DINNER MEETINGS - SUMMARIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS

  
 

Report on Dinner Meeting 1773

Thursday 9th October 2014

ACKNOWLEDGING MENTAL HEALTH WEEK AND AUSTRALIAN ROTARY HEALTH

The members of the Rotary Club of Encounter Bay wore a hat in recognition of the work of Australian Rotary Health.

Winners of the Hat Competition:

Best Hat: Mike Ryan

Most Outrageous: Bob McFarland

Special Mention: Brenton Abbott

Daryl Schmitt won the ‘Guess How Many Caps on the Clothes Line’ competition – supplied by President Alan.

Auctioneer Graham sold a Rotary Cap to the highest bidder with $15 – winner Brenton Abbott.

Our Guest Speaker for the night, Dr. Andrew Benson, provided a Hat Quiz and stretched our grey matter by asking us to identify a large variety of hats that were significant through the ages.

Andrew’s main topic for the evening was Dementia.

Social impact of Dementia:

  • 44 million people worldwide have Dementia
  • Global cost is $604 billion
  • 1 person in 10 over the age of 65 have Dementia
  • 332,000 people in Australia have Dementia

What is it?

Dementia is not a specific disease. It is a symptom associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.

Signs of Dementia:

  • Memory loss that disrupts daily life
  • Challenges in planning or solving simple problems
  • Difficulty completing familiar tasks
  • Confusion in time or place
  • Trouble understanding visual images
  • Withdrawal from work or social activities
  • Change in mood and personality

Types of Dementia:

  • Alzheimer’s Disease – no known cause: 70% of people with dementia have this type:
  • Vascular Dementia – due to a series of Strokes: 17% of people with dementia have this type
  • Dementia with Lewy Body
  • CJD – Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Risk Factors for Dementia:

  • Smoking
  • Hypertension
  • Depression

How is Dementia diagnosed?

  • History
  • Activities questionnaire
  • Mini-mental test
  • Cognitive test
  • CT scan
  • MRI

Treatment:

  • Medications to treat the symptoms
  • Lifestyle changes to keep person safe – emotionally and physically

Prevention:

  • Exercise regularly
  • Eat a healthy Mediterranean type diet
  • Regular mental stimulation
  • Good quality sleep pattern
  • Good stress management process
  • Lead an active social life

Implications:

  • People with Dementia in the later stages, will not have the ability to complete ‘Advance Care Directives’ or appoint an ‘Enduring Power of Attorney’. This should be completed in the early stages of the disease. Have you all done this?
  • Wills cannot be altered or written by a person with advanced Dementia
  • Driving a motor vehicle is not possible for people with advanced Dementia
  • As the disease progresses, full time caring is required.

 

Meeting 1772 Notes
2nd October 2014

Sergeant Ken opened the meeting and called on Carole Brown for the Invocation and Toast.

President Alan:

  • Welcomed guests, the Brown family and Fiona Stewart, Exchange Student in Germany, 1996/7.
  • Presentation to Graham Brown for introducing a new member.
  • Acknowledged birthdays and anniversaries for Mike Kelly, Bob and Judith Sedunary and Brenda Manuel.
  • Reminded members of the Scatter Meeting for the week after next and offered rides to Goolwa and Strathalbyn.
  • Referred members to Mark Huddlestone’s article in the Rotary Down Under newsletter.
  • Drew members’ attention to one of the Conference speaker’s upcoming visit to our District and the District AGM.
  • Commented on our successful application for a grant for New Life Africa and the rainwater supply for Nukuru.

Secretary Phil:

  • Shared Thank you letters from the Cancer Support Group and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Treasurer Mike:

  • Reminded us that subs are overdue.
  • Informed us of a donation from Victor Harbor Rotary Club for our assistance.

Chairman Brenton:

  • Called for Rotary Spots.
  • Barry Prior, a thank you letter from Cambodia.
  • Des Schirmer on our need to increase our membership.
  • David Virgin on his upcoming trip to Nukuru for the installation of rainwater tanks, plumbing and design for the Boys’ section of the school.

