What a way to kick off the second half of Margaret's Presidential Year. Our club had been involved in many overseas projects funded by a Global Grant but this one is special because it doesn’t help fund a major international project, overseas.
It’s fundamental-kids who can’t hear can’t learn. If they don’t learn, their future job prospects are limited. We have hundreds of kids like this in WA. Many of them live in rural indigenous communities. Sometimes people ask what we are doing to support local communities with global grants.
Well now we are, at Moora, and addressing a solvable challenge that will change lives.
Congratulations to Chris Whelan for seeing how we could do this and link to his old Alcoa mates who are members of RC Washington in Pennsylvania. Congratulations to Tom Atkinson for landing this, his first as International Director.
Confirmation email from Rotary International
Dear members:
Congratulations! Your global grant application for funding to improve access to early intervention speech and hearing services for developmentally vulnerable children by providing audiology equipment and support for integrated ear health and speech programs in Moora, Western Australia., submitted by the Rotary Club of Applecross and the Rotary Club of Washington, has been approved by The Rotary Foundation. The award is in the amount of US$ 59,946.00.
This letter serves as formal notification of your grant approval and explains what you need to do to receive grant payment. It also contains important information about travel, grant reporting, the conditions you must meet for the grant to be closed (if applicable), and links to additional resources.
Steven Sundstrom
Regional Grants Officer | Rotary Grants
Email to Tom Atkinson from our Grant partner the Rotary Club of WashingtonOn behalf of the Rotary Club of Washington, I want to congratulate you and your club for an outstanding achievement. The children of Western Australia will never know your names; they will only know that someone cared enough to help them hear. It is an overwhelming amount of work requiring intense attention to detail, but your club pulled it off. Thank you for allowing us to be part of it!
Dorothy
DorothyTecklenburg
Rotary of Washington, PA
Rotary Global Grant GG2465555: Application approved
A huge thank you to all our volunteers for their tremendous efforts on Sunday at the Perth Makers Market.
We knew it was going to be a scorcher, with the market opening half an hour earlier and an advertised early close of 2:30pm. As temperatures climbed past 39°C by 1:30pm, MarketLife advised stallholders that they could pack up from 2:00pm.
In preparation for the extreme conditions, generous support from Mal Taylor saw two gazebos donated, providing much-needed shade for our donation collectors in the lower car park. An umbrella was organised for the entrance position; however, a missing part meant the morning shift (Barry Mendelawitz) missed out on shade, while the afternoon shift (Tony Haeusler) was able to benefit.
our RYE outbound Briohny Sheedy heading to Finland in January!
Although attendance tapered off from around 11:30am, the earlier start delivered a very busy morning, resulting in a pleasing return from donations for our efforts.
Our regular volunteers from Rotary E-WA and Rotary Attadale once again did a fantastic job, working alongside Applecross Rotary members, partners and friends. We were also fortunate, for the first time, to be supported by volunteers from the Fremantle Sea Scouts. Under the leadership of Michael Hopper, they contributed a very productive 16 hours on the day. The young Scouts were particularly helpful with the pack-down of infrastructure — always the toughest part after a long day directing traffic.
regular volunteers from Rotary E-WA: Alan Briggs, Glynis Armstrong, Kero O'Shea
It has been a very successful year of fundraising for our projects, with Applecross Rotary playing a key role in supporting the Markets for stallholders and the wider community.
We’ll be back again next year, with the following dates confirmed:
Sunday 1 March 2026
Sunday 12 April 2026
Sunday 24 May 2026
Sunday 20 September 2026
Sunday 1 November 2026
Sunday 13 December 2026
With the Fremantle Sea Scouts keen to become more involved in managing the car parking, there’s definitely some light at the end of the tunnel — and a welcome boost of youthful energy to help lighten the load!
the Fremantle Sea Scouts crew
our newest member Dawn France first time as parking volunteer with Kero O'Shea
Michael Cockram (Attadale) finding some natural shade!
some behind the scenes volunteering (this could cost me)
Merry Xmas from a happy treasurer Brad and PMM project leads Lorri and Ray. Lorri looks forward to your support again next year when she sends out the ROSTER for the first market for the 1st March 2026.
As we wrap up another wonderful year for the Rotary Jacaranda Festival, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on what has been a truly special season for our community.
In this edition, we look back on some of our proudest achievements, with 2025 marking not only the 25th year of the Rotary Jacaranda Festival, but also our biggest year yet in terms of donations raised.
As always, every dollar raised through the festival goes directly back into supporting local community groups and initiatives — something we’re incredibly proud of and grateful for.
We hope the festive season gives you the chance to slow down, spend time with loved ones, and reflect on a wonderful year. Please take care, stay safe, and enjoy the special moments that come with this time of year.
From all of us at the Rotary Jacaranda Festival, we wish you a very happy Christmas and a safe, joyful New Year. We look forward to keeping you updated with more from the festival in the year ahead.
Warmest wishes, Chris Whelan & Erin Madeley Jacaranda Festival Organiser & MarketLife Director
We’re incredibly grateful for the generous support that helps bring the Jacaranda Festival to life each year. Our major supporters, Lotterywest and the City of Melville, have played a vital role in the success of the event. Lotterywest has proudly supported the Festival for over 20 years, providing funding to the fullest extent of their charter. The City of Melville continues to be a longstanding partner, offering not only funding but also guidance and practical support that helps our community vision flourish.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our key local sponsors — The Good Grocer, Mont Property, Pharmacy 777, and Ross North Homes — for their commitment to the event and the local community.
In addition, we deeply appreciate the many local businesses who lend their support behind the scenes, from providing power and parking spaces to granting internal access that ensures the safety and comfort of our guests and performers. Your contributions make a real difference.
This year marks the 25th Jacaranda Festival hosted by Applecross Rotary — from our humble beginnings at Heathcote in 2000 and 2001 to the vibrant community celebration it has become today.
Capital Community Radio presenter, Geoff Smith, was our speaker at the 7th October meeting, which was held at the Manning Nippers Clubrooms. Our numbers were down as a result of the changed venue but those who were present were rapt in Geoff’s presentation, which he did without the aid of notes or “screen time”. Geoff is used to ad libbing after being on air at Capital for 19 years.
Geoff said he was a little nervous presenting to us but at the same time, he felt comfortable because he is a volunteer at the station just the same as we are at Rotary. He has a love of community and radio.
Although Geoff will be 74 in a month’s time, he can remember how his love for music and his career in radio began. He was selected for the primary school choir which was fortunate to win a competition which gave them a ten week, once a week “music for schools” program live on ABC Radio. The choir learnt the selected song the week before and presented it at the studios the following week. Geoff well remembers catching the No. 106 bus along Canning Highway.
Then he won a phone in competition around the same time and the prize was an on air visit to the 6IX studios for the afternoon children’s show with John Fryer. He recalls John’s very laidback approach to broadcasting, with his feet up on the desk and John leaving the studio in the middle of a record, returning with only seconds to go.
In 1986, when he was working for a finance company, Geoff came across Gordon O’Byrne who was the first FM Jock at 96FM. Gordon offered to arrange an interview and sound check with Geoff but the time wasn’t right. But the encounter with Gordon gave Geoff the confidence to consider it in the future.
In 2005 while playing at Mt Pleasant Bowling Club, Geoff met Peter Solomon, who was a presenter and subsequent life member of Capital Community Radio. Geoff became a producer, and a year later in 2006, made his first broadcast.
To this day, he is still nervous before a program starts, because there is always that fear of failure. But you have to have confidence in your own abilities. One way to quell the nerves, is to pin a picture of someone you love on the desk, and pretend you are only talking to them over the microphone.
Radio presenting is a unique occupation in that the person behind the mike has to make a conscious decision on what music to play. Each program at Capital has a different genre which limits selection and a presenter must be able to “synch” the music so that the tunes blend and complement one another. For example, he would not play Richard Clayderman followed by Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones, as they would clash.
Over the years, Geoff has worked with LPs, CDs and now USBs which carry 999 songs. During his three hour Saturday Sports program, he uses two USB sticks for his general eclectic mix of tunes.
For every minute on air, it takes a minute and a half to prepare for the song as Geoff gives listeners the name of the track, the artist and some background such as the year it was recorded.
Capital Community Radio is self-funded, although one of its major sponsors is John Hughes. The City of Melville owns the premises and is very generous to the station, although they like having the station manned from 6am to 11pm every day, because if there are any problems at Wireless Hill, the producer on duty will call to report it. Ongoing costs are new equipment and maintenance. Everyone at Capital is a volunteer and Geoff enjoys combining his love of music, volunteerism, effective communication and working with like-minded people to provide a service to listeners.
When President Margaret thanked Geoff for his work at Capital and his presentation to us, she and Geoff agreed that the station and Rotary need to work together more often to promote volunteerism and community service.
Guest Speaker Geoff Smith - Capital Community Radio
Prospective member Surya Ambati recently gave us an insight into his life in India and Australia, and only once mentioned that he is looking to further serve the community by becoming a Councillor at the City of Melville.
It was pretty clear from his presentation that he is already serving our community in many different ways.
But first, let’s head back to India, a country where Rotary is a BIG THING, where some Clubs have a three year waiting list of people wanting to join their club.
Surya’s grandparents belonged to the Banda culture in the Onukudelli region of Andhra Pradesh, and they made and sold cooking oil. As is common in many countries, the family home had several generations living under the one roof.
Surya's father was one of 8 children, and the first to go to university where he studied Electrical Engineering. His career was spent working on a Hydroelectricity project.
Surya also went to university to become a civil engineer, and found a job with Indian Railways, working with the company for 20 years until 2007, mainly in construction. One day he received a telegram with just two words “Come Immediately”. It was from his father and it was the start of the ritual of an arranged marriage. His parents took him to meet with girl, whose parents had invited 50 relatives to give Surya the once-over. They married in 1990, and have lived happily ever after.
After several years and now with two sons, he found a job with GHD and the family migrated to Western Australia. He has also worked with Roy Hill and Calibre Global. Their two sons have done well for themselves — one is a neurologist and the other is an engineer. Meanwhile Surya completed an MBA at UWA and the Harvard Programme for Leadership Development, as well as honing his public speaking skills with Melville Toastmasters. He also used his construction skills to oversee the building of Australia's first Indian Community Centre, in Willetton. He is a Board member of Advocare, championing accessible and ageing-in-place support for seniors, and donates blood on a regular basis (50+ times so far!).
No wonder he received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award at the WA Muticultural Awards in 2023.
I think Surya will be a great addition to Applecross Rotary, and I’m sure fellow engineer Chris Whelan has already got a job for him at Applecross Rotary's JacFest 2025.
Our speaker on 5th August was Petrina Bishop of de Lucca International, a very well known performing artist in Perth, Australia and Europe.
Petrina gave her first solo performance at the Regal Theatre at the age of 7. She was discovered crying in the wings - not because she was overcome with nerves and fright – but because she loved singing in front of an audience so much she didn’t want to come off! A diva was born.
Petrina comes from a big Italian family where the main form of entertainment was eating first, then singing.
She lives by the mantra her father told her a long time ago - do the work, bring the discipline to your talent, and opportunities will come.
Her first singing teacher was Jackie Love followed by Petrina joining the Johnny Young Talent School.
She joined the Perth Arts Troupe which toured a lot, and as a 13-year-old received classical training. Petrina went on to join the Perth Girls Choir, and WAAPA, working with Ian Westrip and Dr Andrew of UWA, who were the best in Perth at their craft.
Petrina’s big break came in the second lead in the musical Oklahoma and with the WA Opera Company.
From Perth she moved to Sydney, where she sang the first lead mezzo soprano with the Australian Opera Company, considered one of the best in the world. Along the way she performed for Tom Cruise, Elton John, royalty and wealthy passengers from the cruise ships.
Petrina worked with Hugh Jackson when he was rehearsing the Boy From Oz. But Hugh could never understand why Petrina had a short fuse and was rather terse each morning. Word filtered through to him that Petrina only came to life after her second cup of coffee, so one morning Hugh turned up with the second coffee, and all was sweetness and light thereafter. Petrina says that Hugh is a really lovely person, as is Nicole Kidman, who she worked with to correct Nicole’s singing pitch on Moulin Rouge. It was an honour to spend time with both these artists.
Other well known names Petrina worked with were Tina Arena, and Danni and Kylie Minogue.
As a natural progression to this body of work in Australia, and at her peak, Petrina did two tours to Italy in the month of July which is the Italian opera season, having the good fortune to witness and hear Andre Botticelli.
But on top of all this success, disaster was just around the corner. On an Emirates flight back to Sydney, she required medical attention and was admitted to hospital with severe vertigo, affecting her balance.
Petrina went through seven years of seeking help through ear, nose and throat specialists, resulting in a risky operation and rehabilitation. In all this time, she couldn’t perform and she felt her passion and career were over, causing her to experience severe mental distress.
Singing to Petrina is as necessary to her wellbeing as breathing. But she fought her way back step by step, where she can now sing again but has also rediscovered her passion through teaching and producing.
As happy and fulfilled as she is in Perth, next year Petrina goes back to Sydney and then on to Europe, to perform with amazing vocalists and to great music.
Members were rapt in Petrina’s talk, awed by her career and achievements and the people she has worked with, and very moved by her fight back from a debilitating illness and terrible depression.
Ian Fairnie, who was club champion for our guest speaker Arnya, spoke at the conclusion of her talk about Foodbank WA by taking us back to Foodbank’s humble beginnings - in a garage in an empty house along Great Eastern Highway. Foodbank soon needed bigger premises and moved to a warehouse in Welshpool. But the demand for healthy food, financial help and dietary advice grew so they re-located again to their present huge premises at the airport.
Arnya Tait works in the partnership engagement team and manages events at Foodbank WA. Foodbank’s vital role is to feed, educate and advocate for Western Australians doing it tough.
She delivered a really stirring talk about Foodbank’s role in providing healthy food to all as a basic human right.
Foodbank is funded through a combination of government support, corporate partnerships, community donations, and food industry contributions. Foodbank engages with 460 agencies including Centrelink and churches. Last year Foodbank provided $9.2 million in relief, with 60 mobile services delivering essential food supplies.
Mobile deliveries from Foodbank with food and healthy living programs extend services to 44 regional and remote locations across the state. These include towns in the Wheatbelt, Goldfields, Pilbara, and Kimberley regions.
Arnya said one of Foodbank’s main aims is to tell people that it’s OK to reach out and ask for help.
Nowadays, poverty can take the form of a single income household, which after paying rent and coping with the rising cost of living, leaves $8 to $10 a day to buy nourishing food.
To shop with Foodbank all people need to do is obtain a referral by ringing Centrelink or one of 460 agencies who work with Foodbank explaining they are going through food insecurity. This will enable them to shop at Foodbank for six months, then their situation is reviewed according to their circumstances.
Nine out of 10 people who are referred to Foodbank not only have financial problems but a host of other issues happening at home and work.
Foodbank wants to help these people get back on their feet by allowing them to shop for nutritious foods for a small fee of $1.50 per box, which is a token small handling fee to allow people their dignity.
If an agency like Foodbank doesn’t help people at this stage, the next step is homelessness, and that is something everyone wants to avoid.
Poverty and food insecurity go hand in hand and has no postcode. Arnya talked about single mums on a pension, women over 50 living on the street and international students who don’t have enough money left over for good food as being of particular concern. The students may turn to the sex trade to make ends meet.
