The Raven – Page 1 The Raven – Page 4
The Weekly Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Woden Inc.
Meetings: 6.00 for 6.15 pm Wednesdays, Canberra Irish Club 6 Parkinson St Weston ACT.
Board of Directors
President: Deborah Whitfield
Secretary: Ed Klim
Immediate Past President: Lyn Svanosio President Elect: Mike Rodd
Treasurer: Lyn Svanosio
Club Service & Administration: John Widdup
Community: Shukry Sahhar
International & Foundation: Bish Mukerjee New Generations: Bruce Wyatt Membership & PR: Viola Kalokerinos
Contact Information PO Box 637 Woden ACT 2606 Secretary:[email protected]
Other officers Attendance: Val Burns
Program: Gary Scott & Mike Rodd Sergeants: Neale Emanuel & Shukry Sahhar Public Officer: Mike Rodd
Member Data: Ken Goard
Bulletins: John Gray, Bruce Wyatt, John Widdup
Facebook: Lyn Svanosio & Bruce Wyatt Webmaster: John Widdup
Previous Issues of the Raven Web: <www.wodenrotary.org.au/>
The Club’s crest & bulletin name reflect ‘Odin’ (Anglo-Saxon ‘Woden’), the ancient Nordic God of Wisdom. Odin had two ravens called Hugin and Munin (Thought and Memory) who flew forth every day and returned at night to tell him what they had seen, so contributing to his wisdom.
ROTARY CLUB OF WODEN INC.
The Raven
Get to know your new member – Peter Evans
Peter was welcomed back to the Club, after a few years absence, at our meeting on 10 September.Peter Evans had a distinguished career in the Australian Defence Force that commenced with his graduation from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra in 1958.
He also graduated from the University of NSW with a Bachelor in Engineering (Honours) in 1960 and a Master of Engineering Science in 1965.
Peter was commissioned in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals in 1958 and rose to the rank of Brigadier. In the military he served in a variety of signals regimental and staff appointments before being posted in 1967 to the US Satellite Communications Agency in the United States. Additionally he served in the Joint Army Staff in London, UK.
As Brigadier he served as Commander, Engineering Development Establishment and Director General, Joint Communications-Electronics. From 1989 to 1991 he was a Visiting Military Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering at ADFA.
Peter has been very active since his retirement in 1992. He spent six months in industry and then returned to ADFA as a part-time academic until 2000. He became Colonel Commandant, Royal Australian Corps of Signals, Eastern Region in 1993 and was Representative Colonel Commandant until 2002.
He was admitted to the Venerable Order of St John in 1987 for service to the community and became a Knight in 2005. He is also a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Peter is currently President of the Duntroon Societywww.dunsoc.com/.§ ATTENDANCE ADVICE
Guestsif attending, and Members if attendance or absence is different to previous advice, thenplease advise the Attendance Officer (to help us with catering arrangements) – Val Burns 0412 720 956 [email protected] or you will be charged for the meal provided for you.
Attendance last week:
Members: 12 Visitors: 0
DINNER ROSTER
THIS WEEK - 23 September NEXT WEEK - 30 September Program: Shukry Sahar – the Wanarn project John Widdup – Cycle riding the
Details of the achievements of the Gibb River Road , Kimberley WA recent Club working party on-site
Greeting: Bish Mukerjee & Bruce Wyatt &
Des Henderson-Kelly Lynette Svanosio Introduction: Mike Rodd Debbie Whitfield Appreciation: George Pratt Shukry Sahhar Raven Recorder:Stephen Pratt Gary Scott
Birthdays: Ajit Banerjee 22 Sept, Neale Emanuel 23 Sept, Anna Banerjee 25 Sept
September is Rotary Basic Education and Literacy month
Number 13 Volume 49 – 23 September 2015
www.facebook.com/WodenRotary
Correction
In the last Raven (16 September 2015) it was incorrectly reported that President Debbie and partner Greg were celebrating their wedding anniversary on 19 September. Their 37th wedding anniversary was on 16 September 2015 – the date of last weeks' meeting when Debbie received the appropriate congratulations. The date error was that of the Raven Editor (Debbie knew when it was).
Website:www.wodenrotary.org.au
Tonight 23 September Shukry Sahar presentation
‘Western Desert Health Project – Wanarn working party report’
Decision on classifications Egg distribution (see ‘Last Week’ report)
Page 2 – The Raven The Raven – Page 3
Things you should know and do
♥District Conference – 23 to 25 October, register now
♥New Interact Club – Woden Rotary is investigating the setting up and supporting of an Interact Club at Melrose High School – an ACT Public School in Pearce with over 750 students in years 7 to 10.
The youth of today are the Rotarians of tomorrow
♥Club AGM is on 25 November – during the normal meeting
FUNDRAISING EVENTS – please make yourself available
♥ Hat day (Friday 9 October 2015) is an initiative of Australian Rotary Health, one of the largest not-for-profit funders of mental health research in Australia. All the money raised during this year's Hat Day campaign goes directly to research helping the one in five Australians affected by depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and many other illnesses.
