. If you cannot make it to the Relay but would like us to put out a tribute candle and bag for you please let Lisa know and you can pre-purchase the bag, ($2 donation) decorate it and we will put it out in front of our site on your behalf. It is a great way to still take part in the event. You can purchase as many bags as you like. If you have children or grandchildren they love making their special tribute to their special friend or relative. Please bring along a tin of food to weigh the bag down. The food will then be passed on to a local charity for distribution. Participants will be receiving an update letter soon with the roster and other relevant information. We are also aiming to achieve a Research Grant named after our team. To do this we need to raise $5000. Let s all get busy raising funds for our team. If you are bringing a platter to the Friday Night session, could you please let Veronica O Sullivan know to prevent over-catering. Thank you.

5 The latest from the Philippines, courtesy of Shirley Kukk.. The delegation was kept busy as the following photos show. The basketball court is now completed. We helped with its construction two years ago. It is used by the boys at the centre. There is also a regular community basketball competition. Some children walk over an hour to play. The BT girls centre now has cows as part of a sustainable project as well as a thriving veggie garden. The boys conduct a tree of life tour as part of their sustainability program. We visited many local producers as part of the tour, it was very informative and professionally run. There are so many benefits derived from the humble coconut. Also included on the tour was coffee and cocoa growing. The coffee is oh so smooth! Delicious. This is the nearly-completed house funded jointly by Kangan Institute and the Rotary Club of Essendon. The house will accommodate eight young girls. Many delicious meals were shared with the staff from BT. Nick Nicou spent many hours training BT café staff in the preparation of fine pastries and barista-style coffee. The produce will be sold in the café providing valuable income for the centre.

6 International Women s Day International Women s Day was once again acknowledged at a breakfast organised by the Moonee Valley City Council on 8 March. The Rotary Club of Essendon sponsored a table at the function, allowing students from Essendon Keilor College (including our own Charlotte Salmon) to attend, along with Club members Bernadette Schwerdt, Veronica O Sullivan, Lisa Lowcock, Margie Sheldon and breakfast guest speaker Anne Rogers. The breakfast is held to highlight not only the achievements of women around the world, but also the severe hardship which many are still forced to endure in repressive countries. A sobering article from The Age can be found at the following link: Congratulations to Anne for her customary eloquence and a big thank you to our other ladies for representing our Club so well. Footy Tipping helping Australian Rotary Health Just a reminder in this very busy week that your support is requested for the Rotary Aussie Footy Tips project. The AFL season is now very close and funds raised will support Australian Rotary Health, Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and The Australian Childhood Foundation. Further information can be found at

7 Rotary Youth Exchange A Life Changing Experience! Do you know a Year 9, 10 or year 11 student interested in Rotary Youth Exchange? Applicants are invited now to apply for a year-long exchange commencing in January Students must be under the age of 18 years, as at 1 st January in the year of departure. Rotary District 9800 exchanges with Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan and USA. The closing date for D9800 Outbound Student Applicants to travel in January 2014 is Friday April 19 th Host Families Invited! Kind and caring Rotary approved Host Families are invited from the community, to assist local Rotary clubs care for excellent secondary school aged students from other parts of the world. These Inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students have been carefully selected as Rotary Ambassadors, to represent their country, their Rotary District, their school and family. A Host Family is a vital part of this cultural and educational exchange and typically hosts a student on a voluntary basis for a period of between 10 to 16 weeks. In so doing, a Host Family becomes a Friend of Rotary International and invariably makes lifelong friendships with families from all around the world. Please refer to the D9800 Youth Exchange website: for further information. Donations in Kind West Footscray Store In 12 years 20,000m3 of goods have been recycled, much of which would have ended up as landfill

8 School vs 2012 Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fight after school Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends Police called, and they arrest Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it. Both children go to anger management programmes for 3 months. School governors hold meeting to implement bullying prevention programmes. Scenario: Robbie won't be still in class, disrupts other students Robbie sent to the office and given six of the best by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again Robbie given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADHD result deemed to be positive. Robbie's parents get fortnightly disability payments and school gets extra funding from government because Robbie has a disability. Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care; joins a gang; ends up in jail. Scenario: Johnny finds leftover fireworks from Cracker night, puts them in a paint tin & blows up a wasp's nest Wasps die Police & Anti-Terrorism Squad called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, investigate parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated. Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly in an aircraft again. Scenario: Johnny falls over while running during morning break and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. She hugs him to comfort him In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing footie. No damage done Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy and ends up gay. Where is that time machine? Helpful tips for the week..

9 Thanks to our valued sponsors.. Help yourself and help the Club by banking with Strathmore Community Bank. For example, take out a home loan and the club will receive up to $500. Take out a 3 month fixed term deposit and the club will receive up to $50. For more details drop into the branch at 337 Napier St or call branch Manager Philip Stewart on Please support the bank which supports us! Location! Location! Location! Your company s name and logo would look great here and you d be supporting our Club at the same time. Please contact Michael Mahoney to take advantage of this prime advertising spot!

10 For your diary.. DATE EVENT VENUE 14-16/3/2013 District Conference Albury Sunday 17/3/2013 Car Boot Sale Niddrie Tuesday 19/3/2013 Irish Day Fredricks Fri - Sat 22-23/3/2013 Relay for Life Aberfeldie Athletics Track Saturday 23/3/2013 Myanmar delegation departs Tullamarine Airport Tuesday 26/3/2013 Dr. David Smyth Violence Free Families Fredricks Tuesday 2/4/2013 Ebony Gerrish exchange student plus James Ha NYSF attendee Fredricks Tuesday 9/4/2013 A/Insp. Graham Banks Victoria Police Mentoring Program Fredricks Tuesday 16/4/2013 Michael Kirk Operation Cleft Fredricks Sunday 21/4/2013 Rotarians at Work : Graffiti Removal Day Rose Street Essendon Tuesday 23/4/2013 Australian Defence Force speaker Fredricks Tuesday 30/4/2013 Anthony Taranto - Behind the Badge Fredricks Tuesday 7/5/2013 Club Day Fredricks Tuesday 21/5/2013 Charter Night Ascot House Tuesday 28/5/2013 Bernadette Schwerdt - Behind the Badge Fredricks Tuesday 4/6/2013 Club Day Fredricks Tuesday 11/6/2013 Charlotte Salmon - Exchange Student Fredricks Tuesday 18/6/2013 President Grant - Year in Review Fredricks Tuesday 25/6/2013 No meeting in lieu of President s Night NO MEETING Saturday 29/6/2013 President s Night Sherwood Receptions Greenvale