It was a pleasure to attend the offices of the new Mayor of Port Phillip, Marcus Pearl, along with Jason Kelly. Jason and Marcus know each other through their previous dealings with matters relating to CoPP.
Marcus showed himself to an astute and intelligent person who gets straight to the point. Marcus raised a few issues relating to Port Phillip Rotary, showing he has a breadth of understanding across the board.
The purpose of the visit by Jason and me, was to introduce ourselves and make it very clear that as a rotary club, we are very interested in partnering with CoPP for the betterment of the community. The relationships that we develop can not only better the club but also benefit the collaborations we have in various areas.
Costa, Garden Guru and the Melbourne Pollinators’Corridor
The premise for Rotary Port Phillip to assist with a community Garden at Park Towers in South Melbourne was based on the positive impact it would have on the mental health of the residents who participated, and for all residents to be able to enjoy a tranquil and beautiful space. The residents want to be proud of where they live.
Rotary Port Phillip were approached by Star Health to be involved in the project. As often happens the idea expanded following a conversation with Environmental, Sustainability, Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) regarding the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor (MPC), a project started and developed by Emma Cutting. Emma is the founder of The Heart Gardening Project (THGP). Emma’s work was featured on Gardening Australia with Costa personally interviewing her while walking around South Melbourne looking at the work that Emma and her volunteers have implemented so far. The benefits of including it at Park Towers needed to be explored.
https://www.theheartgardeningproject.org.au/
Emma Cutting’s suggestion is that indigenous gardens be planted involving the residents in the Towers Park reserve was embraced by the residents along with a community engagement day.
It’s more than just planting a garden. It will encourage involvement of the Towers community and the local South Melbourne communities in a project of benefit to all South Melbourne residents. Emma spoke passionately about involving the local school children and the benefits to the mental health of the community involvement.
What is evident is that it combines benefits to the environment and benefits to the local community. It is very exciting!
Pinchapoo (slang for Pinch-a-shampoo) is proudly responsible for creating a cheeky hotel toiletry ‘pinching’ movement 12 years ago… and for good reason! Using this world first, modern day Robin Hood concept together with landfill stock rescue programs, Pinchapoo has redistributed more than 8.5 MILLION personal hygiene products to hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged men, women and children nationally each year. Pinchapoo is the biggest national not-for-profit supplier of personal hygiene essentials and works with over 700 + leading organisations, community groups and government institutions as a total hygiene solution, providing a reliable source of customised, culturally appropriate and gender inclusive packs to EVERYBODY in EVERY situation of need.
Rotary 9800 sent in a team of 15 people from various clubs to attempt the mighty Guiness Book of Records packing event. Together we aimed to break the record for the biggest word made out of tables (#HYGIENEPOVERTY) and the most amount of hygiene packs packed in one hour! That’s a whopping 501 tables and 5411 packs! It was buzzing with excitement as everybody got to work in teams to pack, pack, pack. And the winners were…the recipients of the packs.
It was a fun, team effort at the Caulfield Racecourse and wonderful be part of a couple of hundred people who showed up to help others.
Rotary Melbourne South was one sponsor of the Linden Gallery Postcard Show, which is an open entry art prize supporting living artists by presenting and selling their works as well as acknowledging the diversity and inspirational practices. With over 1,000 works, the judges certainly had a task to select the finalists.
Arts Project Australia artist Anthony Romagnano picked up the Best Portrait in Show for his work titled A Portrait of Warren Ellis, which the judges noted its great use of colour and was both an “abstract work and a portrait”. Anthony is an artist who works with Arts Project Australia and has just received a major commission for the City of Yarra and is included in a show at the Australian Centre For Contemporary Art - called Who’s Afraid of Public Space.The Linden Gallery got to announce this on the International Day of People with Disability so it seemed like everything was aligned.
A Portrait of Warren Ellis, 2021
Image courtesy of the artist & Arts Project Australia.
I’m Doug Hemingway, the retired Chair of Rotary Club Port Melbourne, which has amalgamated with Rotary Club South Melbourne, to become Rotary Club Port Phillip.
At our last meeting, Lucy Douglas, who has been an outstanding member of Rotary, proposed we do something about the growing suicide rate amongst locked down youths. My first thought was a donation to Beyond Blue or one of the larger corporations but we decided to go local and quickly.
Lucy got to work on the phone and found Kristy at the Crisis Centre in St Kilda. Kristy explained that they have several houses with teenage youths in lock down. Kristy told Lucy the easiest way to put a smile on their faces was through gift cards and the fact that a club such as Rotary wanted to reach out to let them know that we care.
Lucy reported to me, and I went to our board members and got permission to spend $2000. I then went to Coles and Australia Post and got $50 cards in Coles, Sports Girl, Amazon and JB HiFi for games, which are what they do in lock down.
