Next week is our Club Visioning session I ask ask every member to make an effort to attend and actively participate.
As has been noted in several contributions to the Remember When column (50 Years of the RC of Mt Eliza) our Club has a wonderful history of Fellowship.
One of my aims this year is to rejuvenate our approach to Fellowship. This will be easier once the current COVID-19 restrictions are eased.
Fellowship is an important aspect of being a Rotarian and RI has formalised the organisation’s structures to allow members with a common interest a platform within Rotary’s structures.
Rotary Fellowships began informally in 1928 with a group of Rotarians with a shared interest in the universal language Esperanto.
In 1947 a group of Rotarian boating enthusiasts began flying the Rotary flag from their craft calling themselves the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians. This is now the longest serving organised RI Fellowship group.
The scope of Rotary Fellowships has changed greatly over the years, however their purpose is still to unite Rotarians in friendship and provide venues for enjoying their favourite recreational or professional activities.
In recent years the opportunities for organised Fellowship across Rotary have expanded and today we have around 60 different Fellowship groups with thousands of Rotarians and partners involved across the globe. The average size of each Fellowship group is just under 600 members.
The breadth of Fellowship is incredible – almost any pastime has a Rotary Fellowship group, ranging from, but not limited to, historic and classic cars, scuba diving, railways, quilting, wine appreciation, travelling, history, dog owning, cruising, cycling, golf, chess, bird-watching and chess.
Our members can join other Rotarians across the globe who are sharing their favourite activities and professional interests through organised recreational and vocational groups in Rotary Fellowships.
Whatever your interest, I encourage members to use the downtime of Coronavirus to explore the RI website and learn more about Rotary Fellowships.
Until next time
Yours in Rotary
Sue
District Governor Mark Humphries and Past President Linda Humphries
Greetings to all Rotarian members at Mt Eliza and other readers of this Bulletin.
At a time when the world races to find a vaccine for COVID-19, this week my column provides information about a key Rotary Project aimed at preventing cervical cancer and saving the lives of children in the Pacific.
In 2021 Rotary International in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific will be 100 years old following the establishment in 1921 of Rotary Clubs in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington.
The Rotary Give Every Child A Future project will celebrate 100 years of service to communities across Australasia and demonstrate that Rotary remains relevant in today’s world.
While there are several centenary projects this is the one project that covers all of Australasia and every Rotary club has been encouraged to participate.
More women die from cervical cancer in Pacific Island countries than in New Zealand or Australia and, in parts of the Pacific, nearly 1 in 18 children die before their 5th birthday from vaccine preventable diseases.
Rotary is going to stop that!
A sustainable project has been developed that will ensure generations of children and women are protected against cervical cancer, rotavirus and pneumococcal disease.
Despite improvements in vaccines programs, the poorest and hardest to reach children are still being left behind.
Diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea remain leading killers of children under five years and high rates of life-threatening cervical cancer continue to devastate Pacific Island families. Poor health systems, limited government resources, environmental challenges and families living in difficult to reach areas mean children are missing out on life-saving vaccines.
In partnership with UNICEF, Rotary has set a goal of protecting 100,000 children from rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and cervical cancer, across nine Pacific Island Countries: Nauru, Tuvalu, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, Kiribati and Tokelau over three years by delivering three vaccines across these nine countries.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing financing to the governments of Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to introduce these three vaccines.
Independently Rotary will fund some regional and other supporting activities in those four countries. It will also fully fund a similar program in the other five countries independently of ADB.
Rotarians are urged to learn more about this project, share information with others and consider making an individual donation. Every $45 donated will protect a child.
This week is my son’s birthday, he will be 42, how time flies. More changes have occurred than I can remember and never think about until one pops its head up. Like email in its form, let alone dial – up, which at its inception I needed to have explained. Where did the messages go until you looked at them? Why were they on a low – cost plan when a telephone call to a similar destination cost a heap? And have you seen my brains? You get my point.I saw a cartoon the other day where the Help Line is manned by a nine Year – old. From my own experience with my grandchildren, this is not far off the mark.
A good friend of mine types all his emails in mauvebold; has done so for Years. I said to him that I was told that bold type meant ‘you’ were raising your voice and UPPER CASE meant one was shouting. Our ever – observant Secretary Pauline told me the latter one. My friend, even older than me, was astonished. He said that his reason was to aid his vision. That said, he used a font 10, nothing larger. I understand that a blue font on white, or white on blue, assists some with vision issues. Therefore, I use Biggles blue. I am reliably informed by one of our Members that [quelle horreur]purple has been ‘adopted’ by the LGBTIQ* community as ‘theirs’. I had better not tell my friend; he’s over 80 and may expire.