There are grandparents who have taken on their three grandchildren from a parent who can’t cope and suddenly, don’t have enough food to feed five. More families nowadays are co-habitating due to the cost of rents and mortgages and the food budget is stretched.
Every morning at Foodbank the queue at the roller door starts forming at 7am, especially when people hear of good quality fruit and vegetables. If they like, they can buy chef prepared ready-made meals for $3.50.
Dieticians are available to consult at Foodbank and also financial managers, who can help with food budgets. Foodbank has an excellent website which offers economical but healthy recipes.
When Ian thanked Arnya for her presentation, he also told us that when Foodbank wanted to introduce breakfasts for children at school, there was an outcry from people who couldn’t believe children were going to school without breakfast.
But the program was very successful, with one school reporting that there had been a 90 per cent drop of children having to report to the deputy principal for misbehaviour.
Arnya presented a thank you certificate to PP George Mavros and his fellow residents at the Riverside Salter Point Residential Village for their significant donation of containers since the Containers For Change program started in October 2020. This was recognised by the Club donating the amount of $5000 received from the container refund to Foodbank. George made mention of the work done by Ray Philp, picking the container bins up in the Club’s trailer and delivering them to the Scouts WA Recycling Centre. This supports their social enterprise providing youth development and leadership through Scouting. Ray told us in the time the club has been recycling cans and bottles we have saved 53,409 cans from landfill.
President Margaret also accepted an appreciation certificate on behalf of the club for a donation of $5000 to Foodbank from Arnya.
Arnya Tait from Foodbank, our club speaker on 29th July
Michelle was our speaker on Tuesday, 22nd July. She gave us a valuable insight and update of her voluntary work through Prostate Care.
Prostate Care originally started in Bridgetown where she lived for a time.
Michelle was recovering from breast cancer and was offered incredible support from not only medical specialist services but also with home help and anything she needed.
In contrast, her father came through prostate cancer, and although his medical attention throughout was excellent, there was no follow up with any voluntary organisations.
Michelle contrasted the difference between the support and services to men who have been through prostate cancer treatment and women who have had breast cancer. More men die from prostate cancer than women from breast cancer.
In Australia in 2024, it was estimated that 3900 men died from prostate cancer, which equates to 11 men a day. Twenty-four per cent of that total in the regional areas are more likely to succumb from this cancer due to inaccessibility to medical diagnosis and care.
One in five men over 70 will get it, and as Barry Mendelawitz, Michelle’s Rotary champion pointed out, 100 per cent of men aged 100 or over will have prostate cancer.
But the disease can strike in younger men, and it is vital that the medical profession are uniform in doing a simple blood test for men aged over 45, especially those who have a family history.
In one outlier case in Bunbury, a 27-year-old man died of stage 4 prostate cancer.
The cause of prostate cancer is not known, there is a lot more research which needs to be done; but mostly it is down to hereditary factors.
If there are two male relatives in a family who have experienced prostate cancer, there is a five fold increased risk factor for other men in the family.
Prostate Care can offer valuable practical help through their programs, which are currently supporting 30 families through recovery.
She referenced a gentleman who had an operation for prostate 20 years ago, and counts himself lucky to be alive, but it costs him $400 a month in incontinence pads. The government allows only $714 a year for incontinence aids, resulting in some men becoming reclusive, re-using pads or even toilet paper. Prostate Care was able to gift $500 worth of pads to him.
If a man is unable to socialise in the way he used to, or has to plan a simple trip to the shops around the availability of toilets; it can result in him becoming reclusive and depressed.
Depression is a very real after effect of prostate surgery, with 90 per cent of men regaining continence control after four months, and sexual potency after two to four years, but for those who don’t there is a risk of social exclusion, depression and even suicide.
Michelle is trying to spread awareness of prostate cancer by addressing groups of mainly men, from the Rossmoyne Bowling Club to 50 blokes at the WACA. At the bowling club, Prostate Care was lucky enough to have a phlebotomist in attendance, who offered a free of charge blood test to determine PSA figures. The “patient” is notified of normal or abnormal range by email, and if his numbers are high, advised to check in with his GP. Michelle stressed that the test is a tool, not a diagnosis.
At the WACA, some of those younger blokes didn’t know what prostate cancer was. Michelle was taken aback but realised that not as much is known about prostate cancer compared to other forms of cancer, and her mission is to make it more visible and increase awareness.
For Michelle, the best way to ensure men are tested, is to have a phlebotomist in attendance at her “here and now” meetings, rather than men leave one of her talks, promising themselves to get tested, but six months, then 12 months go by, and they have forgotten about it.
Prostate Care has partnered with Saturn Pathology and together, they hope to take knowledge, support and testing (in a specialised van) about Prostate Cancer to the regions.
Michelle is hopeful of encouraging our next generation of men to be tested, overcoming their natural reluctance to ask for a simple blood test from their GP, and to offer men who have been through prostate cancer, dignity, practical support and hope.
Last Tuesday Applecross Rotary members Marianne Thompson, Chris Dawson, Jamie Kelly, Aaron Hoffman and Ray Philp accepted the invitation from Jeff Anderson from the Rotary E-Club of WA to join them on a visit to RFDS WA. The E-Club organise an annual fundraising event for the RFDS which gives them a priveleged tour of the RFDS operations at Jandakot airport.
In the vast and often unforgiving landscapes of Western Australia, where towns are separated by hundreds of kilometres and medical facilities can be few and far between, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) stands as a beacon of hope and health. For nearly a century, RFDS WA has been delivering critical aeromedical and primary health care services to remote and regional communities, and in 2025, its mission is more vital than ever. Also it is interesting to note that Rotnest Island requires a fair amount of their services with city holiday makers requiring medical attention for all sorts medical emergencies.
Our host for the tour was Larr Rose, Community Engagement Coordinator, who talked about the history of RFDS in front of the Jimmy Darcy sculpture.
We then moved to the aviation hangars where all of the RFDS fleet is serviced (in practice the standard is over servicing!). The aeromedical fleet comprises of -
17 Pilatus PC-12 Flying Intensive Care Units
3 Rio Tinto LifeFlight PC-24 jets
2 Fortescue Heli-Med Service EC145 helicopters
In the last year 9465 patients were retrieved, 8,560,000 kilometres were flown and they had 16,375 landings.
They have a team of nearly 400 doctors, flight nurses, pilots, engineers, logisticians, administrative and corporate staff.
This year marks the continuation of RFDS WA’s ambitious 2024–2028 Strategy, aptly titled Above & Beyond. The strategy is designed to expand the organisation’s reach and impact as it approaches its centenary in 2028. Key initiatives include:
Nine new aircraft to renew and grow the fleet.
The southern hemisphere’s first Pilatus PC-12 flight simulator, arriving at Jandakot HQ to enhance pilot training and reduce operational costs.
The opening of RFDS WA’s first permanent health clinic in Kalgoorlie, in partnership with Curtin University and WA Country Health Service
These developments reflect RFDS WA’s commitment to innovation, safety, and community partnership, ensuring that even the most isolated Western Australians have access to high-quality care.
RFDS WA’s success is built on partnerships—with government, corporate sponsors like CBH Group, and everyday Western Australians who donate, volunteer, and advocate.
We can support RFDS WA by donating, fundraising, or simply spreading awareness. Every contribution helps keep the Flying Doctor in the air and ready to respond—whether it’s a premature birth in Fitzroy Crossing or a cardiac emergency in Cable Beach.
And the amazing thing is that there isn't any cost to the people using their services.
Flying High for WA: The Lifesaving Work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
We have six rooms booked at the Riverside Hotel, with costs/night being $100 in the old Hotel (single males only, shared bathroom), $150 in the new section for single occupancy, and $165 for double occupancy. The costs include a self service breakfast in the old hotel dining room on Saturday and Sunday (cereal, toast, tea/coffee).
There are five other rooms available for reservation in the new section. Please encourage some more members to join us for a lovely weekend.
Rooms can be paid for at check in on Friday afternoon, 13 March, but the hotel has requested a corporate credit card number to secure the bookings. No charges will be made against that card.
Our speaker for 15th July was Mr John Kevan. John is a past district governor (2006-2007) and president of the Applecross Rotary Club (2014-2015). His wife, Melodie, also came along and she was the first female president of our club between 2010-2011. They are both still active members of the Mandurah Rotary Club.
John spoke to us about his pioneering work in Sumba, an Indonesian island 650km from Australia, with a population of 788,000. It is situated halfway between Australia and Bali. He is the driving force behind a Rotarian funded project, Water Connections and Malaria Prevention, in partnership with Lab Without Walls and Fair Future Foundation which concentrates on half the island -the east part - home to 300,000 people.
Primarily, the project focuses on water connections, sanitation and water tanks piping to the villages, along with malaria prevention by providing bed nets, education, volunteer health training and spraying houses against mosquito infestation. A typical house in East Sumba is made out of rough cut timber, with no onsite water supply, sanitation or power.
Since the program began, sickness and death due to mosquito borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, TB and even polio have been significantly reduced. A most important part of the program is sending volunteer health workers into schools to teach about good hygiene and hand washing. Posters have been produced to show correct hand washing methods. There are other Rotary produced posters displayed in public places about domestic violence, drinking and smoking. Other initiatives are the introduction of donated Buddy Lights which are solar operated, compiled by hand by children and checked by Rotarians to ensure they are safe and working. So far 600 of 2400 donated Buddy Lights have already been distributed. Rotarians achieved the check process in two days.
Rotary has also conducted testing of 150 people for malaria at a village, when they also received clothing. John personally delivered $1500 worth of medicines to nurses who administered them to villagers.
Lab Without Walls analyses water for malaria parasites.
Transport between villages and the main town of Waingapu is usually by motor bike or 4x4 over rough tracks and rocky terrain. It is a two hour drive to a medical centre and takes three hours to the nearest hospital.
One of the biggest successes of the program is educating children, not only in how to read and write, which their parents never had the opportunity to learn, but by providing them with clean water and sanitation, and teaching them proper hygiene to reduce and one day, stop, the spread of mosquito borne disease.
Rotarians - People of Action!
John presenting a certificate of appreciation to President Margaret for our club’s assistance with the East Sumba project
Dr Barry Mendelawitz is a key member of Labs without Walls, with past District Governors and Applecross Presidents Melodie and John Kevan
Saving Heritage Breeds - 'A Love Story' A Vignette by Katie Gessier
Years ago, when I was an Animal Science lecturer at Muresk in the 1970’s, and Agribusiness became a “thing”; when Agribusiness Economists were preaching to farmers that they should “Get Big or Get Out”, a fellow lecturer was warning that the supply chain factory approach to farming had a problem that would eventually come back and bite us.
He was an expert in Genetics and was concerned that the myriad of different breeds of pigs, sheep, cattle, poultry, which used to provide an interesting day-out at the Royal Show, would go the way of the dinosaur and their undiscovered genes would disappear, never to be recovered. These genes might have been vital for disease control when antimicrobial resistance renders useless all current antibiotics. Or when we needed to breed animals with better heat tolerance (ahh! Global Warming is coming!) or tick resistance, for example.
How boring, when what we wanted to do was set up animal factories producing more milk or meat or eggs, with less food and less cost. Any ‘love’ for the animals disappeared, and soon, on the grain growing farms, there began to be NO animals at all. What a great idea. No need for internal fences, or water troughs or windmills to pump the water, or shearing sheds, or hay bales or fodder rolls.
And no love! I don’t think anyone has ever kissed a tractor or hugged a combine harvester.
So it was very refreshing to have Catie Gressier visit to give an impassioned argument for saving those odd-ball breeds of livestock. She has even written a book about it. A Vignette!
Already, hundreds of livestock breeds and their specific genes, have become extinct, and the remaining gene pool is kept in cages, feedlots and sheds for their entire lives. The chickens bred for meat are ready to eat only 6 weeks after leaving the egg. They are basically all derived from just two breeds.
According to Catie, the Holstein cattle that now dominate the milk industry, can trace their heritage to just 2 bulls. In the race for higher production and income, there has been a loss of genetic diversity, milk production, fertility, longevity, and increased disease susceptibility.
Catie with her book, and “our” Tony Haeusler, a former Beef Cattle breeder, chaired her presentation.
Maintaining biodiversity through many different breeds of livestock is basic common sense says Catie. Trouble is, Common Sense isn’t all that common!
Applecross Rotary got to know Sara as the face of Living Child, a charity she helped set up in 2013, in remote villages along the Sepic River in New Guinea. Living Child up-skilled local people in midwifery to deal with the high levels of Maternal and Child mortality during labour.
Applecross Rotary became a big supporter of Living Child, with Sara giving members regular reports at our breakfast meetings. We also awarded her a Paul Harris Fellowship, Rotary International’s highest award, to recognise her outstanding service to the community. However, in April 2024, Sara developed some health issues which helped her to decide that it was time to step away from “her" Charity and trust the other volunteers to continue the good work.
Sara’s health began to improve. It may have been because one of her sons was spending a year in France, but whatever the reason, she decided travel to France recently and walk one of the many pilgrim trails with her friend Deborah.
The popular name for the pilgrim path is El Camino Real but in fact there are four main trails and they chose to walk 200km along the most popular one, Camino Francés (the “French Way") that begins in Geneva and runs all the way to Santiago in Spain.
They walked 10-15kms each day, staying overnight in basic shared accommodations which cost around €100 (AUD180) for dinner, bed and breakfast, and often included a packed lunch. Sara and Deborah shared one piece of luggage that was taken by truck to the next overnight stop. In case you haven’t worked this out, you need to plan ahead, especially as Camino Francés is the most popular walk. Around 2500 pilgrims complete the walk every day!
The BEST chocalate eclairs!
Few of the other pilgrims they met spoke English so Sara was glad she had taken a crash course in basic French in Alliance Francais, before she flew out.
Sara loved everything about her pilgrimage: the wildflowers, the wild chestnut, walnut and other trees, the old churches, attending Mass in French, meeting other pilgrims, including a lot of older women walking on their own.
In 1998, Scarborough Rotary founded Wheelchairs For Kids Australia (WFKA) and engaged Br Olly to start the first WFKA workshop in Wangara.
This year, over 30 years later, Bro. Olly was recognised as Senior Australian of the Year in January, and Western Australian of the Year in June, which means he’ll saddle up again on Australia Day 2026 to see if he is crowned Australian of the Year.
In the beginning Bro. Olly and Scarborough Rotary members rummaged around a local Council Garbage Tip, looking for items that could be recycled into a wheelchair for a kid somewhere like Cambodia or Vietnam. These kids had lost their one or both legs because of a landmine left behind from an almost forgotten war, that they walked on in a rice paddy.
WFKA began as a labour of love, putting together these life-changing wheelchairs to make a difference in the life and future of some kids a long way away. Come to think of it, it still is a labour of love. Over 250 volunteers, whose average age is in the mid 70’s, now turn up at the Malaga workshop every day to make 30 wheelchairs every day to WHO standard. The wheelchairs are shipped overseas to 81 countries in a partnership with a local in-country charity - WFKA makes them and the charity gets them from Fremantle to the grateful recipient.
In June last year Bro. Olly and his volunteers made wheelchair number 60,000.
This achievement is a long way from the beginnings of WFKA, where dumped items in the Council tip were scavenged for parts to make a couple of wheelchairs. In those early days, the wheelchairs were only made if someone had donated $100/chair, so sometimes the volunteers would turn up only to be told there was nothing to do. It was socially-devastating news.
