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The Rotary Club of Geelong East

The Rotary Club of Geelong East Inc.

Interested to learn more about Rotary membership?

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RCGE.Enquiries@gmail.com

0409 868 345

We are neighbours, community leaders, and global citizens uniting for the common good.

With you, we can accomplish even more.

Speakers Events & Meetings

Speakers, Events & Meetings

Speakers, Events & Meetings
Tree Planting	29 July
Get Out Night – attend another club this week	31 July
Training Night	7 August
Committee Meetings - Offsite	14 August
Board Meeting	21 August
District Governor Club Visit	28 August
Stan Dean’s 50^th Anniversary Night	4 September
Committee Meetings - Hub	11 September
Club Assembly	18 September
Defying the Drift	23-26 September
Movie Night – Offsite	25 September
No Meeting	2 October
Lithuanian International Dinner (Saturday)	6 October
Committee Meetings – Offsite	9 October
Board Meeting	16 October
Geelong Show	18-21 October
Night Off in lieu of work at Show	23 October
Wine Tasting Night - Offsite	6 November
Committee Meetings - Hub	13 November
Annual General Meeting & World Polio Celebrations	20 November
Committee Meetings – Offsite	4 December
Club Christmas Dinner	11 December
Family Christmas Party @ Showgrounds	18 December
Christmas Day – No Meeting	25 December
New Year’s Day – No Meeting	1 January

New Member makes Nine

Tuesday 1^st May was a proud moment for President David who got to induct his partner in life, Liz, into Rotary.

Liz has been an amazing support to David throughout the time he has been a member of Rotary. Liz has been to nearly all 15 Rotary District Conferences since David joined, and now will be going to the Rotary International Convention in Toronto as a Rotarian.

Congratulations to our newest Rotarian, now making 9 new members this year.

Quick 'n' Dirty Boat Build & Sailing Event

The Rotary Club of Geelong East is taking part in the Quick 'n' Dirty Boat Build & Sailing Event, which is part of the Geelong Wooden Boat Festival. The festival takes place on the March long weekend (10th - 12th March).

On Sunday 12th two club members will build a boat with provided materials (all competitors are given the same materials). They have t two hours to build their boat. On Monday, they get to see if it can sail a distance.

It is a fun activity and families are encouraged to come and watch both the build and the sailing. Should be fun for those watching, perhaps not so much for those sailing.

Entrants take donations and pass them onto charities or in the case of Rotary Club of Geelong East, Community and Youth projects. To donate, click on the link: https://www.trybooking.com/UFEU

Rotary Continually Working for Peace

Rotary International and it’s 32,000 clubs and 1.25 million members have been working to bring about peace since the organisations inception in 1905. Below is a timeline of some of the key activities relating to peace.

Readers may find some surprising insights into Rotary here.

1905 – 1914 Rotarians expressed concern about the rise of nationalism in Europe

1921 – Rotary adopted its fourth Object of Rotary “The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a worldwide fellowship of business and professional men united in the ideal of service”

1940 – At the Rotary International Convention in Havana, Rotary passed a resolution “freedom, justice, truth sanctity of the pledged word and respect for human rights” – this provided the framework for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1942 – Rotary formed the organisation that was to become UNESCO

1945 – 49 Rotarians were involved in the writing of the United Nations Charter

1960 on. Rotary established Peace Parks, Peace Cities and Peace Poles. The City of Wagga Wagga, NSW became the first Peace City in the world. Today there are over 60 Peace Cities around the world

2002 Rotary established The Rotary Peace Centres. There are 6 universities around the world that provide Rotary sponsored a Masters Peace and Conflict Resolution program over two years. There are now (2018) over 1150 graduates of the programs working in a range of organisations and roles (governmental and non-government). Rotary Peace Fellows have been drawn from over 80 countries

2018 – The Rotary International President, Ian Riseley has selected Peace as the theme for his RI President’s Conferences. There will be 6 such conferences, each focused on a different element of peace. The conference in Sydney in March 2018 is focused on peace and economic and community development

This is not an exhaustive list. Almost every project Rotary and its clubs undertake are related to peace in one way or another.

Rotary Exchange Students learn about and to appreciate other cultures and form friendships that reach across the globe

Group Study Exchange and Vocational Training Teams, like Exchange Students learn about other cultures and form international bonds

Rotary’s foray into the areas of health through Polio Eradication, Australian Rotary Health research grants, sponsorship of Indigenous Nurse Scholarships, Bowelscan, Interplast and ROMAC among many others, all help to bring about peace in communities.

Rotary continues in the quest for peace. You may wish to consider joining an organisation that has peace at its heart and contribute your bit toward peace.

Soup Saver Fundraiser for Polio

Posted by Ross Taylor

A very successful Soup Saver meeting was held at the East Geelong Uniting Church, on 7th November by Rotarians, Rotaractors, Friends of Rotary and families. The event raised over $1,000.00 to be used in the Polio Eradication program.

