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Lucy Recognised for Service

Human dynamo, Lucy Koszela was recognised by the club as a Paul Harris Fellow.

The recognition was given to Lucy, a non-member of Rotary for her decades of work with the Lithuanian community in Geelong,
volunteer work with the Fight Cancer Foundation Recycle Shop and numerous individuals in need throughout Geelong.

The recognition was made at the club’s Changeover Dinner.

Her service includes:

Geelong Lithuanian Sports Club VYTIS

Lucy played basketball with the Lithuanian Basketball teams in the
1970’s and 80’s and was responsible for helping to get the club established
and continuing to this day
Joined the Basketball Committee in the early 1980’s
Actively involved in organising a sports carnival in which
Lithuanian sports clubs from around Australia took place (Geelong was the host city)
Served as Club President
Served as Club Secretary
Active in other roles over many years

Australian Lithuanian Sports Federation

Lucy was recognised in the national organisation for her work representing Lithuanian sports in Australia
and was made a Life Member

Geelong Lithuanian Community

The Community organisation covers a range of functions and oversees a number of different groups within the Community.
These include:

Care of elderly citizens
Scout troop
Lithuanian Dance Group
Social activities

Lucy has been involved in all these areas since their formation.

Rotary – Improving the Environment

Rotary clubs around the world have been working to improve the environment and sustainability for many years. Each club works on projects that meet the needs of their communities. Many worked on their projects through the Rotary initiated ‘Preserve Planet Earth’.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East has also been environmentally active. In this club’s case, it has focused on tree planting for different reasons.

The largest project undertaken by the club was in the planting of trees to create a wildlife corridor that ran between the You Yangs and

Brisbane Ranges. The idea was to create a sanctuary for birds and animals that allowed them to move with security through from Ballarat to Geelong.

A number of cold winters saw Rotarians (and one year Belmont Cubs and Scouts) planting trees at Limeburners Point. In this case the idea was to prevent erosion of soil. Most of the Limeburners planting was of grasses.

A number of plantings have been done at three different sites along Hovell’s Creek and the last three years, the club has focused on Eumeralla Scout Camp. At the camp, trees are being planted increasing the bushland and preventing erosion of soil.

Rotarian Peter Funston who has managed these projects estimates that over 5,000 trees and many grasses have been planted over the years by the club.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East - Preserving the Environment

Holiday Raffle Winners

The Take a Break - Take a Holiday online raffle was drawn at 12 noon on Friday 16th July as scheduled. The two lucky prize winners are:

1st Prize: 7 nights accommodation at Murray Valley Resort, Yarrawonga, Victoria. 2 bedroom apartment for up to 6 people.

Ian: Ticket holder No. 180

2nd Prize: 3 nights accommodation at Nepean Country Club & Spa, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. 2 bedroom apartment for up to 4 people.

Pauline: Ticket holder No 182

Thank you to everyone who supported this raffle. The funds raised allow The Rotary Club of Geelong East to support those in need within our community.

Look out for our future raffles.

Rotary - Fundraising to serve others

Rotary - Serving Youth

Rotary clubs around the world support youth in various ways. Perhaps the best known publicly, is Rotary Youth Exchan

ge. Students go overseas and have twelve months experiencing another culture and educational system. Many make life long friendships, thus helping to build understanding between communities in different parts of the world.

Other Rotary programs for youth include Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Rotary Junior Community Awards, Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment as well as specific local club activities aimed at youth.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East has provided bursaries to students at Geelong High School and Newcomb Secondary College, iPads, books and shelving to Whittington Primary School, books for a new library for Newcomb Park Primary School, Trainee of the Year Awards and scholarships for apprentices at the Gordon TAFE, sponsorship for youth with disabilites through Blue Bird Foundation to learn to play music, write stories and create artworks.

The club has also sponsored a Rotaract Club and Interact Club.

Rotary - Providing Opportunities for Youth to Grow and Develop

VALE Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Rota

rians aound the world mourn the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Among the many things he was known for and paton of, Prince Philip was an Honorary Member of four Rotary clubs.

The Rotary Club of London, which he addressed for the first time in 1950, the Rotary Club of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Rotary Club of King's Lynn and the Rotary Club of Windsor & Eaton, all in England.