But I digress:
By happenstance, each of my three brothers and my son live alone. We do not live in each other’s pockets, never have. A family trait. If were going to die, we will call first*. So, I sent each brother an identical email [sic] ’it is Andrew’s birthday on Wednesday’. What could be more benign? My intent was casual; to remind them to call him or send a card, not a gift. I did not expect any response [neither did I call and say ‘did you get the email I sent’ 😊]. * We have recently started a brief Saturday evening ZOOM chat. Try organising that and explaining ZOOM. Our neighbour’s cat SOX has a better grasp of the procedure. Ever tried herding cats?
What was the outcome? I hear you ask. Brother in Canberra sent: ‘His present is on the way via Post but tracking shows it is stuck, the ‘C’ excuse'. Younger Brother: No answer. Eldest Brother: A text and a telephone call to me regarding my meaning.
The joke about punctuating and pronouncing‘What is this thing called love’ originated prior to email. It must have. You do know it:
What is this thing called love. / What! Is this ...... / What is this thingcalled, Love? / What is this thing called, Love? ..... and so on. No wonder wars break out via 'Diplomatic Notes'. [Arthur] Neville Chamberlain ... I have here a piece of paper signed by Mr Hitler ......
We all know a comma caused the deaths of 110 men of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, but which inference was misunderstood? You know how the British use bronze from the breech blocks of canon captured from the Russians in Sevastopol during the Crimean War? Said canon were British; the Russians captured them during the Charge of The Light Brigade, and said weapons were paraded by the Russians prior to their defeat.
By the way. The Officer who issued the order to attack [the wrong target, which was not questioned] whilst being in the 15th Light Dragoons, had transferred due to nepotism, from the 10th AUSTRIAN Hussars. Luckily for him, he was killed in the first assault following his own misinterpreted orders. English as a second language. 😊 Maybe he could have sent an email or SMS. There again....not.
Several Members and Friends have indicated that they are not receiving the Bulletin.
Past President Ross, who maintains ClubRunner, advises people to check their Junk email boxes to make sure that the Bulletin hasn't been delivered there. There is [as already often said] only oneClubRunner data base.You can also check that your email address in Club Runner is correct.
Our IT guru, DG Mark looked at the distribution of last week's Bulletin. [Lucky for us we hadn't picked on him].
The Bulletin was sent to 126 recipients (including all Members, Honorary Members, Friends, Sponsors and District & Cluster Clubs).
109 of these Bulletins were delivered (meaning that the other 17 seem to have gone to emails that were incorrect, no longer exist or blocked).
Of the 109 Bulletins that were successfully delivered, 47 were opened by the recipients (43%). It seems that 57% of those receiving the Bulletin last week didn't open it.
The Editor encourages feedback as to how it can be improved such that people will want to open and read the Bulletin.
Thirty-one members of our Club attended the Zoom meeting on Tuesday, 8 September during which we had a most enlightening talk from Rachel Arthur on the impact of good nutrition on mental well being
Rachel is a respected and widely published naturopath and registered nutritionist specialising in integrative nutrition, with a special interest in diagnostics.
With over 20 years’ experience in both the clinic and the classroom, Rachel is considered a leading nutritional educator, delivering post-graduate training and mentoring to naturopaths, doctors and allied health care professionals alike.
Regularly invited to speak at medical conferences, Rachel’s work helps build a stronger bridge between conventional & nutritional medicine inspiring all health professionals & their patients to walk that bridge, for best health outcomes.
Rachel commenced by pointing out that some observational studies had found that adhering to a healthy diet, in particularly a traditional Mediterranean diet, and avoiding a pro-inflammatory diet appears to confer some protection against depression.
The following were among the many interesting points made by Rachel:
The most effective components of dietary interventions for depression involved reducing the intake of junk foods (high fat, high sugar and takeaway) and replacing them with high fibre, nutrient dense alternatives such as vegetables.
Polyphenols from coloured fruit and vegetables, grains and pulses and pre or probiotics from fibrous or fermented foods create a healthy microbiome in the gut.
Gut probiotics play a major role in the bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain.
The human brain is mainly made from fat and is rich in cholesterols
Vitamins and minerals in the correct dosage provide overall assistance.
In medical patients psychiatric symptoms occur more frequently and are more severe in cases where a person has a folate deficiency.
SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine - effective Stand Alone or Adjunctive Agent in Major Depression Disorder) have comparable efficacy at least with pharmaceutical antidepressants.
A shift towards higher plant for, 'primary' over processed & microbiome friendly food choices has the potential to both prevent and improve mental health conditions.
More targeted nutritional interventions can be as simple as accurate identification and correction of nutrient deficiencies (such as Omega 3 [from fish], folate and others) and avoiding too much Omega 6 (from animal fat).
The Club thanks Rachel for her very interesting talk which was greatly appreciated by members who followed it up with a large number of questions.
A lady had taken her small son to stay with his Great Grandad.