However, as Paul Kelly sang back in those times: From little things, big things grow*
Recently a group of Applecross Rotarians and friends made the perilous journey up Freeway North, across the Narrows, to far-away Malaga. Some were making their fourth visit, and some their first, as Greg reminded me most of the morning.
The current workshop is huge. The names of major donors, and the logos of the many supporters are featured on the wall. Scarborough Rotary was there from the beginning, and still is. The Rotary logo adorns the wheels of every wheelchair.
Our host was CEO Greg Hebble, an Associate Member of Applecross Rotary.
Greg showing a memorial plaque that can be added for people whose love & generosity has made the wheelchair possible
We saw a container load of 350 wheelchairs destined for kids in Gaza, but given the issues regarding delivery of aid to Gaza, they’re being shipped via Jordan. Many of the injured kids from Gaza end up in a hospital in Jordan so that makes sense, in a region where sense is in very short supply..
Greg also took us to the room where pre-loved soft toys, wheelchair covers and knitted or crocheted lap rugs, made by Beppie's 300 volunteers. They are stored under Beppie’s watchful eye, until they are shipped with each wheelchair.
Greg told us that the WA Government provides some recurring funds for WFKA, but there is no financial support from the Federal Government, yet! Bro. Olly’s award as Senior Australian of the Year gave him several opportunities of raising the issue with the PM, and there will be several more opportunities when he returns to Canberra for the announcement of the 2026 Australian of the Year.
Greg has flagged some serious conversations with Foreign Minister Penny Wong as WFKA’s efforts are all focussed overseas and highlight the generosity of Australians when it comes to providing love and support for kids facing a difficult future.
Greg also mentioned that WFKA received very little public financial support from elsewhere in Australia. That changed almost overnight with donations flowing in from the rest of Australia after Bro. Olly was named the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year last January.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable and educational morning.
Our Vocational Visit ended at The Kingsley Tavern where 16 of us enjoyed some Rotary Fellowship over lunch, with Olly, Beppie and Greg as our guests.
* Song composed by Kev Carmody (1993)
Vocational visit to Wheelchairs For Kids Australia
"I have always admired Rotary International. This morning, I had the invaluable opportunity to witness first-hand the individual members that make this incredible collective 'movement' so impactful!”, wrote Josh Patrick on his LinkedIn post after his recent presentation.
This year's Rotary Jacaranda Festival will be held on Sunday 23rd November 2025. Applecross Rotary will once again take over a much-loved section of Ardross Street, in the heart of Applecross Village, to deliver a fantastic, family-friendly day of fun and entertainment.
to look at the photos of the 2024 APPLECROSS ROTARY JACARANDA FESTIVAL.
The first tranche of meetings in 2025 show off ’Both the new and the old’, not that Roger Painter is old, just his thousands of puns are!
The new is uncontested: 17yo Joshua Patrick will start year 12 at Northam Senior High School in 2025. He wants to do well enough to be accepted into a Biomedical Engineering course at UWA, and win a scholarship to live at St George’s College, before applying to Medical School. He is also very keen to join the Western Australian University Regiment, and is really looking forward to meeting Colonel Tim Inglis.
Let’s start with Roger who will kick off 2025 on 21 January before he heads back to the Canadian winter.
At last week's meeting, Membership Director Margaret Brede and co-President Murray McKay officially welcomed Michelle Muir into the Applecross Rotary family. During the same meeting, Chris Whelan guided us through the final planning briefing for JacFest 2024. It was wonderful to have Michelle join us during this particularly busy and exciting time of the year!
Members responded well to the request to attend this important meeting to go through the final planning and actions for JacFest2024. The roving photographer captured the following pictures of some of the attendees -
Greg Hebble (left, with Jamie Kelly) brought us the news that WFKA founder Brother Ollie is WA’s latest nomination for Australian Senior of the Year.
George Mavros (left) led the Rotary JacFest team 20 years ago, see here with our Attendance Officer Tony Haeusler
Punny man Roger Painter will be with us until February and will tell us what his Club in Canada has been up to, early in 2025
Western Australia's newest Senior Australian of the Year says he is still coming to terms with the unexpected honour.
Brother Thomas Oliver "Olly" Pickett has been recognised as the state's Senior Australian of 2025 after 27 years of volunteering at Wheelchairs for Kids.
The 83-year-old Christian Brother from Geraldton, 400km north of Perth, co-founded the organisation, which has provided over 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs for kids in 80 countries.
He is now the organisation's volunteer factory manager.
"Legacy in the 21st Century" was the topic of former Navy Commander John Scott’s recent presentation to this year’s Remembrance Day Breakfast. Honorary Member Dr Chris Back chaired the session. Chris spoke to the Club at last year’s Remembrance Day Breakfast meeting, as did his younger son Justin, a retired Army officer who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the year before.
Guest speaker Legatee John Scott, former RAN Commander, with President Tom, modelling his new Rotary T-shirt
A Special Insight into the City of Melville Arts program
I don’t know what other members were expecting when Marcus Dickson stood up to speak to us recently, but it certainly wasn’t what I had anticipated.
Marcus is the City’s Events and Programming co-ordinator. He decided to tell us all about himself and what a treat that turned out to be.
Firstly, Marcus grew up in Applecross and later on the family moved "all the way" to Ardross. Little wonder he needed Google Maps to find his way to Bull Creek and Leeming, but more of that later. The river was important to him growing up, and gave up its prawns to him and his friends many times on balmy summer evenings.
After he left school he found a job in Fremantle (even further from Bull Creek and Leeming) and worked for 16 years at the Fremantle Arts Centre. He “came home” to Applecross three years ago, working at City Hall (aka the Civic Centre) for Creative Director Zoe Atkinson.
One of his jobs was to make the arts (mostly music) more accessible to those who live in Melville, and as an example, he has happy memories of organising a music event called Goodnight Bull Creek featuring the music of Zebadiah (https://soundcloud.com/zebadiah-zoolkoski). Around 1500 people attended.
The event was held at Bob Gordon Reserve in Benningfield Rd, Bull Creek, which happens to have a “spaceship” in the kids playground, similar to the one that used to be on the corner of Leach Highway and Karel Ave, Willeton (also in Melville!).
Marcus thinks this is a good example of bringing arts to the people to help them think and feel differently about the world, and obviously LotteryWest think it's a good enough idea to sponsor.
Marcus finished by sharing an unexpected feeling he experienced when driving past the two places he grew up in, in Applecross and Ardross. The houses he lived in are no longer there, which he found strangely sad, like an important connection he had with those places had been lost. It led to him wondering if this feeling of connectedness was what Aboriginal people talk about: their spiritual connection to the land of their birth and growth. This has led to him wanting to learn more about the Dreamtime and its stories and songs, and a stronger empathy and respect for the Indigenous people who walked the land where we live and work, 65,000 years ago (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Australians).
Last year, on 22 August to be exact, Dr Gareth Baynham spoke to Applecross Rotary about Undiagnosed Genetic Diseases.
Earlier this year, Joshua Patrick (pictured with his sister Charlotte who he is her carer), a student at Northam Senior High School began a conversation with me on LinkedIn about our proposed Global Grant to reduce the incidence of juvenile deafness in the Eastern Wheatbelt, and as our conversation grew I realised I was talking to a very special person.
Josh, his mother and two sisters are carers for their sister Charlotte, who has (or had until very recently) an Undiagnosed Genetic Disease, and Josh is a well known advocate for Young Carers. And lots of other related things which are listed at the end of this story*.
Josh will be our guest speaker over breakfast on 28 January 2025. He is a passionate speaker so please make sure you are there to hear him and bring some guests. It will be a celebration at many levels (read on).
Just to recap: Gareth Baynham is Director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the Rare Care Centre at the Telethon Kids Institute. There are currently around 63,000 young people in this situation in WA, and half of the cases remain undetermined - that’s over 30,000.
Now, as of a month ago, there’s one less - Charlotte.
The diagnosis means Charlotte can now receive a treatment plan that works well for others with the same condition. Dr Baynam: “We can now unequivocally say that Charlotte is going to have a long life. She is not going to go backwards, there is a path forward,
“This specific gene variant has just occurred out of the blue. It was something that happened and it’s not hereditary and can’t be passed on.”
It has also given a sense of hope not only for Charlotte’s future but also for her three siblings, who are going to be able to have children one day without having to worry about having a child that had inherited medical issues.
Josh is thrilled that Charlotte is no longer has a SWAN - Syndrome Without A Name.
And the good news continued with Josh recently receiving a place in UWA's Fairway Program for students who have career dreams, but who would perhaps not feel that attending UWA was a feasible option for them due to location, poverty or other hardships. The Fairway Program provides access to summer school and other academic support to help make the path to university as smooth and easy as possible.
.
And to top it off, he has just received “early acceptance" into UWA to study for a double degree - Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Science with a major in Biomedical Engineering!
*Joshua Patrick: TEDxYouth Speaker, Community Youth Citizen of the Year, Minderoo Intern, Civic Engagement YAG, Carers WA YAG, VCI Ambassador, National SWAN Sibling Ambassador, Carer/Disadvantaged Youth Advocate, Passionate Change-Maker
Niki originally came to Applecross Rotary in 2011 on a six month placement by the John Curtin Leadership Academy, and became a student member for several years, including serving as Club Secretary for two years! No wonder our longer serving members were thrilled to learn she was our guest speaker recently.
Niki was a Pharmacy student in 2011, and is now the WA Health Department Pharmacist overseeing the Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Pharmacy Service.
VAD is now legal in all states (WA in 2021).
There is a rigid process to be followed, and requires applicants to begin by demonstrating that the choice made for VAD was made by a competent person, free of coercion, who is already dying.
Here is some data, collected in the year 2022-23 (with change from 2021-22) First assessments 474 (+23.4%) VAD deaths 255 (+33.5%) Median age 74 (58.8% were male) Self administered 45 (+17.6%) Practioner administered 210 (+82.4%)
The majority lived in the metro area (75.6%), and 73% had a cancer related diagnosis.
Niki was well received by members and guests and thanked for making a presentation about a topic of importance, in a careful and sensitive way.
If you would like to know more Niki has provided the following -
SAM'S STORY - "This is my stop"
Listen as Sam shares her experience of being by her mother’s side throughout her end-of-life journey from lung cancer, and their conscious commitment to making memories as a family.
Actively choosing to make the most of the time available to them, the family worked through her mother’s ‘bucket list’ before her death, using all services available to them including excellent palliative care to support her to die at home.
On Thursday, President Tom Atkinson had the honor of presenting a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW to Greg Brindle, a long-time supporter of our club. The recognition took place during a meeting with Greg’s management team. Greg is the chairman of the Brindle Group, a family-owned business that operates Good Grocer IGA stores across the metro area, as well as in Karratha and Newman.
Greg's dedication to the community is evident through his ongoing support of Rotary and various other community and sporting organizations, allowing him to give back to those who support his business. Congratulations to Greg, and a heartfelt thank you for your unwavering commitment to our shared goals and belief that “together we can achieve more.”
During the event, President Tom also had the opportunity to give a brief presentation about Rotary to Greg’s store managers, with Greg encouraging them to consider getting involved with their local Rotary club.
We don’t really like to hear that WA is “way behind” in anything, but Helen Creed, who spoke to members recently, knows her stuff. Helen was suggested as a guest speaker by Rotarian Liz Palmer, and it proved to be a great suggestion. They are long term friends, and Helen says she knows Liz best as “Bib”. We didn’t get to hear why!
Helen, a former social worker, came to WA from Victoria many years ago. Her work with primary school teaching assistants stimulated an interest in Childcare, and it quickly became her passion. Helen prefers to use the term Early Childhood Education (ECE), as Childcare as we know it is much more than babysitting, although the pay rates continue to be among the lowest of all workers - $27/hour is the minimum, and a minimum of $32/hour for those with a university degree. Contrast that with the minimum $33/hour for the person stopping traffic while road repairs are underway!
Kids are born ready to learn, and their brain development is stimulated by ECE. Kids who have accessed ECE have a head start when they start compulsory education at 5 or 6 years of age. It has a life-long impact.
Helen, a former Executive Director of Children and Family Services in the WA Department of Communities, which licensed child care centres, was also the first Chair of REED - Regional Early Education and Development.
Helen’s focus has always been on regional access to ECE and she is a strong advocate for REED. The only way this can be delivered in the regions is via the non-for-profit sector, as the numbers don’t stack up for business investors. The ACCC has stated that market forces have failed to meet the needs in the regions, and the Productivity Commission is a strong advocate for ECE being totally free for those on low incomes. However there is a shortage of graduates so that's another matter needing urgent attention. In fact it’s the greatest challenge. No sense in creating demand if it can’t be filled.
So to make ECE readily available in regional WA, the government has to lead the way, and fortunately Helen’s career path led her to the senior levels of the state public service.
Thanks Helen for making us wiser about Childcare and to start understanding that ECE connects care and education for our precious pre-schoolers.
Chris Whelan recently spoke to members and future members about growing up in Africa, specifically in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), a British Protectorate until it was granted independence in 1964. Chris’ father was a justice of its High Court, and after independence he ended his legal career as a Judge of the District Court of WA.
In contrast, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was a self-governing colony, and it took a civil war to resolve its future as an independent country. Chris spent most of his school years there, boarding at St George’s College, a Jesuit school in Salisbury (now Harare) from the age of 9. and only spent time with his family back in Northern Rhodesia, three times a year. It took Chris a while to figure out how to manage all of this without frequent corporal punishment, and all ended well when he graduated as dux of his school.
When Chris showed us his map, he pointed out the shape of the northern border of Zambia, with a tongue of land that belongs to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a former colony of Belgium. This land coincidentally contains most of the copper that can be found in the region. However Zambia has enough copper to be a major source of foreign earnings, and it was also a major grower of tobacco. The other thing Zambia has is plenty of water - and thus hydro electricity. The dam on the Zambezi River may be the largest in the world.
However with lots of water comes lots of insects bearing diseases like malaria (estimated 20,000 new cases a day) and African Sleeping Sickness, usually fatal and also caused by a parasite, spread through the bites of tstse flies.
Lots of water also describes the world famous Victoria Falls of the Zambezi River, which separates modern day Zambia and Zimbabwe. The town on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls is called Livingstone, named after the Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone, I presume! He was the person who named Victoria Falls for Queen Victoria, the only time he used a non-African name to designate a place on the maps he was sending back to Royal Society in London.
Chris kept everyone enthralled ("I could have sat there for another hour" said a relatively new member), so we’ll try and get him to come back and continue taking us through another episode of “Life of Chris”, next year.
President Tom really enjoyed himself when he got to host the Hon. Tuck Waldron, former WA Minister for Sport and Recreation, and past Chair of WA Cricket, at our recent meeting. Tom also brought along WA Cricket’s new Manager for the Wheatbelt, Emma Wilson.
Tuck Waldron, President Tom and Emma Wilson from Cricket WA
Collaborating Across Borders - the story of Mama Respond
That’s the theme Erin Hegarty chose for her recent presentation to Applecross Rotary but the Back Story is also really important - the use of a Rotary Foundation Global Grant to fund life changing facilities for children with disabilities at a school just outside Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The Jacaranda Festival in Applecross has received tremendous backing from its sponsors, Lottery West and The City of Melville, highlighting flourishing partnerships that benefits the community.
If there is anything John Park doesn’t know about international freight charges, I’d be very surprised. He definitely knows his stuff.
John is Head of Business Operations with the Freight and Trade Alliance, and previously was Regional Manager WA for the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia for over 20 years. He is also married to President Tom’s mother!