Hat Day meeting for mental health on Wednesday 7 October –Help us celebrate with fun and frolics to do our best to make a real difference by raising funds for important research into finding cures and treatments for someone who might be close to you, or closer than you think.
Please invite your partner, friends and colleagues to attend – with hats on heads. We have registered our Hat Day meeting on the event page so that all members can let everyone know how they can help by making an online donation.Details and donations www.hatday.com.au/.
♥ABarbecue at Bunnings Tuggeranong store is being arranged for the weekend of 30 October to 1 November to allow the Club to raise some funds for our ‘good works’. The date and times are yet to be advised and our preference is for the Friday 30 October from early to late.
♥‘Five Peaks Plus One’ cycle event— Sunday 8 May 2016 (www.rotaryrides.org.au).
Last week
Raven Reporter: Stephen Pratt 16 September 2015 Photographer: John WiddupProduction John Widdup
The Club met in the bistro because our usual room was hosting an awards night for the combined Woden/Western Creek Premier League soccer club and there was another event in the small room.
The sudden Commonwealth Government leadership change on Monday night caused politics to be a
common topic of conversation over our dinner of chicken satay sticks on a bed of rice with a side salad.
‘Classification’ of members on club badges was discussed (see background in last week’s Raven). President Debbie made the point that clubs that had ceased to display ‘classifications’
were having better success in recruiting members, as many potential members were put off by the perceived formality of ‘classification’. Not having ‘classification’ should shift the focus away from Rotarians as ‘leaders of industry' to members of a diverse community for whom vocation is not a major point of identity. Your reporter concluded that the general mood of the meeting favoured abandonment of ‘classification’ in future.
On the topic of membership, our President floated the idea of us using a Rotary Club badge that attaches to clothing with magnets and has holes in it to affix Rotary pin badges. This would be a benefit to members who resile from pinning badges into their clothing because the pins can damage the fabric. Our President is investigating further.
In other news, President Debbie advised that Marie and Brian Farrelly thanked the Club for certificate thanking them for helping with the renovation of the Purple House at Wanarn. They said that they enjoyed their time at Wanarn. Debbie said that showed how recognition creates a virtuous circle and what good people teachers are!
Des Henderson-Kelly has given our President the club's collection of Rotary club banners and they are available to those that want them. More details on what banners we have and how members may claim one is coming soon once Debbie has made an inventory.
A few weeks ago, President Debbie was clearing up some drawers and throwing away rubbish. She came across a cache of greeting cards from her last wedding anniversary.
Throwing them in the bin, she joked to her husband Greg, that since it was nearly their anniversary again, that they could be recycled. Imagine her surprise to receive one of the cards, with the number whited-out and updated by her literal-minded partner! On that theme, Bish brought up an interesting idea of an auction night, where members can donate items for sale with the proceeds going towards consolidated revenue. To add to the fun, it could be done in a joint meeting, perhaps with the Weston Creek Club.
Members who usually attend but are unable to attend a meeting are asked to give their apologies to Val Burns by Monday for catering purposes. Prior notification of guest attendance to Val is also appreciated. Partners night is the first Wednesday of the month, but partners and friends are of course always welcome.
Your reporter takes this opportunity to request members to bring empty egg cartons to the next meeting to assist him with managing the spring surge in egg production by his flock.
President Debbie reminded members to record their hours of service to the Club and Rotary before closing the meeting and bidding us each to be ‘a gift to the world’.§
World Polio Day celebrations – Club involvement
World Polio Day is 24 October 2015 and Woden Rotary is considering holding a special event on Sunday 25 October at Woden Plaza in support of Rotary’s number one goal, polio
eradication. In that way our support is more than simply making a donation (that we do each year) and has us serving as an advocate. Of course, members will be involved in preparations and staffing the display. If you have any other ideas of how to promote End Polio Now and Rotary in general, please address them to President Debbie.§
The Western Desert Health project achievements
Woden Rotary partnered with the Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation Inc (WDNWPT) to provide fully functioning renal dialysis health units, nurses quarters and accommodation in the Western Desert. We have:
● Converted an abandoned building in Kintore (over 500 km west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory) into a dialysis facility (for up to four machines), a health-education centre and accommodation for staff and patients, that since late 2011 is a valuable community asset.
● In 2012 converted the old clinic in Kiwirrkurra (some 700 km west of Alice Springs in Western Australia) into a renal nurse quarters and modified the new clinic so that it could be used for dialysis treatment. Those facilities were in full use by the middle of 2013.
● Modified part of the clinic at Warburton (about 900 km north east of Kalgoorlie) so that it could be used for dialysis treatment that commenced late in 2013.
● Recently undertook similar work (converting the old clinic and modifying the new clinic) at Wanarn in Western Australia (about 400 km west of Uluru and 160 km northeast of Warburton).
Those facilities should be in full use later this year.§