Fifty-nine people attended to hear Keynote speaker, Gary Newton a well-known radio and television presenter, who spoke of living for

60 years with the effects of polio. Gary is a Director of Polio Australia an organisation dedicated to assisting those who suffer Post-Polio Syndrome and raising awareness of the disease to government and the public. He is also the Rotary Ambassador for Ride the Bellarine, a major fundraiser for the Polio Eradication program.

The Polio Plus program is the signature project for The Rotary Foundation. When the (then) Polio Plus program was commenced by Rotary in 1985, there were over 350,000 cases of polio reported world-wide that year. The number of cases so far this year is 16 with only 3 endemic countries reported.

The Club event used the occasion to recognise both World Polio Day on 24th October as well as Foundation Month which is recognized on the Rotary calendar in November.

RIDE THE BELLARINE

Ride the Bellarine is a recreational cycle event over courses of either 105km, 60km or 20km around the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula. The ride is in it’s third year and it’s purpose is to raise funds for End Polio Now campaign.

Individuals, groups and families are encouraged to enjoy a bike ride, raise funds and to take in the beauty of the Bellarine all at the same time.

Registrations for the ride open on 1^st December and the ride takes place on 15^th April. Register at http://rotary9780.org/50058/Page/Show?ClassCode=Page&Slug=home-page

Make a day of it and help Rotary rid the world of the terrible disease, polio.

SAFETY ON THE BARWON

The Rotary Club of Geelong East has been working with a range of authorities including City of Greater Geelong, Corangamite Catchment Authority and Parks Victoria, to arrange for safety markers to be installed along the BaRwon River.

The project, an idea by Rotarian Keith Dawson is to have markers spread along the bank so that anyone who had an accident could give emergency services the exact location that they were in. Each marker would be numbered and would be linked to a GPS. This would save emergency services critical time in trying to locate someone and may make the difference between life and death.

The project is now about ready to go. A great deal of work has been done and shortly the markers will be put in place.

Rotarian Tony Alsop is holding one of the markers in the photo.

Our Future - Survey of People of Geelong

The club was very fortunate to have Terri Osburn, Coordinator of the Our Futures Project speak to the members.

Our Future is designed to engage the people who live and / or work in Geelong in a discussion about what the future city might look like, what it might be known for, how people will live and the services that we would expect. These are just a few of the areas explored in Stage One, which is now completed.

Stage Two involves a Survey and an Assembly. Image result for our future geelong

The survey can be completed online or by collecting a post card from any City of Greater Geelong facility (library, town hall etc.). The online link is: https://geelongaustralia.com.au/ourfuture/survey.aspx

The Assembly requires registration as numbers will be limited. Assembly nomination form is online at the following link

https://geelongaustralia.com.au/news/item/8d4574e911cb252.aspx

The Interim Report from Stage One is downloadable on this site.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East members believe that this is a very worthwhile exercise and provides residents and workers in Geelong with a great opportunity to help shape the future of the city.

The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience

The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience is a travelling exhibition that tells the story of Australia’s involvement in the First World War, and the ensuing Century of Service of Australia's armed forces in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations in which Australia has been involved.

The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience follows a chronological timeline spanning the period from pre-First World War Australia to the present day, using a mix of visuals, artefacts, audio and film to engage visitors.

An important feature of the experience will be the curated ‘local stories’ zone. These zones will be created with the local communities and will contribute a legacy for each region. The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience is the flagship community event of the Australian Government’s Anzac Centenary national programme. Find out more about the Anzac Centenary national programme.

The Experience will be in Geelong from February 21st to 27th. Admission is free, but you must book. The booking link is:

http://www.spiritofanzac.gov.au/

First Meeting 2017

The first meeting for 2017 is a social meeting combined with a Vocational Visit.

At 5.00pm on Tuesday 10th January, we will meet at the new Library building in Little Malop Street for a tour of the Library.

Following that, we will make our way down to the Tomi Coffee Lounge Bar and Restaurant. This is located in Malop Street, next to the Westpac Bank on the corner of Malop and Moorabool Streets. The menu is a la carte.

Members must advise of their attendance and any guests that they will be bringing for both activiities by Friday 6th at 4.00pm. The library need the numbers to determine how many staff to roster for managing the tour.

Rotary Foundation - World's Outstanding Foundation 2016

The Association of Fundraising Professionals has just released a story about the Rotary Foundation that is making it's way into the world's leading newspapers. The story celebrates Rotary Foundation month in a special way.

The Rotary Foundation has just been announced as the World's Outstanding Foundation for the year 2016.

See the full story using the link below.

http://www.afpnet.org/Audiences/NewsReleaseDetail.cfm?itemnumber=40881

Rotary Foundation Celebrates

The Rotary Foundation celebrates it's 100th Anniversary during the 2016-2017 Rotary year.

And there is more good news.