The great grandson, little Bobby, was playing on the front lawn when Great Grandad came out and went up to the letterbox. He opened it up and looked inside.
He then went into the house. A couple of minutes later out he came again and looked into the letterbox.
He slammed the letterbox shut and went inside.
Almost immediately he was back, muttering under his breath.
He looked into the letterbox and then hit it with his fist.
"Great Grandad, what's wrong?" said little Bobby.
He looked at the boy and said, "Stupid computer keeps on telling me that I've got mail!"
After a fall 95 year old man was rushed to hospital with a possible concussion to Beleura Hospital.
A nurse and a young resident doctor came in to examine him.
"Hello", the resident said, "I am Doctor Harrison."
"Do you know where you are?" asked the doctor
"Beleura Hospital", came the reply
"And which town are we in?" the doctor enquired.
"Mornington," the old man replied.
The doctor then asked, "Do you remember my name?"
"Dr Harrison," said the old man.
The resident excused himself for a minute and left.
The old man looked at the nurse and said, "Why does he ask those questions when his name badge reads, Dr Harrison, Beleura Hospital, Mornington?"
Rotarian Kay McCauley, District Interplast Coordinator, has received the the attached story from our recent guest speaker Jeanette Etheringham from Interplast.
Interplast- Making A Difference Together
Since 1983 Interplast has been repairing bodies and rebuilding lives across the Asia Pacific region.
We were therefore delighted to hear that one of our patients in Laos is doing well and has taken up a new hobby – photography.
Although we have shared it before, for those who may not be aware of Vanvisa’s story…..
Vanvisa, like all young children, was inquisitive, engaged in her surrounds and embracing life to the fullest. That changed the day she suffered severe gas burns to her left arm, chest and neck, aged eight years old.
Vanvisa’s story is not unusual in developing countries. When skin is burned, the surrounding skin begins to pull together, resulting in a contracture – severe tightening of the skin. If treated early and appropriately, contractures can be minimised through occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and splinting.
Living in Savannakhet Laos - an 8-hour journey from the capital, Vientiane - Vanvisa had no access to burns therapies. When treated poorly, or not treated early enough, surgical intervention is usually needed to release the contractures. In 2014 when she was 10 years old, 2 years after sustaining her injuries, she and her mother travelled to Vientiane to meet one of Interplast's highly skilled surgical teams.
Vanvisa's initial surgery involved the release of burns contractures on the left side of her neck, which meant that she was able to straighten her head for the first time since the injury.
Vanvisa’s burn contractures were so severe that she has needed multiple surgeries over many years, and therapy to regain movement in her arm and neck. Her most recent surgery was performed by the Interplast team in February 2020. For Vanvisa, surgery has become an annual experience to reduce the burns contractures.
Vanvisa has developed into a remarkable young woman who despite the challenges of significant pain, discomfort, and the impacts from surgery and her initial burns, is embracing a new interest in photography.
Vanvisa - always smiling
Always smiling, it was during her most recent visit with the Interplast team in February 2020 that Interplast partners, Lao International Support Group, become aware that Vanvisa wishes to become a photographer. With some support of generous LISG donors, Vanvisa has now been presented with a camera to help her fulfil her passion and dreams.
Interplast's surgical program in Vientiane was partially funded by the Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorrabbin Central, in District 9810
Interplast wishes Vanvisa every happiness as she embarks on learning the art of photography.
Thanks to Rotarian John Gilbert for these Rotary Recollections:
I first joined Rotary in Launceston over 50 years ago. In those days, it was not unusual for companies to encourage their staff to join Rotary. This was sometimes helpful when making a choice between attending to a Rotary project or remaining in the office !! Circumstances have changed a lot, but the ideals are still there and much is contributed by members, with friendship and fun along the way.
I transferred with my family to Victoria in 1979 and, having bought a house in Mount Eliza, my next step was to find a local Rotary Club.
The Mount Eliza Club has been a big part of my life now for over 40 years. It has been a great experience and I have made many lasting friendships.
I served as Treasurer here for my first 3 years and that reminds me of one not so good episode. My office was in Dandenong so my wife Myrtle used to do the Rotary club banking for me. On one occasion, while she was waiting in the bank, a man walked in and pulled out a gun. Everyone was ordered to get down on the floor and keep quiet – a nasty experience for the customers and staff but it eventually got sorted and nobody was hurt. I think that was probably the first and hopefully the last bank hold-up in Mt Eliza.
I found the job of Secretary a great insight into the workings of Rotary and have taken on the role five times but Brendon Hoban has pipped me at the post, having done the job six times.
Maurie Selth has talked of times at Eildon – I can remember towing our boat up there and lots of happy times but not many fish being caught. I also remember Ted Humphreys always volunteering to do the cooking on Harry Goodrich’s houseboat. Enough said!