The Prince was much admired for his service to communities within the UK, the Commonwealth and generally throughout the world. Perhaps is best known legacy will be the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Over 3.1 million people have taken part in the awards since their inception.

VALE Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Reasons to Join Rotary

Today, people are looking for fulfilment each to their own needs. It can be cultivating friendships, doing something different to their daily routine, sharing their skills and knowledge with others or simply volunteering as a way to forget about their troubles for awhile.

However, people seek to enhance their lives, it is a safe bet, that Rotary can provide most of what they seek. The video below illustrates that. Take time and take a look.

Rotary - Our Volunteers Gain as well as Give!

Vaccines Work

We are about to embark on the Covid-19 vaccinations throughout Australia.

Rotary has been vaccinating children all around the world and in some of the world's hot spots and war zones. Starting in 1979, Rotary set out to rid the world of Polio. The trial was conducted in the Philippines and was successful.

At the time, approximately 1,000 children were being paralysed daily by the Polio virus . Of that number, many were left crippled, many died and some were lucky enough to survive without much effect. Rotary's plan was to rid the world of Polio as a 'Gift to the Children of the World'.

Today there are only two endemic countries; Afghanistan and Pakistan. The global incidence of polio cases has decreased by 99%.

Rotary works with its partners, World Health Organisation, Centres for Disease Control, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi Vaccine Alliance.

Water Sanitation & Hygiene Month

Rotarians - creating a healthier world

Women in Rotary – a time to celebrate

March 8^th is International Women’s Day.

Rotary celebrates the day with special significance.

Until 1987 and following a series of court cases in the USA, women had not been allowed to be members of Rotary clubs. This was not uncommon for service and social clubs.

Thirty-four years ago, the Rotary Club of Duarte (California) elected the first women into a Rotary club. Duarte had led the fight to allow women to join and in fact had been deregistered as a club because they had allowed a woman to become a member some years earlier.

That is the past. Today, Rotary celebrates its women and the difference they have made, not only to Rotary clubs, but to the world.

The first woman to join the Rotary Club of Geelong East was Irene Plumridge a Bursar as Geelong High School. Irene joined in the Rotary year 1993/94.

The club’s first female President was Anna Fletcher, General Manager Community & Mental Health at Barwon Health, in 2001. The club has had four Presidents including the current President, Yannick Le Gall, IT Manager at Target Australia.

The first woman President of a club in Australia, was Cathy Roth who formed the Rotary Club of Geelong Central and was inducted by the Rotary International President, Royce Abbey, Australia’s third Rotary International President.

The current International President-Elect is Jennifer Jones, who will be the first woman to lead the organisation when she becomes RI President in 2022/23. Jennifer is Canadian. Joining Jennifer’s Board will be Dr. Jessie Harman of the Rotary Club of Wendouree Breakfast, Australia’s first female Rotary International Director.

With women being welcomed into Rotary Clubs around the world, there are today well over 200,000 female Rotarians, working alongside their male club mates, to serve their community.

The Geelong East Rotary Club can boast 20 female Rotarians with Dorothy Sinclair as our longest current active serving female member (25 years).

Rotarians - Celebrating the Women in Rotary

Want to work for Peace - consider Rotary Peace Fellowship!

The 2022 Rotary Peace Fellowship application is now available. This fully funded fellowship provides peace and development leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to advance their peacebuilding careers. This is incredible opportunity!

Here are some ways you can promote the program and recruit candidates:

Could you or someone you know benefit from our program? Send us their name and email address using the referral form, and we’ll contact them with more information.
See the application page to find an overview of the process and understand the steps to becoming a peace fellow.
Rotary members, take the All About Rotary Peace Fellowships course to learn everything you need to know about the fellowship.

Interested candidates should submit their applications to Rotary districts by 15 May. Districts will then submit endorsed applications to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July. Learn more about the district interview and endorsement process.

APPLY NOW

Rotary's Role In Peace & Conflict Resolution

Every activity Rotary clubs and members undertake, in some way, are linked to bringing about peace.

