Co - President's Notes Tom Atkinson & Murray McKay
Dear Rotarians and Friends,
We are in the midst of school holidays, with young families roaming the streets in amongst a litany of children's activities and parents taking leave to spend time with their kids. The sense of community is rarely stronger than at times like these, with major events like the Royal Show providing a centerpiece to a shared community purpose.
Indeed, Applecross Rotary, through the Perth Makers Market, was a beneficiary of this positive community vibe, experiencing increased contributions over the long weekend which will be directed back into the community. We extend a heartfelt thankyou to all who volunteered and assisted in this outcome.
A number of Applecross Rotarians will also be supporting our friends at Ascot Rotary at their annual Bricktober event at Curtin University this coming weekend. Another great community event inspired by goodwill and the school holiday perspective.
May the contributions of our fellow community members in support of worthy causes long continue.
We recently welcomed back Darren Reynolds, who previously spoke to us about Destiny Rescue, an organisation that rescues young girls who have been recruited/sold, then usually taken to a nearby country to work in the sex tourism industry.
Darren now works for “Every Daughter Matters” (EDM) and spoke to Applecross Rotary members and friends about Human Trafficking in Nepal. This term does not indicate what really drives this business. In reality it’s a dangerous mixture of money and sex.
Girls as young as 10 are promised work in India, often starting as a member of a street begging gang, then ‘progressing’ to brothels, small factories, and even organ and skin harvesting for transplant surgeries in Indian cities.
EDM works with local police and aid workers along the porous Nepalese border with India. Similar ‘businesses’ exist in Thailand using girls from Myanmar (Burma). The point of this cross border trafficking is it provides an excuse for local police to not get involved with someone from another country.
The scale of this trafficking is enormous - EDM estimates 25,000 girls are taken across to the border into India every year. EDM rescued 2,399 girls in July this year.
It costs an average of $180 to rescue a girl and return her to her family, after learning some useful skills that can help increase the family income when they get back home. Some schools Darren works with in Perth hold fundraising ‘lapathons' and and each time another $180 is raised the oval scoreboard records that another girl can be rescued.
Members and friends may find the following worth reading:
FOOTNOTE: I used to lead study tours of university students to Asia, and often we would spend some time with Hill Tribe people in Chiangmai, Thailand. In the bars of Chiang Mai there were always small groups of middle aged European men, indulging in what was called ’sex-tourism’. What was even more confronting we that some of the young girls in the bars had been sold by their impoverished and stateless families. The ones you saw were usually selling flowers or begging. The older ones were in one of the rooms at the back of the bar.
We got to know DG Pat Schraven from RC Rockingham, when she was DG for District 9465 a few years ago, and she is back in a slightly bigger role now, as DG for the whole of WA, District 9423. Pat plans to meet members from all 80 Rotary Clubs in WA this year, which currently extend from Esperance to Geraldton and out to the Goldfields.
Applecross Rotary hosted her visit on Monday evening with members from two other Rotary Clubs — Canning River and Melville.
Each of the Club Presidents gave a short warm up for the DG by highlighting a project of their Club, although President Steve from Canning River managed to squeeze in several projects.
Canning River is a new Club formed by merging RC Canning (formerly Rossmoyne) and RC Kenwick. Steve highlighted Sustainable Cambodia, funded by a Global Grant with RC Gainesville Florida, and currently 120 Cambodian kids get their teeth attended to by a dentist for the first time in their lives. He then slipped in plugs for Canning River Rotary supporting the Interact Club at Rossmoyne SHS, the Perth Sports Challenge at East Canning Primary School, the $65k grant for Interplast and the forthcoming Walk the Bridges fundraiser.
President Marilyn from Melville, which also runs weekly markets like Canning River does, highlighted their tree planting project which has planted 5000 seedlings since 2008. They have had 6000 students involved in growing the seedlings and planting them in the Wheatbelt and also at Yarloop after the disastrous bushfires in 2016.
Our President Tom highlighted our long running Rotary Jacaranda Festival in November with the help of several other Rotary Clubs, and outlined the planned Eastern Wheatbelt Global Grant to buy the audiology equipment to enable Telethon Speech and Hearing to extend its work reducing childhood deafness, which is endemic in the Wheatbelt. This will have an amazing multiplier effect, helping very young children learn to speak clearly, to learn to read ,and stay at School to become employable members of the community.
So now it was DG Pat’s chance to talk about her plans.
She is committed to increasing the use of Global Grants and District Grants, and to showcase the fun we have being Rotarians. She wants to establish 4 new Rotary Clubs this year, and also wants to re-establsh Rotary Clubs (including possible E-Clubs) in WA’s Northwest, with planned visits to Karratha, Newman and Port Hedland. She also urged our Clubs to increase their support for the Rotary Foundation.
Not sure if it is tears in eyes not wanting Valentin to leave our OZ, or just slow to confirm, but….
THIS THURSDAY EVENING at Dome, Mt Peasant, commencing 6 for 6.30 start will be the last opportunity most of us will get to wish Valentin a fond FAREWELL after his 12 months with us here in AxR.
He has been an outstanding Ambassador for RYE and his country, and not forgetting his real family to whom he soon returns.
Special thankyou’s also to everyone who has helped and supported Valentin, enabling him to experience so much of what WA has to offer.
Well done Valentin for entering every activity with smiles, energy and enthusiasm, and certainly making the absolute most of your 12 months with us.
We will miss your happy sense of presence.
SO, BOOK IN TO THIS SPECIAL EVENING… we need numbers in advance to confirm with Dome and their arrangements.
For centuries, people have gathered at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in Calgary, Canada. Next year, it will be Rotary’s turn, as members, family, and friends worldwide will gather there for the 2025 Rotary International Convention, 21-25 June. Get a preview of what lies in store for those attending the convention in the September issue of Rotary magazine. And read about Canada’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, a big city without big city problems. Register now to be a part of the magic in Calgary in June.
Accessing Child Care is something that needs to be understood in the context of modern life in the 21 century where having both parents working is essential for most people in making any progress financially and achieving the great Australian dream of owning a home, or some other goal. Importantly, subsidised Child Care should not be only available to those who earning high salaries. But can we afford to open it up to everyone?
Helen Creed moved to Perth in 1977, as a social worker, working in the childcare sector.
In 1985, Helen started work with the Miscellaneous Workers’ Union (‘the Misso’s) as an organiser for child care, that also covered teacher assistants. Her social work background really fitted into that very well and she made a long term commitment around community-based children's services, with an interest in policy.
