the rotary club of richmond

The Rotary Club of Richmond Meeting 1999 17th December 2007

Today’s Meeting

Duty Roster

Meeting #1999 #2000 #2001 #2003 #2004

Date 17 December 14 January 21 January 4 February 11 February

Time 6.30 for 7.00 6.30 for 7.00 6.30 for 7.00 6.30 for 7.00 12.30 for 1.00

Chair Jean-Marc

Berthier

Chef: Michael

O’Sullivan

Mark Dwyer TBA TBA

Greeter John Liddell n/a John Liddell David Langdon David Langdon

Head Table Colin Looker n/a Aivars Lode Aivars Lode Aivars Lode

Director’s Report

n/a n/a Service Projects John

Nairn

Membership Barry Roberts

Communication John Liddell

Cashier Mark Dwyer Sue Bolton

Mark Dwyer Sue Bolton



Kieran Moore Brian Irving

Forthcoming Speakers and Topics

14 Jan Barbecue in Barkly Gardens, Coppin St., Richmond. (Melways 2H B11) 21 Jan Chris Trueman: East Timor Education 28 Jan No Meeting (Australia Day public holiday)

4 Feb TBA 11 Feb TBA

Celebrations Birthdays John Benger 18th

Partners’ Birthdays None

Wedding Anniversaries Tim & Ann Baker 20th, Sue & Kevin Bolton 21st, David & Jill Langdon 23rd

Induction Anniversaries John Nairn 2nd

Thought for today: “Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You

know, the birth of Santa.” Matt Groening, (The Simpsons) US cartoonist & satirist (1954 - )

Bulletin Editor 2007/08: John Liddell: [email protected]

Richmond Rotary Website: http://www.rotaryrichmond.org.au


The President’s Message Here we are: last bulletin, last regular meeting for 2007, family festive season ahead. It is difficult to believe we are already near Christmas and that a 2008 New Year is just around the corner.

Our Christmas dinner is concluding a busy Rotary semester where we saw our 2 major Community Projects delivering results and fellowship, at Boroondara Kindergarten as well as at RYAP, a splendid SLADE awards night, and may other achievements due to outstanding active Rotarian involve-ment.

We definitely deserve the traditional break: wishing you the traditional "Merry Christmas and happy New Year", "Joyeux Noel et Bonne Année", I hope this Family time will allow us to truly show how family is important and key to unveil our potential for all our commitments.

For those who believe in numbers significance or are numerologists, this last bulletin of 2007 is number 1999, therefore the first 2008 bulletin after

the break will of course be the 2000th... I hope no 2000 BUG will burden our Rotary break!

Our Special Forum meeting on the 12th was a move not to let a potential “2000 BUG” transfer past or current difficulties that we, and Rotary, are facing which may threaten our beloved Club’s future.

The Forum was highly productive, thanks to the 24 participating Members and to Barry and Trevor the skilled and motivating facilitators. You will be informed on the outcome and of the follow up process by personal email:

Watch for it, don't bin it, we need your thoughts and action!

Let’s go back to today: enjoy our Christmas gala night, the Salvos band and all what our Club Life Director has prepared for our pleasure and fellowship.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

See you at our traditional New Year BBQ on the 14th: if there is a 2000 BUG around, we may grill it!

Last week’s speaker: Rotarian Phil Loader: The Ban Phakao Project

Phil Loader, from RC Moonee Valley, told us the story of the Ban Phakao Project, which involved the almost total redevelopment of the school in a Lao village. The Moonee Valley club believes that the best projects are people-to-people projects where they provide help on a number of levels. At Ban Phakao they made a deliberate choice to pay local tradesmen local rates.

They constantly met with locals to seek their advice input and direction, and to ensure that they paid the local rate for labour and materials. Rotarians going to Laos paid their own way and they did

not send teams of Australian tradesmen or workers who take the jobs from locals.

The first part of the project in February 2004 comprised urgent repairs and restoration of the existing school wing. This involved rendering 2 classrooms, removal of the old veranda floor and laying a new concrete base, new ceilings, connection of electricity and the installation of lights and cooling fans in all classrooms.