February every year is celebrated as Peace & Conflict Prevention Month. It also incorporates Rotary's birthday - 23 February, 1905.

As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of our mission. We believe when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.

By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.

Our commitment to peacebuilding today answers new challenges: how we can make the greatest possible impact and how we can achieve our vision of lasting change. We are approaching the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusivity, broadening the scope of what we mean by peacebuilding, and finding more ways for people to get involved.

Rotary and its members are:

Practitioners: Our work fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, improving the health of mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies directly builds the optimal conditions for peaceful societies.
Educators: Our Rotary Peace Centers have trained over 1,300 peace fellows to become effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education, and international organizations.
Mediators: Our members have negotiated humanitarian ceasefires in areas of conflict to allow polio vaccinators to reach children who are at risk.
Advocates: Our members have an integral role as respected, impartial participants during peace processes and in post-conflict reconstruction. We focus on creating communities and convening groups that are connected, inclusive, and resilient

Rotary creates environments where peace can happen.

Rotarians refuse to accept conflict as a way of life

Christmas Raffle

And our winners are:

R. Campbell - Ticket #144

J. Durston - Ticket #136

J. Acopian - Ticket #181

Congratulations to you all and thank you to all those who took part in our first online raffle.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East would like to thank Bunnings and Dan Murphy's for their support with prizes.

Polio Project at Geelong East Primary School

For many years Geelong East Primary School students have participated in the Rotary Junior Community Award (RJCA) program. In this year of COVID-19, students found it impossible to conduct a hands-on community project and instead undertook to research polio and Rotary International’s effort to eradicate the disease.

This initiative arose from a suggestion by Rotarian Gary Newton, a polio survivor, and Vice-President of Polio Australia.

On 9^th December 2020, Gary was invited to the school to speak to the RJCA students about polio and present a certificate of excellence for the best polio project.

To his surprise the teachers had arranged for all Grades 5 and 6 students to hear his story.

The students and their teachers were captivated from the start and listened intently as Gary told of contracting polio at the age of 15 months, causing him to be isolated in an infectious disease hospital in Melbourne, with no parents allowed to visit for 32 days. It was awful!

He explained that when the polio virus hit the community, schools, swimming pools and other community spaces were locked down, much like the corona virus restrictions today.

Gary didn’t attend school until the age of seven and then it was at the Yooralla Hospital School for Crippled Children. He didn’t attend a ‘normal school’ until he was 15 years of age.

After finishing school, he found employment in a career he had always wanted: as a radio announcer.

Gary urged the students to always pursue their dreams and never give up.

At the end of his presentation Gary was inundated with questions.

Finally, he presented the Certificate of Excellence (shown in picture) to Lexiar Tanga who was cheered enthusiastically by her classmates.

Gary enjoyed the experience and reflected that, ‘’It’s always great knowing you’re making an impact, hopefully positive, on growing minds’’.

Rotarians - Inspiring Young People

David Beretta's 50 Years of Rotary Service

On 17^th November 2020 the Rotary Club of Geelong East celebrated PP David Beretta’s 50 years of service when he was presented with congratulatory letters from RI President Holger Knaack and DG Phil Beasley, and an attractive plaque. The Club honoured David with a third sapphire to add to his Paul Harris Fellow recognition

During the evening, David’s years in Rotary were retraced by viewing a nostalgic PowerPoint presentation prepared by his Rotarian daughter-in-law, Sue Beretta.

David was a young, hard-working plumber with a growing family when he joined the club in 1970, one year after the Club was chartered. Over the years he has participated in a wide range of service activities including as President in 1980-81.

In March 2009 David was honoured by the-then RI President Dong Kurn Lee with an ‘Avenues of Service Award’ that recognized his outstanding contribution to four areas of service: club, vocational, community and international.

In accepting the many accolades, David reflected on his fifty years in Rotary and spoke fondly of his time in Tonga in 1995 when he was a member of a Rotary team that replaced the roof of the local hospital.

He and his family also enjoyed hosting Rotary exchange students from India, Denmark and Holland.

David also recalled the early days of community service, cutting fire wood; collecting, bagging and selling sheep manure; painting seats; organising art shows and dinner auctions; selling hotdogs at the Geelong Show; building a drinking fountain and wood BBQ in Eastern Gardens – to name a few.