As my Sister Amelie, who was on Exchange herself, just told me I only got three Month left here in Australia and therefore have to use my time as good as possible.
I try my best, sister. :-D
Over the long weekend, I had the pleasure of going on a short camping trip to Dwellingup with my host family and friends.
The breathtaking landscape and dense forest were particularly captivating. We set up camp in a beautiful spot surrounded by towering trees and the sounds of nature, which provided a serene and peaceful environment. Spending time outdoors in nature was a wonderful change of pace, and the presence of many children added to the joy and energy of the trip. We played games, explored the area, and shared countless moments of laughter.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was a small bike ride I took through the forest trails. The fresh air and scenic views made the ride truly enjoyable. It was exciting to navigate through the winding paths and discover hidden spots along the way. The sense of adventure was amazing, and it was a great way to connect with nature.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to put many of my scouting skills to use during the camping trip. From setting up a Hammock, building several campfires to cooking meals and organising activities, these skills proved to be invaluable. The experience not only reinforced my love for the outdoors once again but also highlighted the importance of being prepared and resourceful.
Overall, the camping trip to Dwellingup was a fantastic experience filled with beautiful landscapes, fun activities, and quality time with friends and family. It was a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, and I am grateful for the memories we created. This trip has definitely one of greatest I've done in Australia.
Otherwise in school I’m now involved into the Scotch & PLC Play “School of Rock” where I’m helping with the Backstage. The show nights are all in the upcoming week and I’m excited for this. For a fun and joyful evening tickets are still available by clicking here. The actors have been practicing for the last term and are very proud of their final play.
For Scouting, I've been on a Unit Management course, where I learned useful leadership and management skills. This course is required to bring me closer to my Kings Scout Award, the highest Achievement in the Venturer section for scouting in the Commonwealth. I'm looking forward to completing my last part which is a 3-4 Day adventurous journey in the upcoming holidays.
However, I'm enjoying the great weather while playing Rugby, hanging out with my mates in and around Perth and my time with my Family here in Australia.
Report 10-16.06.2024
The smell and the feeling of the river during a windy afternoon at Point Walter is the most magnificent experience that I’ve had in the last week. As I’m just living 15 minutes of walking away from the point, I finally used the opportunity and discovered the great scenery.
My passion for the water followed up on Monday when we went down to Cottesloe beach with the Inbound students to get a talk about microplastic and do a 30min beach Clean-Up where we found an unexpected high amount of rubbish.
"School of Rock" is a high-energy musical based on the 2003 film of the same name. It follows the story of Dewey Finn, a failed rock musician who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school and turns his class of straight-A students into a rock band. The show features impressive performances by actors from year 9 to 12 who some play their own instruments live on stage. With themes of self-discovery, rebellion, and the transformative power of music, it delivers an electrifying and heart-warming theatrical experience.
Dealing with technology, the cast and other lovely Australian mates was my task for the week. As I’ve been completely involved into Scotch’s Musical “School of Rock” as part of the Backstage Key-Roadie Crew I met new great people and formed new friendships.
As Part of our work, we practiced the scene changes, set the light, added and built props for the setting to make the whole stage help to visual the emotions of the actors, with the assistance of Teacher, Staff and professional Operators. Throughout the week we had six performances, one on Wednesday and Thursday and two on Friday and Saturday, each 3.5 hours long. In all the shows we had a brilliant audience which made it so much more fun. It was another outstanding opportunity to get involved with new people and learn new skills.
Otherwise, I’ve been doing Push-Ups all week long to raise awareness for Men’s Mental Health.
The Push-Up Challenge is a mental health and fitness event focused on pushing for better mental health for all Australians. Participants complete 3,249 push-ups or alternative exercises over 24 days, representing the 3,249 lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2022. Scotch is highly involved into the program and so am I.
As Men’s Mental Health is a big issue in the world I would highly appreciate, if we could support and make a difference here in Australia. So far there have been 139,325,189 Push-Ups banked and over 8.5 million Dollars donated for good.
Thank you for your contribution and see you on Tuesday.
Dr Barry Mendelawitz has given Applecross an amazing array of guest speakers during his tenure coordinating our weekly program, and Curtis Lind’s presentation on Aquaculture was a fitting finale.
Curtis Lind has been involved in the aquaculture industry for close to 20 years and has worked throughout Africa, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific. He is currently based in Perth working for the CSIRO, specialising in the use of breeding and genetics to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of aquaculture in Australia.
Aquaculture is the process of breeding, rearing and harvesting of aquatic flora and fauna with commercial value in saltwater or freshwater, in controlled aquatic environments. It is the fastest food production sector globally. It has grown six-fold in the past 20 years! It currently produces twice as much food as the beef industry, according to Curts. More than half of all seafood consumed is aquaculture - the term aquaculture broadly refers to the cultivation of aquatic organisms
The Australian aquaculture industry occurs in marine, estuarine and freshwater locations. The industry is predominantly based in regional Australia and makes a significant and positive contribution to regional economies.
And if some smarty-pants asks you how is it different from pisciculture, you can tell them that pisciculture is the culturing of fish (fish farming) to obtain fish and fish products as food - so no seaweed or shell fish like oysters, clams, prawns, scallops or mussels.
Curtis told us that the world population is expected to grown by an extra 2 billion people by 2050, and aquaculture will play a key role in providing the food needed to feed them. It is environmentally and financially responsible:
Low water consumption
Low environmental impact (including low CO2 emissions)
Efficient land use
Outputs are greater than inputs.
Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon is currently the largest aquaculture industry in Australia (70,000t/yr) and two main players dominate in our supermarkets - Tassal and Huon. Around 5,000t/yr of black tiger and banana prawns are produced, mainly in Queensland. Barramundi is farmed in all mainland states and is targeted to reach 20,000t by next year. However a lot of Barra is also imported, but while less expensive, is not well regarded by fussy pescatarians.
What’s the future look like? Northern Australia is set for rapid developments in aquaculture
Extensive prawn farming with indigenous partnerships
Low input, low intensity
Tropical oyster farming
White-flesh fish farming - Barra, pompano, groupers
If you want a horse to back, it’s called Tropical Prawn Aquaculture!
Curtis is also enthusiastic about White-flesh fish increasing its presence alongside salmon in the supermarket chillers.
It’s not wild-caught but it’s not entirely happy either!
Wow, this last week was one of the best ones I had so far, absolutely fabulous. Rotarian Graeme Fardon, Swedish Exchange student Elis and myself Valentin, we went on the Bibbulmun track and walked a 30km part of it near Albany. I went with Rotarian Kenn Williams, his wife Peta and Rotarian Murray McKay to the Walk for mental Illness on the Rotary Action Day which ended with a fantastic International Dinner with a couple of other Exchange students.
About 2 weeks after I downsized to Myaree in 2021, I was robbed as I slept and all my photos iD’s were among the goods stolen. Ironically I needed photo ID if I wanted to replace them!
Our guest speaker Philip Pitia Lako didn’t have that First World problem - his birth in a grass hut in what is now South Sudan was never recorded, so he really doesn’t know how old he is, or his date of birth, a critical issue when it comes to proving you are who you claim to be. So he was given one!
Philip was “recruited” into the Sudan People’s Revolutionary Army when he thinks he might have been 10 years old, during a long civil war (1955-2005) that eventually led to the creation of a new country, South Sudan. This army removed him from his family and he suffered torture, abuse, given very little food, or any safe places to hide during frequent aerial bombardments.
With the help of a Norwegian Agency and an Irish priest, Philip escaped to Kenya and lived in a Refugee Camp “where hope quickly fades away”. He was eventually accepted into Australia. However he found the resilience to muster hope when all seemed impossible, and is now determined to be of service to others. One manifestation of this is his membership of RC Perth. He has written a book about his life “The Ten-Year-Old Man” and the funds raised from sales are donated to the Rotary Foundation.
Australia “gave me the opportunity to imagine my full potential”, Philip told us, as well as a realisation that while a really important day in your life is the day you are born (whenever that is), another is the day you find out why.
From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Lessons from a Junior Cricket Club
The song title might be appropriate for our presentation from Cameron Schuster, but the context is very different.
Cameron was a Melville City Councillor for a total of 10 years, and that’s an important part of the story. More importantly, he had been a leader in Applecross Junior Cricket Club (JCC), beginning in 1970, and a key mover for its merger with the big kids in the Applecross Cricket Club that was finalised in 2022.
The story is a familiar one. A club with a dwindling membership in 1980 was fielding two teams a week, involving a total of 35 kids, and ominously "looking at its options" for the future. When Cameron first became involved, there were three local JCCs, Applecross, Mt Pleasant and Ardross; now there's just Applecross. All the usual excuses were offered: families with kids have moved on or the kids had left home. Yet the Primary Schools were doing OK for numbers (and they are booming now!).
Cameron persuaded his JCC to change its culture - from winning to participation, and playing cricket for fun. Importantly for the future, there was a deliberate move to include women - the mothers of the sons, and now daughters, who wanted to have fun playing cricket with their friends.
The result was the JCC was fielding 5 teams a week involving 75 kids, within a few years.
And now in the season just concluded the Applecross Cricket Club had 21 junior teams, including three teams all girls, with one team being for years 10-11 for the first time. They had trouble finding enough ovals for all their teams to play home games.
There are 261 kids involved and of the 41 people in leadership roles, 16 are women.
The final part of Cameron’s story concerns Shirley Strickland Oval. The cricket team needed a base, and Shirley Strickland Oval needed a total revamp to continue honouring her local legacy. If you haven’t driven past lately, go have a look. The pavilion itself is a proper recognition of Shirley Strickland, and is the result of judicious use of funds available from the state government and the City of Melville, including grants and low interest loans.
Thank you President Tom for inviting Cameron to address our recent meeting.
Leadership Lessons from Forgotten Women Artists of WA
A whole generation of talented women artists from WA have been forgotten and overlooked. Too late for the art boom of the 1890s and too early for the #knowmyname movement, they remain hidden and unknown. Social norms and a male dominated industry have meant they have gone missing from our private art collections, our galleries and our art history books. This was an era of immense creativity, economic prosperity and social change. Yet if you were a women artist, you were not allowed to be more famous than your husband and any form of self-promotion was seen as in poor taste.
I first learned about Wheelchairs for Kids (WFK) from a student of mine at Curtin University. I ran a scholarship program named for wartime PM John Curtin, and the winners of the scholarships undertook to continue their community service activities they started at school.
One of the John Curtin Scholars had been volunteering at WFK and he met with me monthly to talk about this and other activities including his plans to study overseas, another requirement of the scholarship.
In those days (we are talking over 20 years ago) the focus was supporting kids in Cambodia who lost limbs because of the land mines the US carpet bombed trying to stop the Viet Kong using the Cambodian countryside to invade neighbouring South Vietnam. The leader of the program was Christian Brother Ollie Pickett, and it was supported by Scarborough Rotary. At that time everyone involved were volunteers and they could construct a wheelchair, using often scavenged parts, for about $100. They only built them if they had the funds available to buy the parts needed. No money, no wheelchair, no gathering together to construct the chairs, no chats over cups of tea.
I asked my student at one of our monthly meeting how it was going and he told me that they had run out of money and the workshop was closed until they fund raised. So what did my student do? He fund raised on campus, starting with my staff, and before long the workshop was humming along again, and everyone was happy. In fact this was a really important observation he made - the fellowship created among the volunteers was a very important of the program. This fellowship also enabled them to face unexpected challenges, such as a new WHO standard for wheelchairs - no more scavenged parts.
We also had students volunteering at Foodbank and I got to know and appreciate the organisational and strategic planning skills of then CEO Greg Hebble. During Greg’s time at Foodbank it grew to be a very big business "with a compassionate heart”. So when I learned that WFK had selected Greg to be its first paid employee, I realised that WFK was also becoming another big business.
Every week over 250 volunteers (average age 74) gather in the new workshop, building WHO approved wheelchairs that are now sent to over 100 countries worldwide. The wheelchairs are assembled after the recipient is selected so it fits properly and can grow with the child.
As can be seen in the photo of Greg at our recent meeting, the chair comes with a knitted rug and a couple of soft toys. More than 65,000 have been sent overseas, usually though an international aid agency who identifies the need and pays the shipping costs. Last year WFK sent 3500 wheelchairs to needy kids, and Greg and his willing workers want to lift that to 6000/year.
Happy footnote: AG Kenn announced that Greg has been elected an Associate Member of Applecross Rotary
Persistence pays off - the saga of Wheelchairs for Kids
It all started on Saturday mid-morning at Kenn's storage unit loading the event materials onto the club trailer and utility, then heading to the Heathcote reserve to set up for the parking control for Sunday's Perth Makers Market. As an added challenge the oval, due to lack of water and maintenance, is getting very 'boggy' which resulted in a number of vehicles (including the club ute) having to be towed out when they got bogged.
Guide Dogs WA joined George Mavros at the Rotary marquee. Their Corporate and Community Engagement Officer, Bec Woodward with some of her volunteers and staff, did a great job in promoting that Guide Dogs WA are currently seeking loving homes for their young adult dogs in training, for a period of 6 to 12 months. They also sold merchandise for their fund-raising activity and had some of their dogs in-training, much to the delight of people attending the markets.
The numbers attending the markets did appear to be down due to the heat, however one of the dogs was still able to do her promotion work amongst the market crowd with her paws protected from the hot paths with dog boots!
Well done to Peter Smith (President Melville Rotary) for organising last Thursday's (February 23rd) event to recognise Rotary's 118 year anniversary, World Rotary Day. Rotarians from our zone gathered at 'The Rowing Pavillion' wearing their Rotary shirts for a no fuss 'Sundowner' enjoying good food, drinks and great company at one of Perth's newest venues overlooking the river at Canning Bridge. Unfortunately, Peter had double booked himself and had to leave early however it was agreed this will become an annual event on Rotary's anniversary.
Wednesday saw the official opening of the new ambulant toilet block in the newly build special needs unit at Noonkopir Township Primary School, Kitengela, Kenya. This project was a cooperation between Applecross Rotary, Rotary Club of Embakasi, Mama Respond International and the Rotary Foundation. Many Rotary Clubs in Western Australia provided funding support. Another wonderful example of international cooperation between Rotary teams to help children with special needs in Kenya. Great thanks to Wangu, Risper, Paul, Dr Patrisio and Erin.
D9465 has for several years promoted the no-cost publicity of ALL Rotarians wearing their Rotary shirts on the 23 February, Paul Harris’s Birthday. The event has been followed by several other Districts around the World but still needs clubs to be reminded to get involved. This initiative was started by a group of our AGs and is an easy way of showing Rotary in our community and inviting the conversation of ‘What is Rotary”. Ideally, the Rotary shirt would be worn all day as the Rotarians go about their daily business, not just at a Rotary meeting.
Last meeting's guest speaker was Cranston Collis who is the Principal of the Kensington Secondary School. Cran is reaching out in the hope of receiving support to purchase several items needed to address the sensory, social, emotional and academic needs of their students at Kensington Secondary School. They are a school that caters for year 7 to 13 students with special needs.
The plan is to refurbish one of their current classrooms providing a safe multi-sensory room that allows access for all their students. This is currently far beyond the standard scope of funding normally allocated to schools.Without this equipment their students are missing out on vital resources for their special needs and education.