Sergeant Ken:

  • Ran the usual fine session with the usual outrageous fines.

Guest Speaker – Rob Williams from SAPOL and the Victor Harbor Club:

  • Showed videos on the Anti-terrorism group and the STAR Force.
  • Pointed out that each state has these groups and the selection and training processes to become members of these groups.
  • He has spent years himself in these groups.
  • Three major criteria:
    • Teamwork
    • Leadership
    • Operational skills.
  • Skills also include High Risk response, Search and Rescue coordination and Marine Search and Rescue.
  • Tasks include VIP protection in conjunction with the Federal Police, specialist driving, Forward Looking Infra-Red and general policing.


 



Dinner Meeting 1767

ROTARY CLUB OF ENCOUNTER BAY

28th August 2014

Induction of John Haynes

Guest Speaker Katthy Coccetti
Preservation of Aboriginal Languages
President Elect Brenton Abbott with John Haynes and his wife Fiona.
 
Rotary Badge for the newest member - John Haynes
  
Bob and Thena Hall and Fiona Haynes listen to Brenton as he inducts John
 
A happy moment
  
An Excellence Award for Gill
 
Chairperson Peter Francis with Guest Speaker Kathy Coccetti 		 
Kathy provides insight into Aboriginal Languages.


Meeting 1767 Report: 28th August 2014

INDUCTION OF JOHN HAYNES John has worked at many Westpac branches throughout SA, and was appointed to the Victor Harbor Branch in 1995. John and his wife Fiona have two children aged 22 and 19, and John was an Apexian in Victor Harbor for a number of years. Johns classification is “Banking Management” and he will be a member if the International Committee this year.

GUEST SPEAKER: KATHY COCCETTI
“Aboriginal Languages; Reclaiming, Relearning” Kathy, who is currently a Music Teacher at Victor Harbor High School, explained that she had spent several years as a Manager in Languages Education at Head Office of the Education Department. As part of this role she worked in Marree with some local Aboriginal people to develop resources for them to maintain and teach their language, Arabunna.

Kathy explained about the dramatic loss of Aboriginal languages that has occurred since European arrival in Australia and about the importance of language to a person’s culture and identity.  The preservation of the few Aboriginal languages that remain is now a well-recognised priority.

From the short films presented by Kathy, we saw how current Aboriginal generations are embracing and learning their traditional languages, to be supported as part of their education alongside English.

Meeting Recorder: Mike Price.



RCEB Meeting 1766
21 August 2014 
Fred Van Gestel was our very knowledgeable and stimulating guest speaker who provided us with an excellent visual journey through the built environment of Victor Harbor, many of whose old buildings have been destroyed or modified.

In creating his presentation Fred, who came to Victor Harbor several years ago, has viewed more than 3,000 photographs. Many of these are from the National Trust of which Fred is a passionate supporter. The photographs reflected an era when Victor became a port in 1864, when the two officers at the Victor Harbor Police Station where responsible for policing between Cape Jervis and Goolwa, when Mt Breckan was evidently re-built in 1907 with the earnings of one wool clip and when it was tended by 31 servants.

At its peak the town had 45 guest houses with most now destroyed. Highlights of the evening, however, were to hear the gasping litany “Oh yes! I remember that!” For some   of our surviving members from the last millennium, namely Bob Hall, Des Schirmer, David Virgin, Gill Houlihan and Barry Pryor it seemed particularly exciting journey down memory lane! Thank you Fred for sharing your passion with us.

 Recorder: Peter Francis




DINNER MEETING 1765

Thursday 14th August 2014

 Urimbirra



President Alan inducts Carole Brown into Rotary. Pam Emmett introduces Carole while Graham Brown looks on.




Guest at the meeting
- John Haynes - enjoying proceedings
 

Guest Speaker David Virgin with
Deidre Hughes - chairperson for the evening.
 