Although now in his eighties, David continues to be a loyal, hard-working and passionate supporter of the ideals of Rotary.

Well done David!

You Can't Keep a Good Rotarian Down!!

Welcoming the 2021 Rotary Peace Fellows

Many members of the public will know Rotarians as 'those people who cook sausages'. That is correct. What people may not realise though, is what the funds raised are used for. Rotary has been serving communities locally, nationally and internationally for 115 years.

The graphic below is to recognise those selected to do a Masters degree in various Peace and Conflict Resolution studies, conducted at seven universities around the world and funded by Rotary. The group below will undertake 2 years of study and will then go and work in the area of peace with different organisations around the world. There are now well over 1100 Rotary Peace Scholars.

Rotarians working to create a Peaceful World

The Last Steps to End Polio Now

Recently, the continent of Africa was declared Polio Free. That now leaves only two Polio endemic countries - Pakistan and Afghanistan. The long fight is nearing its end. 99.9% of the world in now Polio free.

Many people are unaware that the original campaign to drive polio from the world was Rotary's Gift to the Children of the Future - a polio free world.

The original campaign was called Polio Plus. The 'Plus' included several other vaccines that brought health to millions of children. There was another part to the 'Plus' - the establishment of virus monitoring sites in countries around the world that did not have such facilities. Since the polio program began, these laboratories have been used in identifying and managing Ebola, SARS and the current pandemic, Covid-19.

The 'Father' of the polio program was Sir Clem Renouf, a Queenslander who went on to become President of Rotary International. Sir Clem passed away earlier this year. He will not be with us to celebrate the eradication of this crippling and deadly disease. He won't be forgotten though.

Rotary and Rotarians are very proud of the Polio program.

Barwon River Safety Markers Update

The Barwon River Safety Markers have now been in place since April 2019. The initiative of the Rotary Club of Geelong East is supported by partners, The City of Greater Geelong and The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority.

The following figures are an update of the various uses made of the Safety Markers.

9 Markers had event reported against them and they made up with 11 different types of requests for Help for the year ending 30/6/2020.


Events	Occurrences
Traumatic Injuries	3
Suspect Loiter	1
People Causing Trouble	2
Missing Person	1
Rescue Trapped	1
Welfare Check	1
Event	1
Property found	1
TOTAL	11

Figures supplied by Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA)

Since the first of the 46 Safety Marker were installed (2018) along the length of the Barwon River between Fyansford and Breakwater there has been 32 events reported. The bike & walking trial that the Safety Marker align with is used by over 5000 people (2012 figures) each day. With the current Covid-19 lockdown it has become an extremely popular place for people to exercise so daily usage is expected to be much higher.

The Rotary Club of Geelong East - protecting the Community

The End is Nigh

For more than 30 years, Rotary and our partners have driven the effort to eradicate polio worldwide. Our PolioPlus program was the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication by vaccinating children on a massive scale. As a core partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary

focuses on advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and awareness-building.

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.

Polio Today

When Rotary and its partners formed the GPEI in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year. Today, we have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Because of the efforts of Rotary and its partners, nearly 19 million people who would otherwise have been paralyzed are walking, and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died. The infrastructure we helped build to end polio is also being used to treat and prevent other diseases (including COVID-19) and create lasting impact in other areas of public health.

Bluebird Support from Rotary

Since beginning to offer Workshops at Bluebird House in 2017, Bluebird Foundation has had a strong commitment to supporting the social participation of disadvantaged young people by providing scholarships and supported pathways that have allowed them to attend creative arts workshops that align with their personal interests. A robust network of partnerships among social welfare agencies, schools a

nd other community organisations has ensured appropriate identification, recruitment and support of participants.

When face-to-face workshops were closed down in March due to COVID-19 restrictions an urgent need was identified to move workshops online to maintain critical connections and support young people through a difficult year.

The grant from The Rotary Club of Geelong East has provided short-term financial support to allow the establishment of the online Creative Crew program.

