MINUTES of the Lunch Meeting held on Wednesday, 23rd March 2016, in The Trans Resort. Present: PP. Raphael, Sec. John, PE. Marie Francoise, 1st VP. Dr Leith, PN Alex Jovanovic and Rtns. Florian, Georgio, Hans-Helmut, Jeni, Yuki, Oliver, Peter and Patrizia Lindinger, Peter Erni, Tim, Detlev and David. Rotary Visitors:  Pres.  Ratna  of  RC  Bali  Kartika,  Jennifer  Spratling  of  the  RC  of  Tumbarumba,  Sinisa  Stroyanovic  of  RC of Ljubljana Grad and  Garth  Allamand  of  Rotary Club of Westbank. Guests: Ros Sainsbury and Elenor Faibchenko PP. Raphael conducted the Lunch meeting as Pres. Barbara was absent because of illness. He opened the meeting at 12.30pm by:-

•   Conveying Pres. Barbara’s sincerest apologies for not being able to lead the meeting today, as she has been very ill in bed for the past 24 hours. She has also had to postponed the Board Meeting scheduled to take place at 2:30pm today until next week (30th March at 2:30 pm).

•   Pres. Barbara’s special apologies must go to Rotary Visitor Sinisa

Stojanovic, RC of Ljubljana Grad, District 1920, who is visiting Bali for the first time and to Rotarian Jessica Spratling, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Tumbarumba and current Facilitator of the Interact Club of Tumbarumba. Also apologies must go to Pres. Ratna Juwita from RC of Bali Kartika, who has attended to explain about the joint project she is hoping to share with us.

•   Welcomed Rtn Yuli back after his long absence. Rtn Yuki replied by saying that he was very pleased to be back and he also was very pleased to tell members that he had passed two recent tests in Japan, which showed he was cancer free.

•   Welcomed Rotarians and Guests in the member languages of our club by saying –Good Afternoon, G’day, Selamat Siang, Gudemiddag, Bon Après Midi, Buon Giorno, Guten Tag, Konichiwa,Guete Daag, Dobar Dan and Fùnyìhng.(Cantonese dialect).

•   Asked everyone turn to their neighbours and to say a ‘BIG ROTARY HELLO’ as there are no strangers in our club only Rotary friends we are yet to meet.

•   Asked SaA Leith kindly introduce Visiting Rotarians and Guests. Rtn. Garth Allamand from the Rotary Club Westbank, BC, District 5060, Canada, announced after introducing himself that his club would like to do a project together with our club.

•   Extended Apologies for: IPP. Doris and Rtns. Sally, Jorge and PAG Marilyn, Alex Potkonjak, Christian,Pamela, Steffen,.

•   Congratulated Rtn. Erika Sedana, for her birthday on 28th March.

•   Asked guest Rotarian Sinisa Stojanovic from the Rotary Club of Ljubljana Grad to read the ‘4-Way Test’.

•   Reminded everyone that Raffle tickets were still for sale.

•   Thanked Rtns. Detlev and Lusi for raising IDR 1,600,000 at their last Sunday brunch for the Smile Foundation

•   Explained that this week’s Raffle prize is kindly donated by AG. Patrick and is a spa voucher.

•   Reminded members that RCBS T-shirts were for sale at Rp. 75,000 each in four sizes.

Rotary News:

•  Informed members that Regional leaders from around the globe gathered at Rotary World Headquarters for a four-day training institute in early March 2016, designed to inspire members in their respective areas.

Michael Boyer, a Rotary public image coordinator from Pismo Beach, California, USA, said that his goal was to ensure that members can discuss Rotary's brand in a clear and compelling way. He also said that "We have to make our club presidents understand they can't just stand in front of their club and say, 'Go invite members.' They actually have to train members in how to ask and what to say."

A major goal of the four-day Regional Leaders Training Institute is to equip these leaders (ie. Regional Rotary Foundation coordinators, Rotary coordinators, Rotary public image coordinators, and Endowment/Major gifts advisers) with tools so that they can help club and district leaders strengthen club membership, direct club focus, foster Rotary's humanitarian service and enhance the organization's public image.

Patrick Coleman, a Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator from Luanshya, Zambia, said that members need to be encouraged to use Rotary.org. He also said "What we are learning is very exciting because we are bringing Rotary into the 21st century. We have members who brag about being born before the age of computers. But that's a bit like saying, 'I was born before cell phones, so I am not going to use one.' We're here, and we need to use these tools."

•   Reported on the Dengue Awareness Media Launch at The Trans on Tuesday 22nd March 2016 as PP. Anita and Rtn. Jannell were absent.