Rotary's own charity has received the highest rating possible from Charity Navigator. The Rotary Foundation received 100 points, the highest score possible. This indicates that on key indicators, The Rotary Foundation follows best practices and executes its mission in a financially responsible way.

The Foundation has made a difference to the lives of millions of people since it's inception one hundred years ago.

People who are not familiar with The Rotary Foundation may not be aware that it is one of the very few foundations and charities that puts 100% of donations made toward it's charitable programs.

The many and varied activities of The Rotary Foundation since its inception have been the Polio Eradication program, Group Study Exchange, Vocational Training Teams, water and sanitation projects, maternal and child health programs, educational scholarships, peace scholarships and programs, community and business development and a focus self sufficiency.

Donations to The Rotary Foundation can be made through any Rotary club or by copying and pasting the link below into your browser.

https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/take-action/give

Rotaractors are Winners

The Rotaract Club of Barwon was the big winner at the National Conference.

Liz Fagan won the title of Rotaractor of the Year and the club won Most Outstanding Community Project for their work providing and serving breakfasts to school children in Geelong's north.

In addition, the club was featured in the October issue of Rotary Down Under.

Congratulations all.

BILL PRATT – 50 Years of Service

Past President, Bill Pratt was recognized by both his original club (Rotary Club of Brunswick) and his current club (Rotary Club of Geelong East) for a combined 50 years of service to Rotary.

Bill enjoyed 13 years with The Rotary Club of Brunswick before moving to Geelong and joining The Rotary Club of Geelong East.

He is most proud of the organisations leading role in the eradication of Polio and has been a great contributor to the fundraising done for this cause. Bill also works regularly at Donations In Kind, where he sorts goods suitable for re-use in 3^rd world countries and packs them into containers for shipping. In 1987 / 89, Bill served as club President.

Bill has served the local as well as the international community in a variety of ways. He was a leader in establishing a Sheltered Workshop in Brunswick, a project he is rightly proud of.

Bill was recognized in a series of speeches and presentations. The longest serving member of The Rotary Club of Geelong East, Past President David Berretta spoke of Bill’s impact on the club and the projects he has been active in. David presented Bill with a plaque to commemorate his 50 Years’ Service on behalf of both Rotary clubs.

President of Brunswick Tullarmarine Rotary Club (formerly Brunswick), President Kevin Dale spoke of Bill’s work with that club and invited longtime friend of Bill’s, Greg Sewell to elaborate on the Sheltered Workshop project. Kevin presented Bill with a letter of congratulations from the Rotary International President, John Germ and mementos from The Rotary Club of Brunswick.

The final presentation was both a personal one from the President of The Rotary Club of Geelong East, Bill’s daughter, Janine Koch. Janine spoke about Bill, the father and family man and his healthy outlook on life. At the end of her presentation, Janine presented Bill with a ruby Paul Harris Fellow recognition.

Barwon River Safety Marker Project

This project sponsored by the Rotary Club of Geelong East involves the installation of 36 signs along the length of the Barwon River between Breakwater and Fyansford. Each sign has an unique registered site number that allows a person calling (000) emergency services to readily identify their exact location giving the operator the first and most critical element in the delivery of timely and accurate emergency response. The “000” emergency phone number receives 2.3 million calls per year of which 1.8 million result in an emergency response. 58% of the calls come from a Mobile phone. When a call is made from a home or business it is fairly easy to identify location but what happens if you are along the Barwon River. These markers are the answer.

Polio: The End is Near

Thirty years ago, Rotary commenced the largest project in human history – the eradication of the crippling disease polio from the world.

Now the end is in sight.

With over two and a half billion children immunised, billions of dollars raised and spent, millions of man-hours of voluntary there are now only three endemic countries. One of those, Nigeria is on its way to being declared polio-free. Monitoring labs have been set up in countries that can and are being us ENDPOLIONOW_4p ed in the control of other diseases. Recently, the Ebola outbreak in Western African countries saw these labs in action once again.

Working with Rotary are its partners the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, Centers for Disease Control and in recent years, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While the end is well in sight, there is still a need for funds. The disease has to be fought in difficult circumstances and for three years after the last case is recorded. Donations can be made through any Rotary club.

To keep up-to-date with the tracking of the disease and to understand the work that has gone into this humanitarian project, the following sites will provide you with news and information.

http://www.endpolio.org/en/

http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx

Rotary - Engaging with Eastern Geelong

Posted by Warren Norton

The Rotary Club of Geelong East is a key player in the Eastern Geelong area and has a number of Partners and organisations that it does work with and for. These include: The Eastern Hub, Barwon Health, Whittington Primary School, East Geelong Primary School, the Eastern Geelong Business Network, Newcomb Secondary College, the Uniting Church, Geelong High School and others.

As part of this extensive network, the club is advised of activities of interest to residents. A new feature on this website will now be the promotion of those activities. Under the heading Downloads on this page, readers will find a range of materials that relate to activities being held in the area or of general interest to the people of the area.

Items will include health promotion activities, classes, meetings and discussion groups.