Two age groups (8-12 yr olds and 13-18yr olds) have participated in weekly live video-conferences, had access to a password-protected website with creative prompts and forums for sharing artworks, and have had art material packs delivered to doorsteps.

So far, 37 young people have participated in the online Creative Crew program through collaborations with the following organisations:

• Barwon Child Youth & Family

• Barwon Health

• Bethany

• Newcomb Park Primary School, Newcomb

• Tate Street Primary School, Thomson

Rotary Club of Geelong East -Supporting Our Community

Rotary International’s First Woman President

Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.

Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her.

Jones says she sees Rotary’s Action Plan as a catalyst for increasing Rotary’s impact.

“As we reflect upon our new strategic priorities, we could have never envisioned that our ability to adapt would become our North Star during what is inarguably the most profound time in recent history,” Jones said in her vision statement. “Silver linings rise out of the most challenging circumstances. Using metric-driven goals, I will harness this historic landscape to innovate, educate, and communicate opportunities that reflect today’s reality.”

As the first woman to be nominated to be president, Jones understands how important it is to follow through on Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statement. “I believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion … begins at the top and for us to realize growth in female membership and members under the age of forty — these demographics need to see their own reflection in leadership,” Jones said. “I will champion double-digit growth in both categories while never losing sight of our entire family.”

Jones is founder and president of Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning media company in Windsor. She was chair of the board of governors of the University of Windsor and chair of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has been recognized for her service with the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award, a first for a Canadian. Jones holds a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.).

A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jones has been a Rotary member since 1997 and has served Rotary as RI vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator, and district governor. She played a lead role in Rotary’s rebranding effort by serving as chair of the Strengthening Rotary’s Advisory Group. She is the co-chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee, which aims to raise $150 million for polio eradication efforts.

An Historic Rotary Appointment

New Environmental Focus for Rotary

Since 2013, Rotary has had six Areas of Focus.

Peace and conflict prevention/resolution.
Disease prevention and treatment.
Water and sanitation.
Maternal and child health.
Basic education and literacy.
Economic and community development.

These allow clubs to tailor their work to fit within these areas in order to bring about a better world.

In June, Rotary International announced a seventh Area of Focus – Supporting the Environment. This new area is actually not new to Rotary, it has just been recognised as an Area of Focus for the first time. For many years, Rotarians and their clubs all around the world, have been active in environmental work.

Now when clubs consider projects to create or support, they consider whether they fall within the 7 Areas of Focus.

Rotarians – People of Action

Good Samaritans – A Helping Hand

"Samaritan House Geelong is a not-for-profit organisation which relies heavily on the kindness and generosity of the Geelong community - individuals, companies and charitable organisations - both in financial ways and through volunteering.

Established in November 2017, Samaritan House Geelong exists to help men experiencing homelessness in the Greater Geelong Region by providing welcoming accommodation, an evening meal and ongoing support.

Since April, The Rotary Club of Geelong East Community Committee has been actively involved in maintaining the gardens and the general upkeep of the property. Volunteers from the Club have been donating their time, their gardening prowess as well as trees and compost bins. Their aim is to create a vegetable garden so that residents can benefit from the fresh produce.

Another example of Rotary Club of Geelong East supporting our Community

Rotary 100 Years Serving Australia & New Zealand

This Rotary year (July 2020 – June 2021), Rotarians in Australia and New Zealand, celebrate one hundred years of service to their communities, nation and the world.

The Governor General, His Excellency, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) launched the year of activity for the Rotary Clubs of Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday 8^th July.

Clubs in both countries are combining for a Pacific-wide project to provide 100,000 vaccinations to children. One in eight children in Pacific countries dies before the age of five, most from preventable diseases.

Australian clubs will combine to eradicate Trachoma from the country. This eye disease impacts mainly on indigenous children. Left untreated, it is likely to cause blindness.

Keep an eye out for the many additional local community projects that Rotary clubs will be carrying out all throughout Australia and New Zealand.

New President – New Goals

Rotary clubs all around the world are in the ‘Changeover’ period where one President and Board step down to make way for a new President and Board. The Rotary Club of Geelong East held its Changeover on Tuesday 7^th July.

This was the first Changeover when members were not all present in the same room. As has been the case for some months now, the meeting was held using Zoom.