The club meeting was Monday night and by Friday night there were lots of smiling faces, just where they were needed. Rotary makes change happen.
Rotary Port Phillip is serving to make a difference in the Balibo region of Timor Leste by funding a COVID19 Vaccination Rollout Project.
Rollout of the vaccine in Timor Leste (TL), while supported by the Australian Government, has been slow with currently less than 20% of the population fully vaccinated. The vast majority of this work has been undertaken in the capital Dili with minimal progress in regional areas.
The adult population in the Balibo region is approximately 20,000 and enquires indicated that there is a high rate of COVID infections in the region reinforcing the need to take urgent action to administer the vaccine rollout.
In conjunction with representatives of Spend it Well, local National Government Organisation, Sabeh ( Saude Ba Ema Hotu - Health For All ) and the Australian Government representative in TL coordinating the Australian Government response, a project running over a two week period, to administer one dose of the vaccine to approximately 5,000 to 6,000 people.
Sabeh have been engaged to conduct this essential work and commenced operations on October 4, involving :-:
Mobilising 30 Sabeh doctors, nurses and health professionals to run a two-week program (all have been fully vaccinated)
The Sabeh personnel have split into two teams. One team is providing a fixed vaccination clinic model in the main population centre of Balibo village. The other team is operating a mobile vaccination program to service remote areas (where people are unable to travel to Balibo town or fixed clinics)
Sabeh coordinated with the sub-district health director to organise cold chain temperature storage of the AZ vaccine made available by the Timor-Leste government, having originally been donated by the Australian Government.
Sabeh personnel are being provided with accommodation, food and basic necessities for the two-week program.
Dr Andre, Head of the Sabeh, reported that the medical treatment SABEH are doing alongside the vaccinations appears to be very important as well. Dr Andre said they’ve seen a lot of people living in pain rather than going to a health centre for treatment. They’ve also highlighted the need for a school health program, having seen a lot of children suffering from malnutrition, tooth decay and vision problems. They are connecting those with tooth issues to the dental clinic at the Balibo Community Learning Centre
October is Mental Health Month, the perfect time to celebrate Australian Rotary Health's national mental health awareness and fundraising campaign Lift the Lid on Mental Illness.
Recipe “Wall” – Christmas Fruit Cake by John Wall For those of you who are my “friend” on Facebook, you know I’ve been working from home since March 2020. Working during the week kept the boredom at bay but weekends were a struggle. So I did the online thing and bought some many appliances. My best purchase I would have to say is the slow cooker and when I found a recipe for a Christmas Fruit Cake which involves rum, no questions asked, had to be done.
Slow cooking is so easy – ingredients, mix, and cook. Very helpful for a male like me! You can add/subtract what you want. I added glazed cherries and it is so moist. I’m working my way through the first one and I have the ingredients for a second one which will be for the family Christmas catch-up. I’ve also done a more traditional oven-based one but this slow cooker one is my favourite!!!!
We have 220 wonderful Rotarians and friends walking and we would love you to join the party (if not already registered). Imagine if there were at least double the numbers proudly pounding the pavement to help eradicate polio. How great would that be? And even with just one sponsor, that will make a huge difference.
Walking for a purpose is just great for the body and soul. The fact that it helps end polio across the world is even better.
It would also help if you can share the information about the event with your friends, family and colleagues through the phone, text, email or social media.
Please come join us at Rotary Walk With Us End Polio and feel good about making a difference. The event page has a lot of information about the history of Polio and the efforts of Rotary to eradicate Polio from the world.
Make your donation, through this event, your personal donation to Polio this year.
Donations also count towards your individual Rotary Foundation giving.
It's even better as all donations via Rotary will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Individual donors are recognised and will receive a tax receipt for donations over $2.
We hope you can help as it is crucial to have every Rotarian involved to ensure we achieve our promise to the world to eradicate polio.
Lockdown drags on and drags us down with it. You may like to consider to make a self-care plan and stick to it. Do activities to help reduce anxiety: daily physical activity, read a book, cook a nice meal or take up a new hobby. Stop the negative self talk by asking yourself if there is another way of thinking about this. We can all do our bit by rolling up the sleeve and getting the jab. Always think of others so reaching out becomes part of your day. It will fill their bucket and yours at the same time.
Come along to an evening of merriment as we raise funds for Fight Cancer Foundations Footy Colours Night Monday September 20th 6pm for a 6.30 start. This is the night we raise we raise funds that will directly impact the lives of those going through Cancer Treatments and the community.
An update on what’s been happening with FCF in this time of Covid:
Accommodation Centres have been running as normal throughout this horrid COVID period. There has been a tightening of access and hygiene protocols to ensure the safety of the guests as best we can. Even one of our guest speakers, Eric Wright – MD Fight Cancer Foundation, has been allowed to go in – on the upside though there has been no covid incidents at any of the sites. Let’s hope it stays that way!