DINNER MEETING 1765 Thursday 14th August 2014

DAVID VIRGIN’S ROTARY PROFILE:
  • David was inducted into the Rotary Club of Encounter Bay on Sept 29th 1983 – almost 31 years ago
  • He held the position of President of this club in 2001/02
  • On the 4th July 1998, David was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship and
  • On the 3rd July 2011, received his first Sapphire pin
  • Other positions held within the club include International Director, Club Service Director and Community Director
  • He and Janice have hosted 5 exchange students
  • They have been counselors many times tro outgoing and incoming exchange students
  • David and Janice are both strong supporters of the New Life Africa School and Orphanage in Nakuru, Kenya.
DAVID’S TALK TO CLUB MEMBERS: “You may have seen Virgin Road – named after our family. Other roads take you places, but Virgin Road doesn’t go anywhere. Our family left England in 1859. There were nine children, and they set up and established themselves on farming land in Hindmarsh Valley. They became farmers, ran a sawmill, operated a piggery, and became involved in the building industry – especially in the building of dairies.

I was born in Victor Harbor and went to the local Primary School and the High School. I played badminton, table tennis and football. I also bred pigeons and still have a certificate gained at the Strathalbyn show where I won COCK OF THE SHOW. My first job was as a labourer on the sewerage far. From there I joined my father’s business – the first project being the home of Glen and Vicki Goldsack – happily it is still there.

I was able to undertake further studies undertaking a Building Technician Course at the SA Institute of Technology. As an outcome I gained employment with the Commonwealth Government as part of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). In 1975 I travelled to the Philippines (Only $90 for 2 weeks). It was there I met Janice (wife). She had been a Rotary exchange student to Oregon and this became my first introduction to Rotary. We were married in 1977 and then spent two and a half years in Darwin (We loved it).

I then returned to my fathers business, which had progressed from the building of dairies To the building of custom built homes. This is what I wanted. In 1983 I was invited to join Rotary – it had to wait until the football season was over so as not to clash. Rotary was fun then – and is still fun now. My greatest disappointment has been the downfall of the Youth Exchange program – possibly due to the bureaucratic requirements such as police checks.

Janice and I have two children – SHARI (30) and MARK (28). Shari has done volunteer work in the New Life Africa School. Mark is a senior manager for Ernst Young. Both children have the travel bug (surprise!!). I retired 3 years ago and 'passed the business on' to protect the local trades people who had served loyally for many years. I am still using my skills – especially with the New Water Project in Kenya, and the development of a new Boys Home for 80 boys (orphans). The project is a $350,000 project (but $2-3m if built in Australia). I will support the project on site in person. The project should employ 50 Kenyans @ $% a day – a real boost to their economy! I would be delighted if Rotarians from our club took up the challenge and joined me in Kenya.”

Recorder: Peter Manuel

 

Shirley Sunter is inducted into Rotary by President Alan.


Phim Beckett returned from Arlie Beach Rotary Club with a banner exchanged on his visit.
  

President Alan thanks Mark Huddleston - Guest speaker and D9520 Membership and PR Chair/

DINNER MEETING 1764 Thursday 7th August 2014

Guest Speaker: District 9520 Membership and Public Relations Chair – Mark Huddleston

ACCESS THE SLIDES CONTAINING FULL DETAILS OF MARK'S TALK - CLICK HERE

Mark began by reminding us to look after the members we have – we need to involve them all. We tend in Rotary to spend our time filling the bucket, but we fail to fill the holes and the bucket leaks!

Globally there are currently 1.2 million members and this remains largely unchanged. We recruited 100,000 last year – but lost an equivalent number. Between 2003 and 2013 we formed 2552 new clubs, but the membership gain over that period was actually a loss of 252 members. Australian leakage over that period was 5260 members!

Rotary is battling for relevance. For those in the Western World, why join Rotary? In other parts of the world there is a humanitarian need that is building membership.

There is a decline in our own district. In 2010 there were 1480 members. Now (2014) we have only 1360.

Our focus therefore is to focus on both RETENTION and RECRUITMENT.

RECRUITMENT: Clubs need to build their networks, and take advantage of the ripple effect we create through our supportive activities.