With the advice and assistance of the village, the Moonee Valley project managers employed men from Ban (cont page 3)


Phakao to do all the work and within

three weeks this was completed.

The next step involved building two new classrooms and offices on the area

occupied by the old administration

building. They contracted a local

construction company as they were not able to be in Ban Phakao to supervise

construction. When their team did get

back to Ban Phakao, they witnessed the

final construction sign off on the works

and made all final payments. They then

arranged an official opening with all

those involved to be thanked.

Skills for employment and study in the

21st century require computer skills, a

need recognized by the Ban Phakao School. Oxiana Mining was approached

and donated a network of 20

computers.

In February of 2006 they constructed a

new toilet block so the school now has

boys’ and girls’ toilets with hand basins

and running water. Again, construction

was done by local men and it was

finished in three weeks.

Since February 2006, Phil said, they

have put a new steel roof on the old

school building. The project continues, with more classrooms and computers

now the target.

In the News

Boroondara Kindergarten Project Barbara W reports that thanks to

Barry's efforts, Boroondara

Kindergarten has taken delivery of a

quantity of much-needed furniture from Sieman's storage. Ergonometric and

board room chairs as well as tables, all

looking in great condition, have

replaced some seriously old furnishings. Well done and thank you to Barry and

Siemans.

This Kindergarten project has

demonstrated on several occasions how

tapping into our networks can often

provide surprising outcomes.

InVogue Blinds of Swan St Richmond

have just installed interior blinds on all

the north facing windows and in the

front family room. In this case we have

gone to someone we know and just

ASKED with the result that our money is going further .... we have purchased

more blinds than originally planned, at

far less than budgeted for.

Also, Swan St Auctions have provided

us with yet another enormous discount on a rug we have purchased

for the family room. ShadePort

Australia are currently installing a

shade cloth over the sandpit - at a substantial discount. And Jati's

donation of a teak bench is yet another

example - it is being used constantly -

not only by weary teachers but by

energetic children to launch themselves

into the sandpit!

Unless we ask we may never know

just who, out in our networks, shares

the Rotary spirit of giving back to the

community. I would like to suggest,

that as a club, we set ourselves a

target for next year - to each

approach 5 or 6 members of our

networks and just ASK! Be it for a

donation, a sponsorship, a voucher, or just time volunteering with one of our

projects. I think many may be

surprised at the result .... and it is a lot

less painful than trying to sell raffle

tickets in Bridge Rd.

Finally, the shade cloth is up over the

sand pit - extended shade at last!

ShadePort did the site clearance for

free, gave us a very big discount ...

and then 10% more for prompt

payment - streeeeeeeeeetching our

funds even further.


The trials of a ROMAC volunteer

(reprinted with permission):

EMAIL 1: From: "John Benger"

To: "'Sue Bolton'" Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 9:39 AM. Subject: RE: Rotary-Thfsa-Polio Friendship

Sue, I should note I am very anti the

polio campaign at the moment!!!!! I am

going to an area where there is suspect polio so had to pay $30 for an

injection???? After all the money I have helped raise I should at least get it at the

price the little kids get it around the world. Signed: Bitter and twisted,

Regards John

EMAIL 2: Friday, December 14, 2007 11:41 AM. Subject: Pills

It gets worse. I have just had to pay $80 for a course of anti malaria pills. Regards John

Back page of “What's On In Yarra” Annie Wysham reports: Yarra Council

published an item in December 07

issue, Here and Now column:

“Billboard Art Program

The participants of the Rotary Youth

Arts Project, Napier Studios and Visionary Images, have produced four

billboard artworks to be displayed on the corner of Bridge Road and Church

Street, Richmond. For more

information on the project and the individual artworks, visit:

www.yarracity.vic.gov.au”

(A larger article from the City of Yarra will be added to today’s Bulletin

Website Edition, including a colour picture of one of the billboard designs,

subject to permission from council.)

Kew High School has published a full

page article in their 2007 Yearbook about the Slade Award, featuring Callum Metcher, a pupil at KHS who took 2nd place in the 2007 Competition

last September.