The new President, Yannick Le Gall, congratulated Past President Tony Alsop and his board on a successful year. Yannick introduced her Board and outlined her thinking in terms of the direction of the club during the pandemic.

A Service Model will be the greater focus for the year. Members will be involved in more hands-on activities in the community than in the recent past. She encouraged members to embrace the changes that the Covid-19 had forced upon us and consider how we meet as a club in the future. Members recently voted to meet by a combination of Zoom meetings and Face-to-Face meetings once the pandemic is over.

The new President also encouraged keeping new members engaged and thus continue to build the club membership. At present, the Rotary Club of Geelong East has a membership of fifty-one Active members and five Honorary Members. The club is one of the largest in Geelong.

Reflections - Eastern Park project 1980–1981

There is a fine, well-built blue stone structure in Eastern Park that proudly displays the logo of the Rotary Club of Geelong East. It is a water fountain, located near a colourful new children’s playground, picnic table and public toilets, in the general vicinity of Geelong High School. It is obviously a past project of the Rotary Club of Geelong East – but when was it built?

Thanks to our wonderful long-serving Rotarian David Beretta, its story has been revealed.

The project was completed in David’s year as President, 1980–1981 and was opened with great ceremony by the-then mayor, Councillor Des Podbury, in the presence of President David and Rotarians Leon Mott, Alf Foster, John Burleigh, Bob Lethbridge and others

The project took many months and involved more than water fountains. It included picnic tables and two wood-fired barbecues, with wood generously supplied by the Geelong City Council. However the wood kept disappearing (light-fingered visitors were blamed) so the Council demolished the barbecues and left the fountain. Several gas barbecues are now installed in a large pavilion elsewhere in Eastern Park.

Rotary Club of Geelong East - Serving the People

The Rotary Club of Geelong East, teamed up with the St. Albans Football & Netball club to raise funds for the education of children

undergoing cancer treatment.

Footy Colours is an annual fundraiser for The Fight Cancer Foundation,

This year, both clubs joined together to raise funds so that children undergoing cancer treatment or rehabilitation, can continue their education. The average child treated for cancer, loses six months of schooling, putting them behind their peers. The Fight Cancer Foundation fund ongoing education at this time, to ensure no child is left behind.

Through a range of activities, culminating in a Dinner with the CEO of the Gold Coast Suns, Mark Evans, just over $2,000.00 was raised.

Rotary working with other community organisations

The Rotary Club of Geelong East donated $1,500.00 to the Mark West Foundation during the senior game of football at St. Albans ground.

The funds will be used to assist disadvantaged children from missing out on the opportunity to play football. In the 2019 season, there are sponsored children playing at 25 Geelong clubs, due to the assistance of the Mark West Foundation.

The Mark West Foundation was established following the tragic death on the football field of Mark West at the age of 19. Mark had played football at all levels of club football and began coaching at the age of 17. A very talented footballer and someone who believed that he had to give back to the game, for the enjoyment he gained from it.

The Foundation has two Mission Statements:

To ensure no child in the greater Geelong region misses out on being able to play Australian Rules football due to financial reasons.

To strengthen the legacy of Mark West who set an amazing example of how to make a difference to those around him through participation, community involvement and striving to be the best you can be.

Details on the Mark West Foundation can be found at the website: http://www.tmwf.org.au/the-foundation

The Rotary Club of Geelong East – Connecting with Other Community Organisations

The staff and volunteers at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre, have every reason to be proud of the work they do and the standards they set.

This was what led to three Rotarians who had all had experience with

either Chemotherapy or Radiology at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre to nominate the centre for the Pride & Professionalism Award. The annual award is an has been until now, presented to an individual. In discussing the nomination, all nominators agreed that they could not separate individuals from the overall professionalism of those they came into contact with. Hence, the award was presented to all management, staff and volunteers within the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

The award was presented at a small gathering on Thursday 27^th June at the centre. All groups and professions were represented on the day.