Following Cran's presention he has provided additional information as follows:
Dear Applecross Rotarians, Thank you for listening to my presentation last Tuesday morning. I feel the need to follow up as from the questions I received I realised I had made some assumptions regarding the level of understanding with regards to what a sensory room actually is. I apologies for being in my ‘special needs bubble’ and thank you for the questions that made me realise this. I will endeavour to clarify for you a little better with this brief follow up address. A Sensory room is a purpose-built facility that can be controlled to suit the individual needs of someone who may be dysregulated or feeling anxious or even out of control as a result of something in their day to day environment. We all receive information from our environment and process this information without the need to directly attend to it. We move, see, touch, smell and taste without realising our brain is actually carrying on a multitude of processes to allow these things to happen automatically or subconsciously, this is called sensory processing. People who have problems with this have what is known as Sensory Processing Disorder. To have a diagnosis means you are unable to function without some kind of assistance. This may be in one or more of the sensory areas. One example, common to students with special needs, relates to touch and fine motor sensory processing. This presents with a student having difficulty in holding a pencil (writing), using the correct pressure (constantly breaking pencil). Considering another example, a student with Autism may find the noise of the classroom overwhelming. Removing them to a calm place where their favourite music can be played at their desired volume or images of an underwater seascape can be projected onto a wall and viewed. This acts as a powerful tool for returning the student to a mental state wear they are much less likely to engage in out of control violent or dangerous behaviour. It also means parents are not called as frequently to collect their child, having to leave work or lose much needed respite. Staff are also given another extremely effective behaviour management tool, decreasing the chance of being assaulted or injured and the resulting sick, workers compensation or stress leave. The student is also much more likely to be able to reengage in class learning activities. The multi-sensory room provides a multitude of learning experiences other than learning to control behaviour through the soothing of the five senses. It also helps to build key developmental skills such as cause and effect, hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. I hope this has helped with some of the points raised on Tuesday morning. Please feel free to email me for more clarification or more questions. Thanks. cran.collis@education.wa.edu.au
Late in December 2022 Jill Hanna, RYE Chair Elect D9423, advised PP Dr Ian Fairnie that after more than a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the RYE program will restart in 2023. The restarting of the Program means that our reciprocal Inbound Exchange Student for our last Outbound Connor Ovens (pictured with Ian prior to leaving for Germany in January 2020) is expected to arrive in July 2023. Applications for Outbound students who will leave in January 2024 will also be opening soon.
A meeting was held recently with Ian, Connor (who is the current chair of ROTEX), President Logan, President elect Tom and RYE Chair elect Jill Hanna. The timeline for what needs to be done before we receive our inbound student is very tight and you will hear more at Tuesday's meeting of what needs to be done.
At the recent MCCC Business After Hours co-hosted by Applecross Rotary and MarketLife, we took the opportunity to present a Community Service Award to Monica Morunga who has set up a charity, Feed it Forward, that feeds thousands of familys every month. Feed it Forward started collecting from a few local stores around Baldivis but has since grown to collect from over 90 places across WA and has more than 300 volunteers. The Club also donated $1000 to the 'Feed It Forward' charity.
The toilet block (GG2233171) is about 50% completed with an estimated completion in December 2022. Construction of the co-joined Special Needs Unit proceeds and is funded by a grant from DFAT and donations from MAMA Respond. Applecross Rotary, RC Embakasi and MAMA Respond are working to scope the fit out necessary to make these buildings functional. A new Global Grant will request multi Rotary District support for the fit out. The anticipated costs are around US$50K and the Global Grant application needs formal Applecross Rotary Board approval.
On Monday July 18th Mutwan Engineering began constructing the special needs unit toilet block at Noonkopir Township Primary School, Kitengla, Kenya after two and a half years of planning and fundraising.
Mutwan have begun laying the foundations by excavating trenches 600mm deep, levelling floor base of the trench, and cutting steel rods for footing and base settings. The site has been fenced off from the school children to align with child protection measures.
A team of nine are on site to execute the project over 22 weeks. The toilet block will provide appropriate sanitary facilities for 40 children with special needs – the only ambulant toilet block in the township. This project is led by Mama Respond International in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Embakasi and Applecross Rotary Club.
This week Mutwan will progress to the foundation stonework so Global Precast Panels can commence the administrative block.
Applecross Rotary's 51st Changeover was held on Wednesday 6th July at the Manning Rippers Football Club in the Manning Community Centre.
Forty Five members and guests attended with a delicious 3 course meal provided by Duncan & Kristie owners of Krankin Cafe, excellent drink service from footy club members Jo-anne, Wayne and Rod, and guitarist/ singer Wayne Glasson providing the entertainment throughout the night. The colour theme purple and white Lorri tells me, was selected by Logan's partner Nikki!
This year's President Elect and Secretary Tom Atkinson did a great job as MC and started the proceedings calling everyone to their seats and doing the Acknowlegement to Country. He then introduced outgoing President Peter McEwen.
Peter acknowledged our special guests; DG Ric McDonald and Ailsa McDonald, PDG Pat Shraven, AG Kenn Williams and Erin Hegley Founder and Director of Mama Respnd International. Peter gave an overview of his annual report and then invited DG Ric to propose a toast to Rotary Internationsl.
Following the meal MC Tom called up PDG Pat who took this opportunity to personally present the District 9465 Rotarian of the Year Award to Applecross Rotary member, Chris Whelan. Please find the details of this presentation in a following story in this AA. Pat also presented appreciation awards to AG Kenn Williams and Chris Whelan.
In a surprise presentation DG Pat awarded a certificate to the Rotary Club of Applecross for the Bulletin of the Year 2021-2022. The certificate read "for delivering a consistently high standard weekly bulletin. The Applecross Advocate is a pleasure to read each week, it showcases the fun, friendship and pride we all have in being part of Rotary. The Advocate content and standard makes a great promotional tool, ideal for distributing to potential members or community groups. Your Club has also excelled in your use of social media and continue to expand your reach and build wider networks. Thank you to all members for your outstanding support to Rotary"
PDG Pat presented Chris Whelan with the District Rotarian of the Year Award and in his acceptance speech he acknowledged the great part his involvement in the Mama Respond Kenyan project played in the reason he was receiving the award. He invited Mama Respond founder and director Erin Hegley to share the award with him for her fantastic work in Kenya and the opportunity for him amd many Rotarians and Rotary Clubs not only in WA and Kenya, but also in the USA to work together to make this project happen.
Peter then acknowledged Chris's outstanding work for the club throughout the year with a PHF +2 recognition level and a PHF recognition to Erin Hegarty for making a difference to the lives of children in Kenya through her charity MAMA RESPOND International and in particular the project to build a Special Needs Centre at Noonkopir Township Primary School.
Peter then made the following awards:
Applecross Rotarian of the Year - Ray Philp
Community Service Award - Brett Hammill
A new Award "Applecross Rotary Jacaranda Festival Mal Taylor Award" to Mal Taylor
Finally the time came for Peter to handball the Presidency to Logan ...
President Logan Duncan-Smith thanked the Club Members for the honour of leading the club for the 2022 - 2023 Rotary year.
PDG Pat Schraven attended our Changeover on Wednesday evening and presented Chris Whelan with the ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR for DISTRICT 9465. The following was Pat's words leading up to the presentation:
"As District Governor I am given the challenge of selecting a member worthy of the Rotarian of Year for District 9465.
There are so many members who are worthy of this recognition so it is a challenge I am grateful to have.
Amongst there are people who in their own quiet way make an enormous difference to the people around them.
Their subtle and effective approach to mentor the emerging generation of leaders in Rotary, encouraging them to step up, share their ideas and be heard.
Their business acumen and strategic thinking which has for years enhanced their own clubactivities, this year spilled over in abundance to support the future direction of Rotary.
This member knows how to build strong, lasting relationships within Rotary and externally with local business and organisations that foster sustainable partnerships and helped his club and our district expand our reach.
And when You think this member's cup is full they take on an international project that saw the collaboration of 10 clubs and the successful aquisition of a Rotary Foundation global grant.
In the past year I have been in awe of his contribution to the transition of D9423 as the lead for the stategic focus team.
Congratulations Chris Whelan - Rotarian of the Year for District 9465."
Applecross Rotary, with other Indian clubs have been strongly supportive of the construction of a medical campus near Raipur. The hospital is known as the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital Raipur.
This hospital provides free services , especially cardiothoracic services to all comers.
Applecross Rotary is involved in the building of a Mother and Child Care facility at the hospital. The hospital concentrates on children aged 9 -14 and every day about 10-12 surgeries and catheter lab procedures are performed.
The Raipur Greater Rotary Club has funded the Cath Lab equipment, OT Unit and Blood Bank projects under a global grant worth $US81000. The new centre is expected to cost $US197000. Applecross Rotary and one member were able to assist this very worthy cause by a donation of $3500.
For several years now, we have partnered with WA charity Street Connect, to buy sleeping bags for homeless people in WA. Last year over 80 sleeping bags were donated, and many ended up in Mandurah and Bunbury where there was high demand.
“Stitches of Hope” is a registered charity that was established by Swan Rotarians Kay and John Eva. It is based in Cambodia and the sleeping bags are made in a local village, and pay a living wage to the workers. Kay and John get them delivered to WA where they can be purchased for $50, and donated to Street Connect. So your tax-deductible donation through RAWCS sends money to Cambodia for village development, and keeps homeless people warm in WA. Pretty good deal!
We launched the 2022 Appeal a few weeks, and sold 36 sleeping bags. Great start - well done!
Please chat to Ian Fairnie if you’d like to participate.
With inspiration from mama Respond International we all decided to support a Special Needs Unit for kids at Noonkopir Primary School, Kitengela, Kenya.
Well, another PMM behind us, and hopefully another strong fund raiser for those with a need.
However, for the operations team, there’s is always something to laugh, cry, or enjoy about happenings on the day!
You have to laugh… at those dear drivers who, on seeing a collection request, make sure the window is up, a grim look covers their face, and they try to move past as if we don’t exist….. and those which only the ‘rights’ of an ACROD pass confer, have the indignation to DEMAND a spot, even when we are totally full up…. And those gob- smacked who ‘just come for the playground’, or a family picnic, totally unaware that the event is on, … and some of our dear ethnic friends who look at you dumbfounded when one asks for a ‘donation for charity’!
Drop a tear when idiots, despite directions, insist on driving up the wrong, out going lane, and have to be directed out without causing total chaos,…or want to stop and have a chat, despite traffic building behind them and holding up normal traffic flow,…. Or in the lower car park, get bogged in the sand due to stopping and trying to drive on again…
But on the enjoyment side, working to a schedule with a wonderful group of fellow ‘volunteer soldiers’, irrespective of the heat, wind, rain … or early hour set up/later hour pull down, sharing in the fantastic fund raising the event presents, and knowing that Applecross Rotary has again overseen a very well organised event management activity.
Long may we soldier on with this event, and have a laugh or a cry along the way!
PP Barry M shows how to do it from year's of practice!
The Rotary Foundation creates channel for direct humanitarian support in Ukraine region
In response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, The Rotary Foundation has created an official channel for Rotary members around the world to contribute funds to support the relief efforts underway by Rotary districts and has designated its Disaster Response Fund as the main avenue for contributions.
To this end, The Rotary Foundation has approved:
Now through 30 June 2022, designated Rotary districts that border Ukraine and the Rotary district in Ukraine may apply for grants of up to $50,000 each from the Disaster Response Fund. These expedited disaster response grants can be used to provide relief to refugees or other victims of the crisis including items such as water, food, shelter, medicine and clothing.
During this same period, other impacted Rotary districts that wish to offer support to refugees or other victims of the crisis in their district can apply for $25,000 grants from the Disaster Response Fund.
Now through 30 April 2022, Rotary districts can transfer unallocated District Designated Funds (DDF) to support the Disaster Response Fund, directly supporting these Ukraine-specific humanitarian grants.
Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund in support of Ukraine can be made here. All funds need to be received into the Disaster Response Fund by 30 April 2022 in order to qualify for use in support of the Ukrainian relief efforts.
Although the Disaster Response Fund will be the main avenue for Rotary Foundation support, Rotary and Rotaract clubs are also encouraged to create their own responses to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
In addition to support provided through the Disaster Response Fund, the Foundation is coordinating with partners and regional leaders, exploring effective solutions to the increased humanitarian needs.
We are in contact with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees – USA to prepare for and respond to the needs of those being displaced in Ukraine and to neighboring countries.
ShelterBox, our project partner for disaster response, is in communication with Rotary members in Eastern Europe to explore how it may offer support with temporary transitional housing and other essential supplies.
The Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration is also mobilizing its resources to assist in this crisis.
A million people have fled Ukraine and are in dire need of emergency aid. The United Nations estimates that number could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.
We will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Visit My Rotary and follow Rotary on social media to stay updated on how clubs can get involved and what actions Rotary members have taken and the impact it has had for people in the region.
For all other questions and to obtain more information, please contact the Rotary Support Center at rotarysupportcenter@rotary.org.
Last Tuesday's meeting was a combined Dinner meeting with the Booragoon Rotary Club and our keynote speaker was Dr Mark Duncan-Smith, President of the Australian Medical Association WA.
A University of Western Australia graduate, Dr Duncan-Smith is a consultant plastic surgeon and burns surgeon, who played a crucial role in the Bali Bombing Disaster of 2002 as one of the two treating Consultant Burn Surgeons. He has experienced first-hand what can be achieved with a medical workforce working in unison with medical administration towards a common goal, with the excellent health outcomes for survivors of both the Bali Bombing and Ashmore Reef disasters.
He is a humanitarian doctor, undertaking 15 overseas volunteer surgical aide trips in his career, including Mongolia, Indonesia and Vanuatu. Mark made comment of the importance of these trips is to train and educate the locals in the treatment of burns that can improve the health outcomes of thousands of patients. The value of humanitarian work is of great value for his professional development as well as the use of his skills to treat patient conditions that he has not experience in Australia.
The AMAWA is the peak representative body for doctors in WA with over 5000 members (50% of doctors). Their vision is to be "the leading and trusted voice for better healthcare" and their mission is to "represent, support and advocate for doctors, patients and the community". Mark took us through the current state of the WA health system including ambulance ramping hours and access to hospital beds.
Mark spoke on COVID 19 and the importance of people to get vaccinated. He also presented the AMAWA's 'action agenda 2021' calling on the State Government to implement their 15 point plan.
Mark finished by saying "if all you do and are is a surgeon, you will have a very boring retirement"
WORK TO LIVE, DON'T LIVE TO WORK
If you missed Mark's presentation you can view it on the Applecross Rotary members private Facebook group.
The 21st Rotary Jacaranda Festival will be held on the 27th of November at its well established home in Applecross Village, and promises to be bigger and better than ever!!
“What started out with very humble beginnings in year 2000 and is now recognised as one of the BEST community Festivals in Perth, continues to charm all who attend,” Kenn Williams, from the organising committee said. “Set amongst the shady flowering Jacaranda trees and commercial hub of Ardross St., without doubt, it really does take some beating “
Certainly Covid-19 WA Health protocols must be again followed, but it will not have the crowd limitations of last year, as it currently stands. Only a QR Code check-in will be required, as for any other public event.
On 5th January 2016 the Club received this message:
‘Hi Kenn, My name is Erin Madeley and I am the Market Manager for Perth Makers Market. Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to me today.
Perth Makers Market is a new handmade market which will be hosting it’s launch market on the 7th of February 2016 and then running bi-monthly for the remainder of the year. Perth Makers Market is a new market South of the Swan River that makes it's home at Heathcote Cultural Precinct in Applecross. The goal of Perth Makers Market is to provide a platform for the talented, high quality handmade crafters that call Perth their home in a family focussed, friendly location.