-       Who have we touched over the last 10 years? (students, alumni, awards etc)

-       Who have we involved in our programs (Speakers, GSE, Peace Scholars etc)

-       What charities and organizations have we supported?

We should immediately establish a DATA BASE and keep in constant contact with these people.

RETENTION: Why do people leave us?

There are some ‘uncontrollables’ – death, poor health, relocation, competing priorities.

We need to focus on the ‘controllables’. Is there a lack of involvement, engagement, inclusion, and leadership opportunities? Are we meeting individual needs?

CLUB ROTARIAN SURVEY: To assist our club, Mark conducted a personal needs survey for the board to analyse.

WHAT THEN IS THE SILVER BULLET?

All clubs can offer

-       Diversity in membership (Gender, race, etc)

-       A good meeting venue

-       Structured, informative and punctual meetings

-       Good communication within and beyond the club

-       Quality projects

-       Mentoring for new members

-       Links to the business Community

-       A vibrant Social Calendar

-       Information about Rotary

-       An environment which is inclusive (all people and all ideas valued).

OUR VIEW OF WHERE WE HAVE BEEN MUST NOT OBSTRUCT WHERE WE ARE GOING! Recorder: Peter Manuel

 Seen at ILLUMINATE - a Facebook Training Day at Flinders University Saturday 2nd August 2015
   
Left: Peter, Gill and Phil  Above: Gill and Phil

 DINNER MEETING 1763
Thursday 31st July 2014
Guest Speaker Andy McCarthy - ex ABC Music Historian
 

Guest Speaker Andy McCarthy - ex ABC Music Historian 		 

Gill Houlihan presents Andy with a small gift of appreciation
   
  Notes from Rotary meeting 31 July 2014 Guest Speaker Andy McCarthy, introduced by past-president Gill Houlihan Andy worked for the ABC for a total of 33 1/3 years. He kept coming back to roles in the music industry given his passion, describing himself as a “music tragic”. He enjoyed listening to music on the radio right through from when he was a young child and he anchors particular memories to particular songs. Friends and family that have been aware of his passion have often been instrumental in opening the right doors. He initially started out in Queensland and worked for the military as an historian/ archivist. When significant changes were occurring in that sector, he moved out and across to the ABC, staring as a storeman and then moving on to the Sound Library. While working away from the ABC, he moved onto a role as an announcer/DJ working alongside Kevin Norton in a nationally broadcast show. He spoke very fondly of these times and it was clear that this era was a highlight of his working life. Subsequent work back at the ABC saw him working both as a DJ and in the music store where his specialist knowledge was highly valued. He commented that he prefers CD’s to either vinyls or digital recordings due to their better sound quality and durability. Andy will be assisting our club, helping past-president Gill as she sort through some old vinyl records that have been donated to our club.

Recorder Kathy Coccetti


 
DINNER MEETING 1760
Urimbirra
THURSDAY 17th JULY 2014
Tim Sheirlaw: "Umoja Orphanage - Kenya"

 


Guest Speaker, Tim Sheirlaw with Chairperson, David Virgin
 

Alan Mullins enjoys the night
 

Raffle winner Deidre Hughes

Umoja Orphanage, Kenya

Tim Shierlaw from our mother club RC Victor Harbor gave us a well illustrated account of his time spent working at Umoja Orphanage Kenya as a member of the Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) Project Number 51/2011-12. He was one of the 2nd Volunteer Team working on this development project during September and October 2013. There were 7 from SA, 5 from Vic, 3 from Qld and 1 from ACT

Umoja Orphanage is located on the south eastern coast of Kenya, near Diani Beach and Ukunda . Umoja is the Swahili word for "unity“.

Cathy Booth, school teacher from Bundaberg, Queensland, founded Umoja Orphanage Kenya in July 2011 after volunteering in a Kenyan orphanage. Once she saw the difference that intervention and a safe environment can make to orphaned children she was compelled to begin her own non-profit organisation.

14 Volunteers from all over Australia, plus Cathy set out to securely fence 15 acres of land which had been purchased by Cathy and her best friend Lesley Booth to be set up as the Umoja Orphanage.

