The end of this Rotary year provides us with time to reflect on all that has been achieved, and all the fun we had along the way!
I was honoured to attend the Rotary WA Change Over evening on Saturday, where District Governor Ineke Oliver handed over the reins to Patricia Schraven after 2 years leading the transition to a united WA Rotary. Ineke must be commended for these efforts during a period of strong change management where her skills, personability and care shone through. Incoming DG Pat is well known to Applecross Rotary and will be a welcome leader for the next 12 months.
I also attended Sunday's send off for WA's cohort of Rotary Youth Exchange students. The impact these students have on the Rotary landscape can not be overstated and hearing them reflect on their 12 months in WA was a pleasure. Most of them have now seen more of WA than I have! None more-so than our own German exchange student Valentin, who remains with us for a further 3 months, accounting for his late arrival to Australia last October.
I hope you can also reflect on the last 12 months as successful and community driven through your engagement in Rotary. I look forward to further reflections and acknowledgements at our Club Change-Over Luncheon on Sunday July 14 at Shirley Strickland Reserve.
Yours in Rotary,
Tom Atkinson
President 2023/24
0433 117 568
Looking forward to joining you at our CHANGEOVER 2024, $60pp includes substantial cocktail food and cash bar at club prices available.
The Rotary Foundation* - the gift that keeps on giving
Chris introducing The Rotary Foundation at a recent meeting (website click here)
One of the first things I noticed about Applecross Rotary, after I moved from Perth Rotary nearly 10 years ago, was how Applecross used Rotary Foundation funding to make even bigger differences in needy communities. Our current resident expert is Chris Whelan so it was very appropriate that he spoke about this at our recent meeting, explaining to new members (and reminding older members) how it all works.
Every year, Rotary Clubs plus many individual Rotary members, contribute to the Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund, and a portion of those contributions are allocated back to our District 9423 and held in a District Designated Fund (DDF), which can be used to support a variety of Rotary initiatives, mostly projects being developed by individual Clubs, that address immediate needs here and abroad. These “District Grants” usually range from $2000-5000.
In contrast, Global Grants support large international projects with long-term sustainable outcomes in one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus:
Peace and conflict prevention/resolution.
Disease prevention and treatment.
Water and sanitation.
Maternal and child health.
Basic education and literacy.
Economic and community development.
Over the last 10 years, Applecross Rotary has won four Global Grants for international projects in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and two in Kenya, costing a total of USD340,000, of which USD239,000 was sourced from TRF, either directly or via District Designated Funds.
The Cambodia Hospital project in 2017 began with USD150 from Applecross funds and thanks to other Clubs, the District and TRF, the original investment of USD150 was leveraged up to USD48,000.
Chris used the recent presentation by Mark Fitzpatrick, CEO of Telethon Speech and Hearing to show us how to put a Global Grant application together, to reduce the prevalence of infant deafness in the Eastern Wheatbelt, and the long term consequences of this condition for the local community. This would tick four of the six Areas of Focus.
If this became a reality it would be our Club’s first Global Grant that seeks to improve the lives of communities in Australia, something we often get asked: “I think what you have done in Sri Lanka, Kenya and Cambodia is great, but aren’t there major (health) issues you can focus on in Australia?”.
The application would need to be supported by Districts and Clubs outside of Australia as well as other Clubs in our District 9423. Chris has already gained the support of two overseas Districts, and we have approached two other overseas Districts, as well as Clubs in those Districts.
What is needed now is Applecross members visiting Clubs in our District to pitch the project and ask for a donation ($500+) to help make it happen, to join us in beginning to reduce the appalling high incidence of infant hearing loss in Wheatbelt communities.
Let President Tom know if you’d like to help - he is chairing the next stage of getting the Global grant application completed (with Chris cheering us on from the sidelines).
* The Rotary Foundation is a 4 Star Charity, indicating that most of the funds raised (88%) are used for charitable acts. Since 1946, over USD6.5 billion has been donated, addressing Rotary’s six areas of focus.
“I like your kit today, mate”, “Now you are finally looking like an authentic German” and “Only a real German would go with shorts in this cold.”, with all those quotes I got welcomed on Tuesday, to start in this fantastic week.
We had a free dress day in school and I chose to wear my traditional Bavarian dress, the “Tracht”. In whole Germany there is a wide variation of typical outfits, which vary in most of the towns. But the world-famous Bavarian dress, the Lederhosen fortunately is the one I’m able to wear and represent here in Australia. It was a joy to finally show my Bavarian pride at school.
On Wednesday we had an Arts day at school where we’ve been able to learn new things in Workshops like Aboriginal arts, Hip Hop and Foley. I was able to visit the fantastic Foley workshop, where I learned a lot of new things about the sound trick of the movie industry. We remade the sound for a scene from Terminator 2, a movie I certainly know. In the House singing competition later this we sang Unwritten from Natasha Bedingfield. It was a great success for the House spirit during the last Term.
On Thursday night I presented my host mum Aurian with a Banana birthday cake. Where especially she and everyone else were quite happy about. After a little but fun party we all went to bed to be ready for the last day of term. And what a day it was at school, we finished the term with a strong second place in Marching in the morning and a strategic game in the end in global politics. I truly enjoyed it.
In the afternoon I met with Elis, my Swedish exchange buddy who is leaving Australia in 6 days, in Fremantle. After we enjoyed the lovely streets and sightseeing spots in Fremantle we jumped in the bus and headed to Lorri. As Lorri said she can’t really retire from Rotary and loves to help making other people smile. And she definitely has a hand for this. I was a pleasure to be at ours.