•   Presented President Ratna of the RC of Bali Kartika, who spoke of her hopes for our two clubs and the RC of Bali Kuta to work together to

sponsor wheelchairs, physiotherapy, prothesis and walking sticks for 17 handicapped children in Negara.

Pres. Ratna also reminded members of the planned trip to visit these 17 children on Saturday, 2nd April 2016. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at Bistro Pelangi, Dewi Sri. (Pres. Barbara has said that she will have room for 3 people in her car). The trip will take 3 hours each way, so it will be a long day. Further details will be sent out by Clubrunner next week. If anyone wishes to go, please contact Pres. Barbara.

•   Reported on the launching of the “Fight the Bite” held yesterday that was quite disappointing as only 6 club members turned up to support the five doctors from the Kasi Ibu Hospital. No journalists attended.

Those present enjoyed a most interesting presentation on Dengue Fever by Dr I Ketut Agus Somia, who is a specialist on tropical diseases.

PP. Anita thanked everyone for their hard work in getting the project off the ground and for the help of the video company that made the mosquito trap video. She also said that 4,500 out of the first print of 5000 brochures had been distributed. There was then discussion upon how the project could move into its next phase by having the brochures printed into two languages. There was also discussion upon the means of distribution of brochures to the local people of Bali.

Rtn. Tim then added that Stella’s Foundation will be teaching 120 children in Malaya and Levinya Sari to make the Dengue mosquito traps next week (following the video put on U-tube by our club) and these children will then in turn teach the children in two orphanages in those areas.

•   Introduced Rtn. Oliver, who spoke about the Bumi Sehat Foundation. The Foundation has been active for over 20 years in Bali and he wanted to explain in more detail about the organisation.

The main mandate of the Foundation is to give help (mainly to women) arising from disasters. It also provides free medical help, medical check-ups and a place for natural holistic births. The Foundation has provided free medical services to about 50,000 people each year and there are about 600 children born in its centres each year. The Bumi Sehat has two centres, one in Ache and the other in Bali.

He had supported Robin Lim, the founder, who was presented with the CNN ‘Hero of the Year award’ in 2009 over the last 9 years and he had a special connection with the Foundation as one of his children was born in the Bumi Sehat clinic. He is also the architect of the new building in Bali.

Rtn. Oliver also said that he had been very impressed with the hard work of the Foundation and how much kindness and love had gone into the births on the Foundations premises, which kindness and love was not always found in public hospitals. In addition, he said that Rotary has supported this Foundation in past years and he hoped that it would do so again.

He then showed a short video made by Robin Lim introducing the new centre. The new centre layout is much bigger than the existing premises and it cost almost US$1 million to build. It has delivery rooms, recovery rooms, pharmacy, administration areas and an alternative medicine park for acupuncture, yoga etc.

He then showed a list of items, which he believed our club might be interested in sponsoring, as the centre only has about 85% of the required funds to complete the new centre set up.

He believed the Foundation got money from all over the world as it is also a Foundation in America now and Robin also teaches in different countries. Some funds are promised once the centre starts to operate. Robin used all her CNN award of US350,000 for the centre.

•   Presented PN. Alex, who proposed a Vocational Tour on Friday, 15th April 2016 to visit a Cocoa and Lontar Sugar farm. The trip takes about two hours from Seminyak and visitors will be able to see the pod farm and production plant. They will also see how the farm actually grows the cocoa pods on trees, how it picks them and crushes them and then smooths them out. The farm has a chocolate outlet together with elephants and mountain bikes for rides, and a restaurant. It is a unique spot and Rtn. Alex said that he had taken a tour there last week and he was very impressed.

He asked whether club members wanted to do such a trip as a group in which case he could organize a bus, or whether members just wanted to meet up at the location. The total trip would take about 6 hours including enjoying the place.

Guest Speaker:

•   Rtn. Jenni introduced Lynn Robinson, who did her post graduate research on sharks and shark fisheries in Madagascar. Her study in northern Madagascar was the first to document shark species taken in the local fisheries and results were provided to the government for use in the design of a Conservation Action Plan. She is a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, an international group of shark researchers and experts in the fields of shark biology, conservation, management, fisheries and taxonomy. One of the Specialist Group’s main activities is assessment of species for red list status, a widely used inventory for gauging the extinction risk faced by species. Sharks have been on earth for 450 million years, but today one quarter of all chondrichthyian species (sharks, rays and chimeras) are threatened worldwide. They are being lost primarily due to over exploitation. The global market for shark fins used in soup is also a major factor. Shark populations are also being depleted due to persecution because of perceived risk to humans, and – in at least one species – because of climate change. Lyn lives in Sanur, Bali and often speaks to schools and civic groups on the importance of shark conservation. She and Lyn also dive together and it is a great experience when a shark is seen underwater. Fun facts about sharks – they have been on earth for 450 million years and were here even before the dinosaurs. The huge prehistoric shark had teeth the size of a sabre toothed tiger.