With strong ties to the community and a focus on giving back, Perth Makers Market is unique. One of the focuses regarding community ties is to provide fundraising opportunities to local groups and organisations such as yours. We were hoping that your organisation might be interested in running our parking for these events.”
APPLECROSS ROTARY, THE ROTARY CLUB OF KITENGELA and MAMA RESPOND International (a Perth based NFP) have joined forces to build what will be the only comprehensive toilet block for special needs students in Kitengela, Kenya (population 150,000). This will be at Noonkopir Township Primary School – a public school closely affiliated with Mama Respond.
RYE Connor Ovens presenting his host Club banner to IPP Ray Philp
Thanks to PP Dr Ian Fairnie's Presidential Year goal to get Applecross Rotary back into the Youth Exchange Program, Connor Ovens in early 2020 embarked on his Rotary Youth Exchange to Germany hosted by the Rotary Club of Willich in District 1870.
Connor took the opportunity at our special event celebrating the Club's 50 Anniversary and Changeover 2021 to present the RC of Willich's banner.
IPP Ray Philp presenting PP Chris Whelan with 'Rotarian of the Year' trophy
It was indeed a pleasure to present our Executive Secretary Past President Chris Whelan with the recognition as Rotarian of the Year, for his outstanding work that he does for the Club especially my year as President.
Chris, like many Rotarians, brings his Corporate life skills to professionally manage the Club as well as the local and global projects that the club gets involved with.
Chris is now fully retired and the VOLUNTEER hours he puts into Rotary if costed out would be substantial.
On behalf of all the Applecross Rotary Members, thank you Chris.
From the club's archives - the following was prepared by PDG Bruce James and presented on 3rd June 2011.
The Melville Rotary Club was Chartered on 6th November 1959, having been formed by the Fremantle Rotary Club. Having formed the Cockburn Rotary Club in 1969, the Melville Rotary Club then formed the Applecross Rotary Club in 1971 with the idea that about half of their Members would transfer to the new Applecross Rotary Club.
Tom Cook was the Secretary of the Melville Rotary Club for the 1970-71 Rotary year and was elected to be the Foundation President of the New Applecross Rotary Club on 2nd June 1971. He held these two positions at the same time until 30th June 1971. The Inauguration Meeting of those persons who had been approached to become Applecross Rotarians was held on Tuesday 13th May 1971 at a luncheon at the Sir Loin Restaurant at 35 Ardross Street Applecross. This restaurant became the weekly Club Meeting venue on a Tuesday with a 12.10 pm Fellowship preceding the Luncheon Meeting at 12.30 pm. Later on, the weekly Tuesday Luncheon Meeting was held in the Golden Host Room on the second floor of the Booragoon Hotel at Garden City. Since about 1988, the weekly Club Meetings have been Breakfast Meetings at the South of Perth Yacht Club at 7.30 am on Tuesdays.
The Club gained its Charter at the Charter Luncheon on 2nd June 1971 with a total membership of 32 Members of which 24 had transferred from the Melville Rotary Club. Seven of these Ex-Melville Rotary Club Members were themselves Foundation Members of the Melville Rotary Club since its Charter Celebration on 17th August 1959.
In 2016 the Applecross Rotary Club began supporting a youth Mentoring program run by True Blue Dreaming Inc. aimed at providing individual mentors for country high school students who may not have the same opportunities as their city counterparts. The club's financial support was specific to programs running in the Bruce Rock and Wyalkatchem District High Schools and continued successfully through to 2019. However, in 2019, local support for the program at the Wyalkatchem District High School lapsed, and True Blue Dreaming changed their focus away from the mentoring program.
Fortunately, the program in Bruce Rock was strongly established and continued to be supported by the school and local citizens, with the result that a new organisation, Wheatbelt and Beyond Youth Mentoring Inc. was established to continue the programs in wheatbelt District High Schools.
The Applecross Rotary Club remained convinced of the value of the mentoring programs, which was validated by an independent report in 2018, and continued its support.
Looking forward to PARTYING with 80 people who have registered so far. Please continue to spread the word to everyone who would like to join us in celebrating Applecross Rotary's 50th Anniversary and Changeover 2021.
Applecross Rotary was formed by the Melville Rotary Club in 1971. Tom Cook was the secretary of the Melville Rotary Club for the 1970-71 Rotary year and was elected to be the Foundation President of the NEW Applecross Rotary Club on 2nd June 1971.
The Club gained its Charter at the Charter Luncheon on 2nd June 1971 with a total membership of 32 members of which 24 had transferred from the Melville Rotary Club.
Applecross Rotary 50th Anniversary & Changeover 2021
Dr Garnett Hall made a very informative presentation to a good turn out of members, focussed on his role as a veterinarian in the Army Reserve. His unit was mobilised to support the volunteers fighting fires on Kangaroo Island in January 2020. They arrived to find a large area of national park had already been burnt and Captain Garnett busied himself providing professional support to the local vets treating burnt animals at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. A weather forecast of high temperatures and strong westerlies for later in the week suggested that the Centre would be in great danger unless it was made more secure, so Garnett approached the head of the army task force and secured a group of soldiers who managed, in a few days, to fire-proof the Centre.
When the fire reached the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, it split north and south saving the lives of the animals and staff.
There were many international TV crews covering the fire and after it was all over, Garnett had the opportunity to introduce a Scottish reporter to the highly dangerous Drop Bear, one of which was being treated in the Centre. Here’s the story:
Last meeting's speaker was Helen Brady, who is a Domestic Violence Advocate (DVA) working as part of the mobile outreach team at Starick.
Applecross Rotary under the leadership of Lorri Brazier, have been supporting Starick since a presentation to the club in 2015 drawing our attention to the increasing crisis in the community caused by domestic violence.
Unfortunately the demand on services provided by Starick are increasing.
Starick is registered NFP organisation, providing multi layered support to women and children escaping family and domestic violence for over 35 years. They work predominately in Perth's south-east metropolitan area. Starick has 2 refuges as well as other programs to support women such as counselling, DVA's at Cannington and Armadale Police Stations, Safe at Home, and many more programs to support women and children.
Helen explained that Domestic Violence is often called "domestic and family violence" (FDV) because it is just not the intimate partners that abuse. FDV means any type of abuse that creates fear and controls another person. Often causes physical, sexual and/ or psychological damage, forced isolation and economic deprivation.
Starick's Mobile Outreach Service is part of the COVID recovery plan. The plan aims to provide a smoother transition and ongoing support to a woman with or without children, who is experiencing domestic or family violence and who has or is about to exit the refuge environment.
At our last meeting we had the pleasure of hearing from one of our organisations that we support through the Cruising Butterflies activity. Families with children with special needs from the Kalparrin community enjoy a day out on a boat run by the Cruising section of the South Perth Yacht Club. Our club provides financial support for the day as well as some of our members make their boats available.
Kalparrin's CEO Carrie Clark thanked the club for our ongoing support of the Cruising Butterflies activity and informed the meeting about Kalparrin.
Kalparrin is Western Australia's oldest and largest member organisation, supporting 16500-plus members, who collectively represent 4,515 families raising 5925 children with disability, developmental delay, genetic, chronic medical and/or health conditions.
Membership is FREE and provides parents with access to a vast array of practical and emotional support, information, resources, opportunities and events as well as connection to a community of thousands of other parents raising children with disability and additional needs.
Carrie introduced their Super Power Kids project which has produced a beautiful book that celebrates the lives and abilities of children with a range of disabilities and conditions.
The author of the book is Rachel Callander whose late daughter Evie who was born with a very rare chromosomal condition. In the two and a half years of Evie's life, Rachel learnt a lot about the use of language in the health system, and has spent the subsequent years continuing to explore the impact and implications on how it is used - to positive and negative effect.
Rachel believes our language shapes our landscape. The words we speak influence the behaviour, attitudes, and beliefs of ourselves and others. Within high-stakes contexts, such as the sharing of difficult information, our words carry an enormous emotional weight. They can alienate and add trauma, or they can honour and empower.
The Super Power Kids project is a transformative initiative designed to raise the profile of children living with a disability.
'These are the kids that Kalparrin supports and the best way to help them is to make sure their parents stay strong'.
Our guest speaker for our meeting on the 2nd March was Bruce Barrett, a third generation of the Barrett family involved in Baravan Caravans.
The first Baravan Caravan was built in 1954 by David and Horace Barrett, Bruce's father and grand father respectively.
Bruce took us through the timeline of the Baravan business and the move from domestic vans to commercial and residential caravans.
When Bruce retired a few years ago and whilst caravanning with his wife during 2019 in the south-west they discussed what they should do with their current caravan to last them another 10 years.
They thought it would be a great to own one of their family’s Baravans, however none were built with ensuites and to convert an older caravan with all the features currently available in 2020 would be a huge task.
Problem solved, Bruce reregistered the Baravan Caravan name and decided to build the last Baravan from scratch having started in October 2019.
The construction was done in a storage unit opposite Kenn Williams unit where our Rotary gear is stored. Kenn and others have watched with interest as Bruce has toiled away for many, many hours to build 'THE LAST BARAVAN'.
Bruce has kindly shared his presentation and you can download by clicking here.
Our guest speaker for last Tuesday's meeting was a very impressive young person Erin Hegarty, the founder of Mama Respond International.
Back in 2013 Erin went to Kenya as a volunteer teacher. While walking home with a young Kenyan Nancy, she asked her what did she need and her reply was "a better future". The issue was around education with 130 kids in one classroom, there were plenty of teachers, just a lack of space. Erin deferred her degree and stayed for five months. During this time she was able to get built 2 classrooms at the Noonkopir Township Primary School, through local donations of material, cash and labour as well as using social media to raise funds back in Australia.
In September 2017 Erin returned to the same school just when they opened a special needs unit. The room was very small with no amenities. It was more of a daycare centre than an educational space and had no curriculum for students with disabilities. After spending sometime with the kids in the unit she realised she could help them by getting a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for their disability.
Erin gave a number of examples of assisting families with funding and where to seek help for students with a curable or treatable condition.
Since the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) was introduced on the 1st October 27.8 million containers have been collected. Every container collected through Containers for Change is recycled! Before Containers for Change, only 3 in 10 containers were recycled, meaning the other 7 are either being littered or sent to landfill.
Our partnership with Greenbatch not only takes the containers for refund but also continues to collect and process the non CDS type 1 and type 2 plastic containers. The Greenbatch Foundation have been doing this for over 3 years through support of passionate volunteers wanting to reduce plastic pollution. By using Greenbatch as a Container Refund operator they receive an additional 6 cents per container from the Containers for Change program that will support their great work in continuing to ENGAGE, EDUCATE and EMPOWER Western Australians to give plastic a new life and keep plastic pollution out of our oceans.
Our trailer, that was purchased with our successful application for Federal Funding through the Volunteer Grant program, now has signage promoting Rotary and our club. Thanks to Kate Zappa for the design and Brent Caithness (Complete Film Solutions) for his support in producing the signs.
This weeks guest speaker was Applecross Rotarian PP Hamish Turner.
Hamish has had a passion for the environment since early childhood growing up in South Africa.
Hamish retired in August 2017 and after a couple of overseas projects decided to do something local. Having wildlife as a passion and a second home in Kalbarri he thought Kalbarri was a pretty good spot to start.
The idea come up looking at the plight of our wildlife to create a wildlife reserve that would become a world class Ecotourism facility and the reintroduction of Endangered small mammals and Plant species.
Kenn Williams picked up our new trailer from John Papas Trailers (50 years locally manufacturing trailers) that was built to the specifications designed by Kenn and Mal Taylor. The new trailer will replace Kenn's trailer that the club has been using for a number of years to transport the significant amount of club property that we use for the Perth Makers Market and the Jacaranda Festival. The trailer will also be used for other club projects such as transporting furniture for Starick clients and will be a great asset for our new project with Greenbatch and the Container Deposit Scheme. The new trailer is larger and has a mesh cage, tool box and ramps to assist with loading and unloading. Signage will be able to attach to the mesh sides to promote Rotary's activities to the public and provide contact information for people interested in joining us.
WBYM is an independent, not for profit, incorporated organisation who delivers a mentoring program to inspire and empower young people in regional, rural and remote areas of WA through; igniting their passion to be lifelong learners; growing their aspirations; achieving their goals and to be the best they can be.
Schools adopt the program and administer the program under the governance of WBYM.
Applecross Rotary will provide funding for the program from time to time under the terms of a recently signed MOU.
Karen Strange, Chairperson WBYM, and and Janine Dayman, Secretary/Treasurer WBYM, will join us for breakfast this Tuesday to give a thankyou for our donation and a brief update on the program.
Pictured is PP John Kelly with the WBYM mentors and mentees after meeting at Bruce Rock on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th August.
This week's guest speaker was Janette Etherington, Interplast's Rotarian Engagement Coordinator, who ZOOMED in from her home in Victoria.
Interplast was started in 1983 by a Rotarian who replicated it from an organisation in America.
The model is sending teams of volunteers across developing nations in the Asia Pacific. They only go to where they are invited and respond to specific needs.
Teams are made up of volunteer anaesthetists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, nurses and allied health professionals. It is about restoring function as well as dignity and some examples are cleft lip, burns and injuries that haven't healed.
*Pat has significant experience across the community and government sectors, including Chairing the State and Federal Australian Dental Associations and is a former member of the State Dentists’ Registration Board. In 2001, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the Australian Community.
St Patrick’s Community Support Centre lies at the heart of the Fremantle community. It started in 1972, when a frail elderly man appeared at the door of the Presbytery seeking help. He was cold, hungry and in serious need of care.
Due to COVID 19 restrictions many of Cecil's Rotary friends were unable to attend his funeral. Applecross Rotary was represented by Lorri Brazier, Kenn Williams and Ian Fairnie. Lorri's entry into Cecil's funeral booklet perfectly decribed the impression Cecil had on his fellow Applecross Rotary; Rotarians, partners and friends.
"Even though my friendship with Cecil was for a short time he was one of nature’s gentlemen. He had a priceless sense of humour, and that twinkle in his eye and mischievous grin - he always made me laugh. I will miss him at Rotary. God Bless" Lorri Brazier
We thank Elizabeth for sharing information from Cecil's funeral.
Guest Speaker - Sara David AM, founder and CEO of Living Child Inc.
Living Child Inc., the charity that Perth Midwife Sara David established in 2012, works in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, with villages in the Karem River system, such as Yamen and Bunam.
Women in these communities are now able to choose when and how many children they have, are able to give birth safely, and know that their children will have every opportunity to grow and thrive.
Have you heard about antimocrobial resistance? What about superbugs? Through #OneHealth we're working to improve wellbeing - through knowledge and through the simple act of handwashing.
Applecross Rotary supports the goals of AMR Aware, to increase community awareness and understanding of the “clear and present danger” from increasing resistance of disease causing agents to all current drugs available for treatment of infections. The short video commissioned by AMR Aware Inc. and produced by Front Porch Films, provides a clear visual statement of the reality of the danger that exists and several simple things each of us can do to reduce the likelihood that someone we love will die from an untreatable infection. The video will be freely available for Rotary clubs and Rotarians to spread the word of how simple it is to reduce the impact of drug resistant infectious agents, and more importantly stimulate the action required, as a matter of great urgency. As Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer of the UK succinctly stated - we can forget Climate Change; we’ll all be dead from untreatable infections before climate change affects us!
l-r: Margaret Mendelawitz, Helen James, Beryl Telfer, Helen Dawson, Ann Kelly, President Barry Mendelawitz, Membership Director Kenn Williams, Kate Zappa, David Palmer, Heather Inglis, Helen Henderson, Peta Williams.