On Saturday I had a lovely time hanging out with my sisters and later celebrating Aurian's Birthday with the wider Family. We had a great discussion about the current situation in the US and the Biden and Trump Debate in the TV.
Farewell for me is luckily still a little bit away, but not for all the other exchange students. They are leaving Australia in the next days towards their home country. We had a farewell event on Sunday, where we as exchange students had presentations about our year here in. Australia. We talked about the highlights we’ve been gone through as well as all the learnings we had in the last year. Main points of the Presentation where personal growth, becoming independent, contributing to the community and saying thank you to all the persons including the District, Clubs, Presidents, Mentors, Host families, Schools and of course the RYE Board and the Chair Jill Hanna, who is doing a lot of fantastic things for us students.
I’m looking forward to my three weeks holidays, with Family change and hopefully a lot of fun.
If someone of you would like or need a company for one of their trips, for example going to Rottnest Island, I would like to make this possible for you.
Sort of sad and sort of happy feelings with the wrap up of my year as Assistant Gov, and the opportunities it gave to meet so many wonderful Rotary people, all doing their bit to help their clubs and our world.
We have all heard it over, but being involved with really good people does add a layer to one’s life, as does being appreciated for the little bit one does to support that greater good.
Events of the past few days.
1. District Appreciation Sundowner on late Saturday afternoon at City Breach Surf Club.
Almost 100 attended from far and wide to say thank you to outgoing RWA District 9423 DG Ineke, and for her to thank her team for a great year’s work.
The amount of work done at district level, especially in these changing times, deserves special recognition, and Ineke did a sterling job of getting things done and taking her team, and the state, with her.
Incoming/now DG Pat Schraven then introduced her incoming Board, and similarly, they will have plenty to keep them busy.
It was a happy evening, with President Tom and myself from AxR.
Outgoing DG for RWA/ District 9423 Ineke Oliver saying her farewells at the District end of year Sundowner at City Beach on Saturday
2. Ascot and Ascot Satellite Clubs Changeover.
Conducted at the Canning Town Hall, it was one of the happiest and friendliest meetings I have ever attended. They self catered for the high mid 20’s present, with a truly sumptuous luncheon .. a home baked variety 3 course meal! No more external catered meals for me!!
Ascot has a small but very active 12 members, and their sponsored Satellite club, a few less. They host the high profile Bricktober Lego event, which we help out at.
Their members are all very active at club level and beyond, with new president Jodie Sparks an outstanding example of commitment to Rotary.
It was great to have new DG Pat, and DG elect Veronica part of this function.
Well done Ascot… keep up the great work .
Outgoing and incoming Ascot RC Pres’s, Dianne and Jodie. Celebrated at the City of Canning Town Hall on Sunday.
Ascot and Ascot Satellite Clubs Change over… a thorn amongst the petunias,… New DG for RWA, Pat Schraven, outgoing Pres of Ascot, Dianne Reid, ‘the thorn’, Incoming Ascot Pres Jodie Sparks, and DG Elect for RWA 25/26, Veronica Lawrence.
3. Melville Changeover.
Tonight is Melville RC’s special c/o event, and Valentin will be accompanying me to South of Perth Y C to see Marilyn Barton take over from Phil Draber as Pres.
Melville, like Applecross, is a strong club with lots of good projects on the go and it will be a pleasure to join with them and hear of their successes.
Soooo … no more AG roles for me as we move into the new Rotary Community Groups and progress into the 2nd year of the 3 yr Regionalisation model aimed at modernising Rotary, and certainly uplifting our role as community volunteer leaders.
The current state of shipping trade in Australia & world wide & the impact on our goods and services
Our speaker next week will be John Park from the Freight and Trade Alliance, where he is Head of Business Operations. He was previously Regional Manager WA for the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia Inc. for 21 years. Huge increases in the costs and complexity of international shipping that began when our State and Federal governments quarantined Australia after the outbreak of COVID 19, still exist. Indeed this is one of the reasons Shelter Box doesn’t hold any stock in Australia now, as Mike Greenslade explained to our Club a few weeks ago.
We had a free dress day in school and I chose to wear my traditional Bavarian dress, the “Tracht”. In whole Germany there is a wide variation of typical outfits, which vary in most of the towns. But the world-famous Bavarian dress, the Lederhosen fortunately is the one I’m able to wear and represent here in Australia. It was a joy to finally show my Bavarian pride at school.
On Wednesday we had an Arts day at school where we’ve been able to learn new things in Workshops like Aboriginal arts, Hip Hop and Foley. I was able to visit the fantastic Foley workshop, where I learned a lot of new things about the sound trick of the movie industry. We remade the sound for a scene from Terminator 2, a movie I certainly know. In the House singing competition later this we sang Unwritten from Natasha Bedingfield. It was a great success for the House spirit during the last Term.
On Thursday night I presented my host mum Aurian with a Banana birthday cake. Where especially she and everyone else were quite happy about. After a little but fun party we all went to bed to be ready for the last day of term. And what a day it was at school, we finished the term with a strong second place in Marching in the morning and a strategic game in the end in global politics. I truly enjoyed it.
In the afternoon I met with Elis, my Swedish exchange buddy who is leaving Australia in 6 days, in Fremantle. After we enjoyed the lovely streets and sightseeing spots in Fremantle we jumped in the bus and headed to Lorri. As Lorri said she can’t really retire from Rotary and loves to help making other people smile. And she definitely has a hand for this. I was a pleasure to be at ours.