FCF have just finished a $4 million extension at Albury. The timing of which was so exquisite – launching a public appeal in December 2019 – quickly followed by bushfires then Covid.
However thanks to public support and nights like this the funds flowed in and it’s all finished and paid for! Eric Wright is now sorting out some finer details of a new centre in Shepparton and then will be in a position to re-activate the project at North Melbourne. It’s full steam ahead! Our night will make a real difference and continue to show how we serve the community.
We have some fabulous items to auction off including:
1. Organic Infusion Facial from Endota Day Spa valued at $155
2. Yarra Yering Dry Red Wine No. 1 Vertical Pack valued at $375
3. Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin 700mL valued at $81.99
Be part of this annual event and also hear from the likes of Ian Robson CEO Rowing Australia amongst his many other tags and messages of support from Bill Brownless and few others.
Rotary has a long running history with FCF through its inception as Bone Marrow Donation Institute and BMDI Rotary House, so how about donning your colours and spending an hour with some fabulous people for a wonderful cause
All the money we raise through Footy Colours Day funds Fight Cancer Foundation's education support programs, which keep kids with cancer learning while they receive and recover from life-saving treatment.
These kids are absent from school for long periods of time as they go through cancer treatment and recovery. Many drop class levels when they return to school, become isolated from their friends and disengage from their education. Fight Cancer Foundation education programs fight to reduce the long-term impact of cancer and help kids with cancer get back to doing what they do best - being a kid!
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month when Rotarians focus on the goal of strengthening the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. As we know, literacy is the key.
AFL star Eddie Betts has written a couple of books for children celebrating the power of positivity we can create when we come together and spread kindness. The books also share and educate kids on Aboriginal culture. Eddie knows the impact that being literate can be as he was in his late teens before cracking that code of literacy. I can see Christmas presents for children and grandchildren being fun and educational. Great work, Eddie!
Learning, Leading, Action - Showcasing the Wonderful Impact of Rotary
Learning, Leading, Action was this year’s Zone 8 conference theme, putting a spotlight on the essence of Rotarians and the way we get things done. The speakers are leading our organisation and our impact, and taking action to change lives in our communities. Viewers were inspired to Lead Learn Act in new ways that deepen our engagement and increase Rotary’s impact.
This year’s conference with its theme of ‘Learning, Leading, Action’ is designed to connect with Rotary’s Areas of Focus as well as the wealth of Rotary projects and activities.
‘Learning’ is for the positive growth mindset Rotarians bring to solving problems.
‘Leading’ is for the vital leadership role all Rotarians play within their communities.
‘Action’ represents the action and positive impact we all make THROUGH Rotary.
The conference gave the opportunity to share our stories with a larger audience and bring a first class line-up of local and international speakers, made possible by the online environment.
MEDIA AND ROTARY
Every person or organisation has a story to tell which will interest the media. We need to increase public awareness and understanding of Rotary to set the stage for membership growth, fundraising and collaboration.
Rotary members are actively working to improve communities around the world and have so much to share with an external audience so they can learn about Rotary and also hopefully join in our efforts. The positive news is that media needs stories now more than ever - journalists require fresh information to plug into websites, papers, radio slots and television slots. Time zones and printing schedules don’t limit the media anymore and most news outlets have a 24-hour news cycle to meet the growing demand to deliver news as it happens.
The challenge is to package and present stories in a way that will get them covered by media.
Here are a several factors that can determine whether a journalist will be keen on a story.
News hook: A clear reason for telling a story at a particular time. Does the story relate to current events, trends or observances?
Timeliness: News that is about to occur, ongoing or near completion.
Proximity: News that pertains to issues, people or events to occur within the location of a media organisation and audience.
Prominence: News that involves public figures, celebrities and notables.
Human interest: News that elicits sympathy or emotional response.
Consequence: News about the result of something that has significant impact on the news organisation’s audience or influencer’s followers.
Visually compelling: New or unique and attention getting images that dramatically convey the message.
Data: Relevant statistics and research that support the story.
Handy tip: do the following two things if you’d like to learn more and stay up to date with what media tend to write about or how you could fit into the mix.
Get to know your local media by reading the local newspaper, watch the evening news, listen to the radio to discover what stories are being shared.
Also, follow their social media channels to identify where your story might fit in to their mix.
For further information on how to create a pitch please contact angela.stavro@rotary.org
Sandi Fulcher organised writing sessions with Jeanette Leigh who is an author, journalist, copywriter, blogger and screenwriter. If you don’t know Jeanette’s books, you may remember her as a journalist for The Age. Jeanette has asked participants write a 350-word piece on one of our club’s projects. Jeanette then provided feedback on each submission adding value . Sue, Pam and I all took part in the sessions and found it to be very instructive.