New Associate members were presented with their badges and welcomed to Applecross Rotary at a special meeting on 18th September 2019. Several new Associate Members were unable to attend and will receive their badges at a later date.
This award acknowledges a person, who in the eyes of the nominator, displays outstanding qualities with respect to attitude, approach, dedication and commitment. It covers all aspects of work performance and ethics, including quality of output, safety, initiative and sense of responsibility.
Nominations are sought, at any time, from an employer or by a member of the public and should be sent to the Applecross Rotary Director in Charge of Community Service.
A Pride of Workmanship was awarded to Wendy Hiddlestone on 18th September 2019
Wendy Huddlestone and Lorri Brazier
This award acknowledges someone whose work performance displays outstanding qualities with respect to attitude, approach, dedication and commitment. It covers work performance and ethics, including customer service, quality of output, safety, initiative and sense of responsibility.
Ever considered a world where a simple scratch could lead to death? The rise and fall of antimicrobial resistance means this is a very real possibility - and as early as 2050.
Associate Professor Marina Ciccarelli from Occupational Therapy at Curtin University showed how trials are showing how Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables people, who have suffered major injuries to the brain and/or spinal cord, speed up their rehabilitation.
Applecross Rotary joined with donors from St Michael’s Church in Mt Pleasant to donate over 50 sleeping bags made by impoverished villagers at the Stiches of Hope facility in in Cambodia. These sleeping bags were donated to Anglicare Street Connect for local distribution. Support was also provided to ‘Foodbank’.
Associate Professor Marina Ciccarelli (pronounced Chik-a-relli) enthralled her audience describing how Virtual Reality (VR) technology enables people who have suffered major injuries to the brain and/or spinal cord to speed their rehabilitation.
In July 2019 Applecross Rotary was recognised as an Emerald Club Supporter having contributed over $10,000 to ShelterBox Australia. Applecross Rotary has been a regular contributor for many years.
ShelterBox Australia supports international efforts by providing shelter, warmth, light and dignity to many families adversely affected by humanitarian disasters throughout the world.
Applecross Rotary supported the National Tree Day Community Planting Day on 28 July 2019 organised by the City of Melville. Applecross Rotary members and family helped with the Planting and with the barbeque lunch.
3000 seedlings were planted around the Booragoon Lake by 100 community volunteers and City of Melville staff.
The Rotary Club of Applecross supports planting projects which improve the native plant areas along the Swan River and in the native bush areas of the City of Melville. It also gives the community the opportunity to participate in the protection of their environment.
2019
Over 3000 seedlings were planted around the Booragoon Lake on 28th July 2019 by over 100 volunteers at the National Tree Planting Day organised by the City of Melville. Applecross Rotary members and family helped with the planting and with the barbeque lunch.
The annual Rotary Art Show and Sale, a joint project of the Melville and Applecross Rotary Clubs, is held each year in a central area of the Westfield Booragoon Shopping Complex.
This Art Exhibition allows artists to display their paintings to a large number of people and hopefully sell one or more their paintings. The entry charge and sale commission are used to offset the exhibition costs. The profits are used by the Rotary Clubs for community projects.
Members and friends of the Rotary Clubs set up the exhibition, provide the security and sell the paintings.
The 2019 annual Rotary Art Exhibition and Sale, a joint project of the Melville and Applecross Rotary Clubs, was from Monday 17 June to Sunday 23 June in the Garden City Shopping Complex during the Centre's standard opening hours.
Applecross Rotary is a club of some 40 female and male members whose ages range from the 20’s to 80’s. Our professions, businesses, backgrounds and cultures are diverse. Our members are, or have been, involved in a range of businesses, education, services and industries. Our professions include engineers, farmers, doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, dentists, scientists, accountants.
We have members with expertise in public relations, computing, health and safety, project management and extensive experience in mining, mineral processing, agriculture and retail and specialist businesses. We enjoy the fun, fellowship and friendships of our members during our meetings, social events and whilst contributing to our project teams and witnessing the value of these projects.
At our weekly meetings we enjoy an excellent program of interesting speakers, reports on Club projects, plans for upcoming social events and especially fellowship with members and visitors. As our members and visitors have other commitments our meetings finish on time at 8.30am.
Cyclone Kenneth – Comoros Islands, Mozambique, Tanzania
14 May 2019
Two Australian Response Team members, Richard Brammall (Gold Coast) and Steve Roddis (Melbourne) will be joining the ShelterBox team heading to the Comoro Islands (or ‘Comoros’), after Cyclone Kenneth caused widespread damage at the end of April. Strong winds, torrential rains and waves of 6-12 metres battered the islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli, washing away and destroying houses, schools, crops, power poles and health centres.
The ShelterBox team will be meeting families and local partners, to assess the damage and to understand whether our aid would be suitable to help them recover.
We will know more once our teams have visited affected communities, but aid items may include ShelterKits, water filters and mosquito nets.
The country has been overwhelmed by its first serious cyclone in over 30 years. Entire villages in the storm’s path were affected. Almost 4,000 homes have been destroyed and a further 7,000 badly damaged, according to the government. And with 80% of the islands’ farms destroyed, plus schools and hospitals damaged, it will take months for communities to recover.
Water infrastructure is damaged and will take time to repair (lack of power has stopped pumps working, and we’ve heard that water tanks have lost their lids and are filled with debris or seawater), raising concerns of an outbreak of water-borne diseases.
Why is ShelterBox responding to Comoros?
Cyclone Kenneth tore through Comoros before making landfall on Mozambique’s coast, where it caused further damage and flooding to a country already reeling from Cyclone Idai.
Many international agencies are concentrating their efforts and resources in Mozambique. The UN, IFRC and UNICEF have announced funding or resources for Comoros, but as far as we know there have been very limited resources for emergency shelter.
The relatively shallow waters around the islands can also make it more challenging and time-consuming to get aid to Comoros, meaning families who need support to rebuild have been left with nothing.
ShelterBox is committed to going further, helping vulnerable families often overlooked by others. At least 345,000 people in Comoros have been affected by the disaster in some way, and the comparatively small amount of help available to them is one of the main reasons we’re sending a team.
Where is Comoros?
Comoros is a nation made up of three volcanic islands off the south-east coast of Africa, east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar.
Although more prepared for the disruption of volcanic activity, people in Comoros haven’t experienced a cyclone this severe since the 1980s.
Kieryn Deutrom Volunteer Program Manager ShelterBox Australia
Most members of Applecross Rotary are now familiar with the term “AntiMicrobial Resistance” (AMR), due to the frequent updates from President-Elect Barry, with strong support from Tim Inglis and Jarrad Hall. We sometimes read the term “untreatable infection”, and certainly Vice-President Hamish knows all about that and lived to tell the tale. And it seems that this was also the immediate cause of David Donaldson’s death, although David had been in general poor health for some time.
However Mark Schipp and Colin Hughes turned up the TAKE ACTION NOW dial with their presentations to a large number of Rotarians and guests at the Crown Atrium this week.
And why was a vet speaking to us?
Because most antibiotics are used in animal industries and AMR may be transmitted through food. This is now being referred to as a One Health issue
One Health recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
Here is the key graphic
Australians are over-using antibiotics in human health, being Australia the 11th highest user of antibiotics out of 31 OECD countries. In 2015, more than 30 million antibiotic scripts were provided through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Fortunately Mark assured us that in Canberra he and the Chief Medical Officer work together ensuring a One Health approach to addressing AMR and very importantly our food industry works closely with them, unlike many other parts of the world. This in itself poses a risk to Australia as we import a lot of food, but Mark’s position as President of the World Animal Health Association helps him keep informed of One Health issues that put our health at risk.
Colin Hughes added some other commentary that supported everything our Club is doing regarding AMR, and commended the work being done by a spin-off group from Applecross Rotary, AMR AWARE (Inc.). Colin’s enthusiasm for success in raising awareness of AMR though Rotary has resulted in him proposing to change the Four Way Test into the Five Way Test:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Does it conserve and improve the health of the planet, its environment and people?
Honorary Member Dr Chris Back drew the discussion to a close by reminding those attending of the calibre of the speakers that had been assembled: Colin Hughes is a former Director of Public Health in WA, Mark Schipp is a world leader in animal health, and Professor John Edwards, former Dean of the Veterinary School at Murdoch University who chaired the presentations, is a senior UN consultant, and One Health expert.
RYPEN stands for Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment which through a weekend live in seminar for up to 45 participants, aims to create in young adults an awareness of their place in and responsibility towards, society. Applecross Rotary sponsors and pays for selected participates who see RYPEN as a great opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to youth in their community.
Participants are aged betweenfourteen and seventeen years of age who have not yet experienced leadership positions but who have the potential to benefit from :
Increased motivation and improved life skills
Better self image and more pride in self
An understanding of how to set and achieve goals
The confidence to overcome failure and take control of the one's future
An opportunity to challenge personal boundaries
RYPEN is an intensive programme which includes developing and implementing problem solving skills. At the same time participants from different backgrounds are interacting with each other and improving their teamwork skills. Activities may include a low ropes course, a team building course, workshops, games and more done in an informal atmosphere, where questions and debate are encouraged.
The Applecross Rotary supports the Starick Refuge in Western Australia. This is a story of a 7-year old artist who benefitted from support from Starick and our Club.
Starick is a not for profit organisation which provides multi-layered support services in Perth’s south-east metropolitan area to women and children experiencing family and domestic violence. Starick’s services include two refuges for women with children, supported community housing, court support, advocacy, children’s programs, community outreach services and an Op Shop.Applecross Rotary commenced support of Starick in 2016/17 with Malcolm Taylor and Lorri Brazier as Project Leaders. The work done by Lorri and Malcolm, and their support teams, has been carefully and sensitively undertaken and is leading to a trust being established between Starick, Applecross Rotary and the residents, most of whom have endured violence from their partners.
Applecross Rotary's Rotary Jacaranda Festival is held each November. It was held in Heathcote Applecross in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Due to insurance issues there was no Festival in 2003. It has been held in the Applecross Village in Ardross Street, Applecross each year since 2004.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) is a challenging 7-day program which provides a unique opportunity for leadership skills development. Rotary supports young people between the ages of 18 and 28 who have the talent, energy and motivation to discover their leadership potential!. More information is available.
Applecross Rotary seeks nominations from young adults with proven leadership experience and potential leaders from diverse backgrounds. The seminar program, which is run each January, has a strong focus on personal and leadership development. Nominations close in November. Interested young people are encouraged to contact the Club’s Youth Director.
The National Youth Science Forums are two-week programs in January at Universities around Australia. The forum is for students moving into Year 12 who are thinking about a career in science, engineering and technology. The program has attracted over 10,000 students since its inception.
Students are introduced to research and researchers, by encouraging the achievement of excellence in all their undertakings and by helping to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. It also fosters discussion of and interest in major national and global issues and emphasises the importance of maintaining continuing active interest in sport, arts and music. More information is available.
Interested Young people who live or go to school in the City of Melville are invited to contact the Club’s Youth Director for more information.
Today's meeting highlighted the investment Applecross Rotary is making to Tomorrow's leaders. We listened to presentations from the two students who attended the National Youth Science Forum in Canberra last January, our attendee at the RYLA camp, plus an update on the (re)establishment of a local Rotaract Club in the City of Melville.
Australian Rotary Health is one of the largest independent funders of mental health research within Australia. It also provide funding into a broad range of general health areas, provide scholarships for rural medical and nursing students, as well as Indigenous health students. Australian Rotary Health provides funding into areas of health that do not readily attract funding and promotes findings to the community. It is a project supported by Australian Rotary Clubs with a broad vision to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians. Australian Rotary Health provides funding into research areas of Mental Health, General Health and Indigenous Health and provides Rural Medicine and Nursing Scholarships.
Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative nearly 30 years ago, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to just 37 cases in 2016. On 15 August, 2018, Rotary announced nearly $100 million in grants to support the global effort to end polio.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. Most know it as poliovirus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners are using to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
The Philippine Justice Immersion is a fourteen-day immersion experience from Friday 4th- Friday 18th January 2019. The trip is for those interested in exploring the work of Catholic ministries in Manila and Christian Brothers projects in Negros Occidental.
We are extremely fortunate to have some incredible local businesses who are passionate about supporting the our work - including the hugely successful Rotary Jacaranda Festival, held each November when the trees are in full bloom
Having seen the article on Polio in the RC –AA and in particular the photo of the hospital ward – sent me on a “..trip down memory lane..” I lived through a Polio outbreak in Durban (South Africa) in 1956/57.
Iggy Tan explains how stopping the craving for happiness brings us peace and happiness. Sounds a little counter-intuitive? Read some of what he said (but we might not give away the final secret).
One of our local businesses, Intense Health, came to breakfast to explain how to quickly stay fit at any age. Marcelo, the owner talked about how technology is helping speed up workouts for each stage of our lives.
Tony, Bruce, and Andrew captivated by the meeting (and the Happy Dollars).
Ben Morton, Federal MP for Tangney talks about starting in politics at the age of 12 years old. He shared his story of how the youth of his home town came together to solve serious local issues. He's added a couple more decades of experience.
Guest speaker Rhonda Chapman explained how to fit Autistic employees into a long, productive career. Her goal is to help employers make small changes to include employees in the Autism spectrum in their business.
Pictured: Adam Luce, Suresh Prabhakaran, Rahul Suresh and Dale Jordan
Applecross Rotary is starting up Melville's new Rotaract Club. Actually -- restarting a long-dormant club, but what is old is new and so needed in among our young professionals.
We are starting up a new Rotaract Club within the City of Melville! Applecross Rotary would like to invite you – and others in your network – to attend the inaugural Meet and Greet Lunch and Rotaract Information Session on Saturday 21 July.
Applecross Rotary will start collecting non-perishable groceries to donate to hungry families in Perth. Donate items like the ones pictured in this photo (nothing costs more than $4 and many of the items cost a dollar or less).
Thank you very much, if you attended the Changeover Dinner on Thursday evening. I hope you enjoyed the music as well as the food. If you weren’t there you missed a lovely event, expertly put together by a small team led by Lorri Brazier.
In Australia, we often take sanitation and hygiene standards for granted, especially in our hospitals. However, it was discovered that at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital (known locally as 'the Russian Hospital') in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it's a very different situation.
Government funding is not available for the work required to provide minimum sanitation hygiene in the wards and corridors of the buildings throughout the complex, which was built for 500 patients but usually has more than 620 patients, 1000 staff and many visitors.
This project resulted from a request for assistance to the poorest of the public hospitals in the country.
Health professionals know that simple, effective hand washing is the first step to stop the spread of infection. The project benefits for the patients, staff and visitors in this hospital will be measured by the lower number of reported infections and reduced hospital bed days.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program provides for the selection and sponsorship of students in the 15 -18 year age group to travel to another country to spend twelve months attending a secondary school and living with host families in that country.
Handicamp: A week full of fun and challenges, and a lifetime of experiences.
Handicamp provides an opportunity for young people with a disability between the ages of 18-35, to attend a one-week live-in camp assisted by staff and buddies. Applications open on 1 October for the camp which is held in mid-January of the following year for both campers and buddies.