Sharks are fish, but there is a big difference between them and bony fish. They do not have scales, but have a skin and cartilage. It is a common misconception that sharks have to keep moving to survive as many species of shark do not need to do so. Those that have to do so, switch off one half of their brain to sleep whilst the other side remains on autopilot. The three largest shark species of shark (like the whale shark and megalodon shark) are not hunters, but eat plankton. Madagascar, where Lyn did her studies, broke off from India 8 million years ago and has developed its own biodiversity hotspot in isolation. It is one of the worlds poorest countries where 49% of the population lives on less than US1 a day. As a result, only 15% of the original ecology rain forest is left due to the many subsistence farmers’ slash and burn policy and their retaking the forests. It also has a 2.75% population growth, which is very high by world standards, and the population of the island will double in 26 years. Unfortunately, the limited cannot support this population explosion. The village where she lived and studied is very isolated and has no facilities whatsoever.

Many species of sharks have become extinct, which extinction coincided with the arrival of humans. A shark fishery arose about 25 years ago in her village and 9 wooden boats went out, usually under sail, and put their shark nets out by hand. This was devastating for the shark population as the next village, which was only 1 km away also had 9 such boats and fished sharks in the same way, and so did the next village. The fishing nets used are not selective and sharks, rays, turtles and dugongs are all caught and die.

Sharks have a long gestation period and many species only have between one and four young a year, and often not every year. In many shark species, the growing of a shark to reproductive maturity can take as much as 25 years. This is unlike bony fish, which carry tens of thousands of eggs every year. So once the shark population collapses, it does not have the capacity to come back.

Indonesia lands 12 % of the world’s sharks, the largest amount sharks in any country in the world. The demand for 500,000 tons (a very conservative estimate as it is hard to monitor) a year of shark fin is taking a serious toll on the

shark population.  

The loss of sharks will have serious consequences for the ecosystem, as the ecosystem depends on its apex predators. Sharks are at the top of the sea food chain and once they are removed the next level of predators takes over and it is a cascading situation. A classics example was the loss of the thriving spiny lobster industry in Tasmania. Sharks were eating octopuses, which lived on eating lobsters. So when sharks were overfished, the octopuses took over and ate all the lobsters and the lobster industry collapsed. Another example of the effect of the loss of predators on the ecosystem was found in the Yellow Stone National Park in USA. Wolves hunted elk, but when wolves became extinct, the elks, which are grazers, ate all the trees, leaves and shrubbery and as a result the song birds disappeared. With the reintroduction of wolves, the song birds reappeared. Unfortunately, with a shark attack, humans have adopted the ‘jaws effect’ that dictates that all shark attacks must be fatal. So the shark must be killed.      

Lyn said that some sharks are dangerous whilst others are not. If you do enter their habitat, a shark will attack if provoked or cornered, but it should be borne in mind that the number of shark attacks (apart from 2015 which had 98 attacks - the highest on record) is usually very small (2014 was 7), in Indonesia only 7 attacks have ever been recorded and two were fatal. But Lyn suggested these figures might not be a true figure and believed that a realistic figure for worldwide attacks would be more likely around 500 attacks a year with 100 deaths. The high 2015 figure is not because of more sharks being in the water, as 100 million a year are being killed, it is because of more people having more leisure time and more time spent in the water. When going into the sea, keep close to the shore and keep in mind that you should not swim at dusk or dawn, when sharks feed, or in murky water. Take off your jewelry as the reflection looks like the scales of fish, and do not enter the water if you have an open, bleeding wound as sharks have a very keen sense of smell. Don’t swim where fishing is taking place and don’t swim with your dog as the splashing around will attract sharks. PP. Raphael presented Lyn with a club T-shirt, as a token of our club’s appreciation for her most interesting talk.

•   The Raffle/Happy and Sad Stories raised IDR 760,000. The Raffle was won by guest Ros Sainsbury.

•   PP. Raphael closed the meeting by thanking Rtn Tim, Rtn. Helmut and their

team for the Administration work, Rtn. David for operating the computer, Sec. John for preparing the Minutes and 1st VP. Dr. Leith for being SaA.

PP. John Glass,

Club Secretary, 2015-16.