Interestingly, the platform that has the biggest impact is Facebook. We need to get very savvy about its use. When I say we, I mean you.
Bake some muffins in the morning, make a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable as you Join the DG for Morning Tea. It will be Dale Hoy’s first venture into the morning sessions since being elected District Governor and I am sure he would like your support. Saturday 18th September 10.00am to 11.am. Book through
trybooking.com/BUCYL
An added bonus is that you can join in still wearing your pjs. What better way to spend a lazy Saturday morning before the busy schedule of a lockdown afternoon.
Following a very successful event in 2020 Rotarians, friends and the community are encouraged once again to take action from October 1st to 31st to raise awareness, funds, and support to end poliomyelitis, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens the children of the world today.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary worldwide has helped to reduce polio cases from an average of 1000 cases per day in 1987 to a total of only 140 cases in 2020, a 99.9% reduction. It is crucial to eliminate polio from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two countries where it remains endemic. We must also keep all other countries polio-free. If eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year.
Rotary and its partners are committed to eliminating poliomyelitis completely from the world. Smallpox is the only other disease ever completely eradicated. Funds are still needed to continue immunization and surveillance efforts.
The Rotary Walk With Us campaign throughout October is a fun way to raise awareness and funds to End Polio Now. Using Rotary’s friendly website (www.rotarywalkwithus.org), you can register to walk and set distance and fundraising goals. Alternatively, you can donate to someone who is walking. For the walkers the total distance you have set for the month is accumulated over the entire month of October. So, you can walk when, where and with whom you want in a COVID safe way. Each walk is logged on the website along with all donations. It’s easy.
All donations through Rotary will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who are partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductable. Individuals, teams and Rotary clubs will be recognised and credited for their donations by The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust.
The results of the 2020 event exceeded all expectations. People registered from across Australia and the world. This resulted in raising over $122,000 for the End Polio campaign. The added benefit was the positive effect on physical and mental health by providing a focus for those living with COVID restrictions.
Register to walk and donate at www.rotarywalkwithus.org
This website has more information on the event and the global program to eradicate Polio.
Donate today and be a part of the countdown to history. With your help we can end Polio for good.
The Rotary Satellite Club of Casey-Cardinia are hosting this year’s Virtual Footslog 2021 by Walking, Running or Riding to raise funds for Mental Health in our community. Proceeds will go to supporting programs in Rotary Mental Health and the Lift the Lid campaign along with other initiatives within our community.
Lift the Lid – Australian Rotary Health
Mental Health is a key issue in today’s society, so, get active do your part this October!
Check out the webpage. www.virtualfootslog.org
What is the Virtual Footslog?
To Footslog means Verb: (especially of a soldier) walk or march for a long distance, typically wearily or with effort. The Rotary Satellite Club of Casey -Cardinia have designed a virtual campaign where they are asking people to register and set a challenge of either 50km, 100km or 150km to raise money and awareness for mental health. They can either walk, run or cycle (or do a combination) their nominated distance in the month of October.
During the event, they will need to log their distances via Strava (this is free). We know there is a clear link to the benefits between exercise and easing mental health concerns.
All participants will receive a medal on their completion of their nominated distance.
To find out more on the event: https://www.virtualfootslog.org/home
How much does the event cost?
The cost of registration is $40.00. All proceeds go to programs in the community towards mental health. Participants can also donate additional funds. Some of funds will go to programs such as the ‘Lift The Lid’ campaign https://australianrotaryhealth.org.au/support-us/campaigns/lift-the-lid/
The District Foundation Year 11-12 Scholarship Program has been enormously effective in assisting talented and motivated students facing financial hardship to complete their secondary education. Most recipients so far have also gone on to commence tertiary education. Clubs have also used this opportunity to strengthen their relationship with local schools and inspire participation in other Rotary Youth programs.
The District Foundation Committee is once again inviting D9800 clubs to participate in this program. Ten Year 11-12 Scholarship Grants will be made available this year for clubs to offer to local schools for the 2022-2023 school years. The grant of $1,000 will match your club’s contribution of $1,000 to provide the scholarship over the two-year period.
If your club would like to take this opportunity to participate, we recommend starting discussions with your candidate school now.
Applications will open on October 1st 2021 and will close on Friday November 12th 2021. Preference will be given to clubs who have not previously had a scholarship grant, after which it will be first come first served.
Application forms and grant guidelines can be downloaded from the District 9800 website:
Alternatively email the Chair of the District 9800 Humanitarian Grants Committee Richard Blakeman and request the forms be emailed to you: foundation.grants@rotary9800.org