Main features of the project included:

  • Completing 1.5km x 15 strand barb wire 6 ½ ft high fence in 6 full days.
  • Setting all 515 treated eight foot pine posts in concrete.
  • The holes all dug by hand and machete.
  • Using 22.5 km of barbed wire, 11 000 staples.
  • Challenges getting appropriate materials and quality tools
  • Teaching some of the locals how to use the tools and how to construct a fence.

In addition to the fencing project the team also ran a three day medical clinic. It focussed on dealing with the severe sores caused by Jiggers. Jiggers are a flea living in the soil. The female burrows into children’s feet. As children do not wear shoes and their skin is soft it is easy. Once in the flea lays eggs in the child’s feet and severe infection follows.

The team also visited the Good Life Orphanage near Mombasa. It is a template for Umoja Orphanage and is almost self- sustaining with 1 acre of land set aside for crops and cows. It has a school catering for around 200 children.

Tim also saw ay first hand another very positive project run by the Indian community near Mombasa, where every Sunday up to 2,500 children are fed and given small ration packs at Kikambala feeding station.

The group also visited the RC of Diani. Its members were in the process of founding a new Rotary Club in nearby Kwale as they were the only Rotary club south of Mombasa. Members were a real mixture of nationalities from all around the world. The meeting was held outside under a pergola at the Diani Beach Leisure Golf Club.

The group also had the opportunity to go on a four day wild life safari and Tim was able to show us some film of the superb African animal life.

His lasting message though was the good that can come from a small dedicated group of Rotarians working with others on humanitarian projects.  It was thoroughly interesting and thought-provoking.Thank you Tim for sharing your experiences with us.

Recorder: Peter Francis



 


Chairperson Barry Pryor with Jessica Stevens - CEO of Fleurieu Support for the Homeless and Disabled. 		 





DINNER MEETING 1760

THURSDAY 10TH JULY 2014

"Support for the homeless and disadvantaged"

Jessica Stevens

144 homeless people

50 homeless children
  Homelessness and Domestic Violence were the issues  discussed by the guest speaker at the Encounter Bay Rotary  Club’s Meeting No I760. Jessica Stevens  is the Regional Manager for the Fleurieu & Kangaroo Island  branch of “Junction Australia“. Junction Australia is an independent provider of community support & housing services. Junction Australia aims to strengthen lives & communities across Australia  Some of the salient points that arose from Jessica’s  talk were:
  • In Australia tonight, I05,000 people are homeless.
  • On the Fleurieu peninsula at the present time, there is no  permanent accommodation house  as such for victims of domestic violence or for homeless people (Only temporary    accommodation  -   e.g. motel type accommodation ) 
  • The popular misconception of a homeless person is one sleeping on a park bench all night
  • However there are two more degrees (albeit lesser degrees) of homelessness which do not receive the same recognition  -  sometimes called Hidden Homelessness
  • They are Couch Surfing  where the person or family has to continually change their sleeping  from night to night.
  • And Caravan park accommodation.
  • A survey into homelessness was undertaken in March of this year on the Fleurieu Peninsula   and it was found that I44 PEOPLE COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS HOMELESS (Previous surveys were based on false or inadequate information  based on boarding house figures).
  • DON’T BLAME A PERSON FOR BEING HOMELESS. It is only 2 steps from homelessness for most, if not all of us. First step is lose your job and then have your marriage collapse!
  • In the survey undertakern on the Fleurieu Peninsula 47% of the homeless adults were under 40 years of age
What can be done?
  • Jessica stated that her dream would be to have a secure  permanent  accommodation house  for the Fleurieu Peninsula.
  • She stated that there would be rough times ahead in support for the homeless and victims of domestic violence with further I 5% cut from both Federal & State Governments.
  • She did point out  that there would be an information booth at the Victor Harbor Farmers' Marketon August the 9th.  There would also be a white ribbon event held in Victor harbor Farmers' Market on 30th November to highlight issues relating to Violence Against Women.

    Reporter Brian Rodan.