Mount Eliza Rotary has a proud history of achievements. In the days when the membership was a little younger, a steady stream of international exchange students stayed with families and spent a year attending schools in the district, and the club has also sponsored many local students to travel overseas in exchange. There have been links to countries including Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Japan, and America, creating lasting international friendships.
There was a time when, at the end of their stay, students from all over Australia headed up by train and bus for a memorable final week’s camp under the stars in Central Australia before returning to their homes overseas. Among the organisers and chaperones for this trip were Joyce and Bill Parsons from our Club, who travelled with the group on several occasions.
Helping young people has always been an important theme, from young leadership camps to the major project instigated by John Gordon to support Young Carers. The Mornington Racing Club helped in a big way here, also, who will forget their involvement in 24-hour walks to support Cancer Sufferers. We picnicked at the Race Club and at Mornington High School, as well as the Berwick Showgrounds where some Club members camped overnight. Our Club was always among the largest group of supporters and fundraisers on these occasions.
There was also involvement in the Jim Stynes Reach Foundation with camps and fund-raising dinners - Alan Byers played a leading role in supporting these projects.
Benita Taylor with her husband Neil and many others put a huge effort into the setting up of the Garden Festival which ran for several years. One of my jobs here was pestering shopkeepers in the area for items to put in the show bags! These bags netted about $3,000. The most interesting offer I received was for a batch of watches from a promotional company – however there was a catch. The deal was for us to buy 1,000 of these watches for $2 each and it was suggested we could sell them on for 3 or 4 times that amount. I was given one to try out and, after much discussion we decided that the risk was too great so the offer was knocked back. This was not a good decision. I have been wearing that sample watch for at least 15 years and it has often been complimented on its slim line. It still keeps almost perfect time and has never needed any maintenance apart from an occasional battery!!
One special member and past president of the Club was Carl Seales, a heart transplant recipient, who owned an old model T Ford. Over an extended period of time, he drove it all over Victoria, with various Club members assisting, to promote transplants and raise funds, in the ‘T for Transplant’ project. Maurie Selth, Robert Cracknell and Graham Reid were part of that project.
There have been some wonderful progressive dinners and other festive occasions and so many stalwarts of the Club like Rowan Miller and his willing helpers who are always on hand to lift, carry, drag and transport things to and from fund raising events. John Welsh and his helpers who have done a remarkable ‘loaves and fishes’ job on so many occasions, the charity golf day organisers, etc. etc. where do you start and where do you stop. Judy Barrett providing the space and the hard work and planning to help with successful events at Morning Star. Not to forget Linda Morris who somehow finds the time to say ‘yes’ to everything that is asked of her and has so many other commitments in the community. It’s the old story - ask a busy person if you want to get something done!!
However, I think the most significant and beneficial change to our club throughout its history has been the introduction of women members.
Initially, the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International stated that Rotary club membership was for males only. Then in 1978, the Rotary Club of Duarte, in California, invited three women to become members. As a result, the RI Board withdrew the charter of that Club. This started a legal tug of war lasting about 11 years until the RI constitutional change was finally made in 1989 with a vote to eliminate the "male only" provision for membership. Since that time, women have become members and leaders of clubs and districts throughout the world.
Many clubs were a little slow to react to this change. Several predictions were made as to what might happen to the all-male Rotary Clubs. It was suggested that marriages could be at risk, and that a large number of members would resign! Well, neither of those things happened in our club and late in 1996, PP David Petts proposed Trish Stamp for membership. Trish was inducted on 18/2/1997 and was followed (18 months later) by Elizabeth McCormick, then Joan Pullen in December 98, Carolyn Such in March 99, and Judy Coultas in August 99.
Trish did a great job as the only woman in the club for a long time, but then things began to move more quickly and we saw a progressive increase in the proportion of women members. In the first five years after Trish joined us, we inducted 10 women and 20 men. However, in the last five years we have inducted 12 women and only 7 men. We currently have 14 women and 22 men in the club.
There is no doubt that our women members have contributed enormously to the achievements of our club. In addition, many have served as directors, four as secretary, five as president and three as assistant governor. Congratulations to you all, Ladies, you have done great things for our club.
Thank you John for such wonderful memories of our great club! (Ed)
Orders are now being taken for Meals from Toorak Collegefor Tuesday 15 September 2020.
These main meals are packaged in foil trays ready to reheat in the oven. This means that they can be eaten when you wish and not necessarily on the day of delivery.
The menu for week 6 (delivered on Tuesday 15 September) is:
Butter chicken
Steamed rice with pappadums
Baked raspberry and chocolate cheesecake slice
The cost of each meal is $15 and your can pay cash when delivered (preferred) or pay by credit card over the telephone.
It is requested that anyone who wishes to order the coming week's meal, delivered on Tuesday 15 September, email Jim Young by 11.30 am this Friday, 11 September. (James.young03@bigpond.com)