What is Handicamp?
Handicamp is a week long live in camp for 18 to 35 year old people with disability, who are teamed with a "buddy" for a week of fun and adventure. The camp is based on double participation and reward, supervised by a volunteer Rotary committee and nursing support.
Interested Young people who live, go to school or work in the City of Melville are invited to contact the Club’s Youth Director.
The annual Rotary Art Exhibition, a joint project of the Melville and Applecross Rotary Clubs, allows artists to display their paintings to a large number of people and hopefully sell one or more their paintings.
The Applecross Rotary Club is one of 42 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 9465. These Clubs are south of the Swan River in Perth and in WA south of a line from Perth to Kalgoorlie.
The objective of this Australian wide Australian Rotary Health program is to assist indigenous students undertake a course in a range of health-related professions. To be eligible the student must be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin and undertaking and enrolled in an appropriate approved medical or heath related degree. In the selection criteria preference is given to those who have completed successfully at least the first year of tertiary education. In each year there are approximately 80 scholarships are awarded. The scholarship is $5,000 per year.
Applecross Rotary supported a Scholarship in 2017 and has committed to a further $1,500 for 2018 which will support Monique Lucas who is in the final year of a medical degree at the University of Western Australia.
Learn how to make your own beautiful fettuccini with a special masterclass with renowned Chef Vince Garreffa. This is a fundraiser and cooking class to benefit rural education for kids in Bali.
Applecross Rotary teamed up with Aquinas College to give the Starick Refuge a clean up. Michael Hardie, Declan Jeffreys, and Harry Wessels helped Rotarians fix up the garden this weekend.
Jeffrey Effendi and Angel Chen from DrawHistory spoke at the Tuesday 12 June breakfast meeting. We learned about how to brand social entrepreneurial programs.
Angel Chen and Jeffrey Effendi from DrawHistory, Rotarian Jason Tay, and PE Ian Fairnie
Mercy Care is a Social Enterprise, one of around 50 providers offering services to older people in the Perth metropolitan area, as well as disability services and child care in addition to aged care. Sam Spiro is the Business Development Manager shared her experience from Mercy Care’s Aged Care Services.
Does your business have a vision to deliver a social impact?
The Rotary Shark Tank is a competition among businesses working in the social initiatives in Western Australia. The Rotary Shark Tank is run by local Rotary Clubs.
The Annual Applecross Rotary Community and Business Awards evening at Tompkins on Swan on 3 April 2018 recognised seven local residents for their work in our community.
Greg Collins, Margot Whittington, Applecross Rotary President Chris Whelan, Committee Chair Gordon Dunbar, Jackie Omedei, Matthew Podesta with Peter Zambotti’s Award, Trish Halvorsen, Bert Giancristofaro, Michael Jackson and the Hon. Dean Nalder.
Greg Collins, Margot Whittington, Chris Whelan, Gordon Dunbar, Jackie Omedei, Matthew Podesta with Peter Zambotti’s Award, Trish Halvorsen, Bert Giancristofaro, Michael Jackson and the Hon. Dean Nalder.
The Applecross Rotary inaugural Rotary Shark Tank Event was held on 7 March 2018. Four of the finalists presented their pitch for support to a panel of Sharks. Pictured above are (L-R) Kohen Grogan and Dylan Smith (Sharks), Geraldine Maddrell and Stuart McLay (Finalists), Ian Costley and Deborah Barker (Sharks), and Darren Lomman and Kirsten Shearn (Finalists).
The 2017 Rotary Jacaranda Festival was held Saturday 25 November in Ardross Street, Applecross.
Perfect weather, over 145 stalls, 2 entertainment stages, a food area, children's area and many thousands of visitors - in fact it was our biggest event to date!
Ray was the first of our longer serving members to speak at Club breakfasts. It's an initiative we're undertaking having realised that many members may know little of their secret past.
Rotary in WA Driver Education is a program adopted by Rotary Clubs in both Districts 9455 and 9465. It is the strong preference of WA Police, RAC, and other supporting organisations that a common approach across WA be implemented and that it be subject to continuous improvement.
On Sunday July 30th, the City of Melville held their 2017 Planting Day at the Jeff Joseph Reserve in Applecross. Kate Zappa from the Rotary Club of Applecross produced promotional materials; the call was answered by 60 volunteers from Aquinas College, Waylen Bay Sea Scouts, Rotaract Club of South Perth, Rotary Club of Elizabeth Quay, Rotary Club of Applecross and the general community.
Birthing Clinic external area to the left of the main entrance
Funding was obtained in 2014 from the Rotary Club of Applecross, a Rotary District 9465 Grant, the Rotary Club of Dili in Timor-Leste and The Cooperative Café Timor. The Clinic treats over 1000 general and maternity patients each year of the 12,000 persons in the area who use the facility. Maternity and infant mortality rates in Timor-Leste are amongst the highest in south east Asia with only 18% attended by skilled birth personnel and only 22% take place in a health facility.
The Birthing Clinic at the Cooperative Café Timor in the rural area of Aifu in Timor-Leste involved the renovation, extension and fitting out of a building at the Cooperative Café Timor, one of the largest rural non-government primary care providers in the country.
SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE GARDEN PROJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA
The objective of this project was to establish and assist in the management of a sustainable vegetable garden in order to produce a range of vegetables sufficient to feed all children and staff at the Lily of the Valley Children's Village, Kwa-Zulu, Natal, South Africa.
The orphanage, Lily of the Valley, (LOV) is situated midway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in the Province of Kwa Zulu Natal, a district known for its natural beauty and known as “The Valley of the 1000 Hills”. LOV cares for about 122 orphans who were mostly orphaned as a result of the Aids epidemic in Africa.
Applecross Rotary has a long history of achieving positive outcomes, both in our local community and further afield.
Chartered on 2 June 1971, with 32 members, the Club has and continues to support and nurture leadership; strive to improve the world and create opportunities for others; and foster friendships.
By MarketLife on behalf of Applecross Rotary at Ardross Street Applecross
Applecross Rotary Jacaranda Festival
Event Overview:
The Rotary Jacaranda Festival is a celebration of all things 'community' something that is at the heart of the work done by the Applecross Rotary as a Club throughout the year.
The event features over 150 stalls, a unique line-up of entertainment featuring even more for families and kids, and that buzz of excitement made possible when thousands of people come together.
Entry for patrons is free, boosting the numbers of customers and maximising stallholder sales - although donations are encouraged (card facilities available) and Applecross Rotary reinvest any funds raised into dozens of local groups and initiatives over the coming year.
Event Location & Time: Ardross Street Applecross, 23rd November from 9:30am-3:30pm
Stall type: Outdoor, all 3m x 3m stalls require you to bring their own marquee
The Small Undercover Stall 3m x 1.5m is under the eaves of the buildings along Ardross St and don’t require a marquee.
Equipment Required: All stall types are ‘space only’ and stallholders will be required to provide all their own equipment. It is a requirement of this event that stallholders who have selected and been offered a 3m x 3m stall you must supply their own 3m x 3m marquee. The only Stall that does not require a Marquee is the Small undercover stall 3m x 1.5m.
Additional information: Stallholders are selected by Applecross Rotary Committee. Management of these events is split between Applecross Rotary and MarketLife with MarketLife managing all stallholders and the marketing and promotion of the events and Rotary managing event entertainment and Rotary Volunteers Managing the Market Day and Bump in & out.
Stallholders will receive the following: - Media Kit to promote your attendance across social media (sent 1 month prior to the event date) - Event Information Pack containing a site map, stall location, bump in time. (sent 1 week prior to event date) - Event Safety & Compliance guidelines - Options to choose additional paid advertising on our social pages, mailing list and website. Designed to maximise exposure and attract customers for the event. - Event marketing through Facebook & Instagram - Arrangement of a market giveaway
The Rotary Club of Applecross provides assistance with car park and pedestrian management outside the Perth Makers Market. A market event is held on a Sunday, every 2 months, at the Heathcote Cultural Precinct in Applecross.
THE ROTARY CLUB OF APPLECROSS RECENTLY DONATED TO THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS
TRUE BLUE DREAMING PROJECT
True Blue Dreaming, http://www.truebluedreaming.org.au/, is committed to supporting and strengthening young lives in rural and remote communities. It is a youth and community development mentoring program engaging young people aged 12-18 in rural and remote Australia. Their programs have been successfully delivered in the Wheatbelt, Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia since 2004. True Blue Dreaming Inc. is a registered not for profit charity.
was held Saturday 25 November in Ardross Street, Applecross Village. Perfect weather, over 145 stalls, 2 entertainment stages, a food area, children's area and a many thousands of visitors.
Professor Tim Inglis and Dr Barry Mendelawitz Applecross Rotary Members and Project leaders
Key facts
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.
Antibiotic resistance can affect anyone, of any age, in any country.
Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process.
A growing number of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhoea – are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.
Antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality.
Interested Young people who live, go to school or work in the City of Melville are invited to contact the Club’s Youth Director for more information about the following opportunities.
The Rotary Club of Applecross Inc, and the Rotary Club of Colombo South submitted an application for a Global Grant project to provide Pathology Laboratory Equipment & Training in some hospitals in Sri Lanka. The project was initiated by agreement with the District Governor of D3220 (Sri Lanka) and District Governor Melodie KevanD9465 (Western Australia). The Project was approved by the Rotary Foundation on 5 February 2016. Applecross Rotary Project Team Members were Professor Tim Inglis, Dr Barry Mendelawitz and PDG John Kevan.
ROTARY CLUB OF APPLECROSS COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS AWARDS FOR 2016
The Rotary Club of Applecross is proud to present awards to individuals and organisations that have provided exceptional service in the local community or local business environment. Recipients of these awards can be volunteers or professionals who take great pride in their work but who don't always receive recognition for their love of humanity, free use of their own time, or their goodwill to others. People in business who have provided a very special service and/or who take pride in their work and are a great role model for others can be recognised for their outstanding business ethics and skills.
Our speaker on 5th August was Petrina Bishop of de Lucca International, a very well known performing artist in Perth, Australia and Europe.
WFKA began as a labour of love, putting together these life-changing wheelchairs to make a difference in the life and future of some kids a long way away. Come to think of it, it still is a labour of love. Over 250 volunteers, whose average age is in the mid 70’s, now turn up at the Malaga workshop every day to make 30 wheelchairs every day to WHO standard. The wheelchairs are shipped overseas to 81 countries in a partnership with a local in-country charity - WFKA makes them and the charity gets them from Fremantle to the grateful recipient.
We saw a container load of 350 wheelchairs destined for kids in Gaza, but given the issues regarding delivery of aid to Gaza, they’re being shipped via Jordan. Many of the injured kids from Gaza end up in a hospital in Jordan so that makes sense, in a region where sense is in very short supply..
Greg also took us to the room where pre-loved soft toys, wheelchair covers and knitted or crocheted lap rugs, made by Beppie's 300 volunteers. They are stored under Beppie’s watchful eye, until they are shipped with each wheelchair.
I don’t know what other members were expecting when Marcus Dickson stood up to speak to us recently, but it certainly wasn’t what I had anticipated.
Earlier this year, Joshua Patrick (pictured with his sister Charlotte who he is her carer), a student at Northam Senior High School began a conversation with me on LinkedIn about our proposed Global Grant to reduce the incidence of juvenile deafness in the Eastern Wheatbelt, and as our conversation grew I realised I was talking to a very special person. 
Just to recap: Gareth Baynham is Director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the Rare Care Centre at the Telethon Kids Institute. There are currently around 63,000 young people in this situation in WA, and half of the cases remain undetermined - that’s over 30,000.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was a small bike ride I took through the forest trails. The fresh air and scenic views made the ride truly enjoyable. It was exciting to navigate through the winding paths and discover hidden spots along the way. The sense of adventure was amazing, and it was a great way to connect with nature.
However, I'm enjoying the great weather while playing Rugby, hanging out with my mates in and around Perth and my time with my Family here in Australia. 
The smell and the feeling of the river during a windy afternoon at Point Walter is the most magnificent experience that I’ve had in the last week. As I’m just living 15 minutes of walking away from the point, I finally used the opportunity and discovered the great scenery.
My passion for the water followed up on Monday when we went down to Cottesloe beach with the Inbound students to get a talk about microplastic and do a 30min beach Clean-Up where we found an unexpected high amount of rubbish.
Otherwise, I’ve been doing Push-Ups all week long to raise awareness for Men’s Mental Health.
Thanks for the memories, Barry
About 2 weeks after I downsized to Myaree in 2021, I was robbed as I slept and all my photos iD’s were among the goods stolen. Ironically I needed photo ID if I wanted to replace them!
From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Lessons from a Junior Cricket Club
A whole generation of talented women artists from WA have been forgotten and overlooked. Too late for the art boom of the 1890s and too early for the #knowmyname movement, they remain hidden and unknown. Social norms and a male dominated industry have meant they have gone missing from our private art collections, our galleries and our art history books. This was an era of immense creativity, economic prosperity and social change. Yet if you were a women artist, you were not allowed to be more famous than your husband and any form of self-promotion was seen as in poor taste.
Last meeting's guest speaker was Cranston Collis who is the Principal of the Kensington Secondary School. Cran is reaching out in the hope of receiving support to purchase several items needed to address the sensory, social, emotional and academic needs of their students at Kensington Secondary School. They are a school that caters for year 7 to 13 students with special needs.
At the recent MCCC Business After Hours co-hosted by Applecross Rotary and MarketLife, we took the opportunity to present a Community Service Award to Monica Morunga who has set up a charity, Feed it Forward, that feeds thousands of familys every month. Feed it Forward started collecting from a few local stores around Baldivis but has since grown to collect from over 90 places across WA and has more than 300 volunteers. The Club also donated $1000 to the 'Feed It Forward' charity.
In a surprise presentation DG Pat awarded a certificate to the Rotary Club of Applecross for the Bulletin of the Year 2021-2022. The certificate read "for delivering a consistently high standard weekly bulletin. The Applecross Advocate is a pleasure to read each week, it showcases the fun, friendship and pride we all have in being part of Rotary. The Advocate content and standard makes a great promotional tool, ideal for distributing to potential members or community groups. Your Club has also excelled in your use of social media and continue to expand your reach and build wider networks. Thank you to all members for your outstanding support to Rotary"
President Logan Duncan-Smith thanked the Club Members for the honour of leading the club for the 2022 - 2023 Rotary year. 
For several years now, we have partnered with WA charity Street Connect, to buy sleeping bags for homeless people in WA. Last year over 80 sleeping bags were donated, and many ended up in Mandurah and Bunbury where there was high demand.
The Melville Rotary Club was Chartered on 6th November 1959, having been formed by the Fremantle Rotary Club. Having formed the Cockburn Rotary Club in 1969, the Melville Rotary Club then formed the Applecross Rotary Club in 1971 with the idea that about half of their Members would transfer to the new Applecross Rotary Club.
Last meeting's speaker was Helen Brady, who is a Domestic Violence Advocate (DVA) working as part of the mobile outreach team at Starick. 
This weeks guest speaker was Applecross Rotarian PP Hamish Turner.
This week's guest speaker was Janette Etherington, Interplast's Rotarian Engagement Coordinator, who ZOOMED in from her home in Victoria.
*Pat has significant experience across the community and government sectors, including Chairing the State and Federal Australian Dental Associations and is a former member of the State Dentists’ Registration Board. In 2001, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the Australian Community. 
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.JPG)
.png)