DATE TIME SOCIAL EVENT/ACTIVITY

2008

Mon. 14 January

(Note change of date)

6.30pm

for 7.00pm

Club ‘holiday - period’ BBQ - Barkly Gardens, Coppin Street, Richmond (Mel Map:

2H/B11) BYO. Contact Michael O’Sullivan

Sat. 26 January 10.00am Annual Australia Day Brunch for D9800 – South Melbourne Town Hall, Bank Street,

Sth Melb. Hosted by RC St Kilda. Guest speaker: Lillian Frank PHF. Cost: $55. Contact: Ron Adams 0408 136 100

Finally, A Christmas Grace.

Dear Lord, I've been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us... a turkey which was no doubt a lively, intelligent bird... a social

being... capable of actual affection... nuzzling its young with almost human-like compassion. Anyway, it's dead and we're gonna eat it. Please give our respects to

its family...

Berke Breathed (1957 - ) American cartoonist, from “Bloom County Babylon”

series.

ROTARY DISTRICT 9800, R.I. & OTHER ROTARY LINKS

Richmond Rotary website: www.rotaryrichmond.org.au

District 9800 Home page: www.rotarydistrict9800.org.au

District E-Zine: www.rotarydistrict9800.org.au/Members/Networker

DG’s weekly message: http://www.rotarydistrict9800.org.au/Members/DistrictGovernor#DGMessage

Rotary International: www.rotary.org

RI President’s Monthly Message www.rotary.org/aboutrotary/president/wilkinson/index.html


Here and Now Billboard Art Program

City of Yarra initiative in partnership with Mediaworks

Young people participating in three City of Yarra key Youth Arts programs have

been invited to produce a series of contemporary artworks in the form of

billboards

From November 2007 to February 2008 the participants of the Rotary Youth Arts

Project, Napier Studios and Visionary Images, will produce four billboard artworks

to occupy the billboard site located at the corner of Bridge Road and Church Street

Richmond.

The project is an opportunity for young people to have an active and visible

presence in a very public space. Usually a space that tells young people what they

want, the billboard space will be used by young people to make their own

statements and observations about their lives and the world in which they live.

The billboard program is as follows:

Billboard 1 – November 2007 - Rotary Youth Arts Project

Billboard 2 – December 2007 - Napier Studios Billboard 3 – January 2008 – Visionary Images

Billboard 4 – February 2008 – Visionary Images

Designed to engage, surprise and intrigue passers by, this series of four billboards

gives the local community and visitors to the City of Yarra a chance to engage in

contemporary public art as part of their everyday life.

The City of Yarra wishes to acknowledge Mediaworks for their generous

sponsorship of this project.

Billboard 2 – Napier Studios Street Art Project

Billboard Art Program: A City of Yarra initiative in partnership with Mediaworks


Art Law

Artwork by Napier Studios Crew - D'Arcy Savage, Robbie, Jeff, Matt, Ozzy, Ash, Damo, and Paddy Da Boosh

Billboard graphic design: Justine Wallace www.justinewallace.com

Napier Studios Street Art Project

The City of Yarra and City Link have formed a partnership to support the 2007/08 youth arts program, Napier Studios Street

Art Project. The program is a creative, stimulating and empowering program for local young people. It is open to any

young person who lives, works or studies in the City of Yarra. Participants do not need any existing artistic skills and are

welcome to join the project at any stage.

Young people who participate become the artists in Napier Studios projects have the opportunity to be mentored by

professional guest artists in an environment that allows communication, creativity and expression. The artists and youth

workers involved work hard to give the participants enough knowledge and confidence to express themselves through the

program.

Further information

Arts & Cultural Services c/o Richmond Town Hall, Telephone 9205 5555 Email [email protected]

Links

Within this site

Billboard 1 – Rotary Youth Arts Project

Information supplied by: Electronic communications & design officer - 9205 5214

© City of Yarra 2007 | Contact us | A to Z Index | Telephone listing | Disclaimer

Reprinted with permission.

the rotary club of richmond

Documents