Pictured are (left to right): Rotarian Stan Deans, Medical Oncologist
Dr. Madhu Singh, Operations Manager Radiotherapy, Shane Barsier
and Rotarians Laurent Franklin and Jenny Acopian

The Rotary Club of Geelong East – Recognising those who Serve our Community

The Rotary Club Geelong East, together with the City of Greater Geelong and the Corangamite Catchment Authority, launched the Barwon River Safety Markers.

This six year start-to-finish project was the brainchild of Rotarian Keith Dawson of Rotary Geelong East. The idea of the project was to TRANSFORM and make SAFER the activities areas along both sides of the Barwon River. Safer for Walkers, Runners, Riders, Tourists and Families.

A total of 46 double sided Location Marker signs were installed along the Barwon River on both sides. Along approxi

mately 10 kilometres of river on both sides stretching from the Breakwater to the Ring Road.

The two most important pieces of information during a Triple Zero call is the nature of the emergency and its location. When an incident occurs at a specific street address, it is generally easy for emergency services to find the caller. However, if it takes place in large open-spaces, walking trails or beaches where no obvious reference points exist, it takes extra, valuable, life saving time to identify and verify the specific location and vehicle access point.

Another Community Service of The Rotary Club of Geelong East

River’s Gift and Sailability were the recipients of a combined $15,000.00 from the most recent Rotary Club of Geelong East Dinner Auction.

River's Gift is the largest source of funding for laboratory-based SIDS research in Australia. To date, River's Gift has generated over $1 million to save babies lives, by funding scientific research, delivering Safe Sleep Education and raising awareness of Sudden Infa Master Logo - Navy RG-Sky tagline-Sky he

nt Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Sailability is a “not for profit” organisation, volunteer-based, and through the activity of Sailing enriches the lives of people of all abilities – the elderly, the financially and socially disadvantaged as well as people with physical challenges.

The Dinner Auction attracted 150 Guests and was MC’d by media personality and Rotarian, Gary Newton and the auction was conducted by Joe Grgic.

Dozens of local businesses supported the auction by donating goods and services to be auctioned on the night and the club thanks them. The club’s Dinner Auctions are held every two years.

Rotarians working in the Community

The Rotary Club of Geelong East hosted ten Canadians visiting our District. Four couples and two single women travelled from Canada to Australia on a Rotary Friendship Exchange. Ten Australians will go to Canada in August on the return leg of the Exchange.

The visitors were home hosted by local Rotarians both on their way into the District and again on their departure. In Geelong they toured the Bollards, Narana, National Wool Museum, did a tour of Corio Bay, Anglesea Golf Club, attended an AFLW match at GMHBA Stadium, toured Queenscliffe and a Picnic in the (Eastern) Park.

They spent time in Portland, Warnambool, Grampians, Port Fairy and Drysdale.

The feedback from all, was that they thoroughly enjoyed their 14 days in the area.

The Rotary Friendship Exchange allows small groups of Rotarians to go to other countries and meet with locals and experience the culture and so see local sites of interest and animals. A component of the Friendship Exchanges is creating greater understanding and friendships between people of the world.

Rotary Friendship - Worldwide

It is with great excitement that we announce Melbourne as the host city for the 2023 Rotary International Convention, the largest conference secured this century for Victoria.

Melbourne is a Big Events City! Set to deliver over $88 million to the Victorian economy, the Convention is the most valuable conference ever won for the state, with the four-day event anticipated to attract more than 20,000 Rotarians from around the world. The global spotlight will be on Melbourne and how we present ourselves to the world.

The Convention will take place 27-31 May 2023 using superb venues; Rod Laver Arena and the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. All activities and events are within the Heart and Soul of Melbourne. Over 7000 hotel rooms over 50 properties across Melbourne. Our transport plan uses our famous trams, ferries and buses to quickly and easily move delegates between venues, hotels, event and restaurants. And of course, Melbourne is a very walkable city with many interesting routes and laneways to tantalise visitors.

In addition, the Victorian visitor economy will be bolstered with expenditure from thousands of visiting Rotarians utilising transport, hospitality, entertainment, venues, attractions, tourism services, event planning, freight customs broker services, technology rental, security and various other members of the local business event and tourism supply chain, as well as the flow on benefits across regional Victoria for pre and post touring. Rotary has a business heritage as well as community service. We are proud to make an impact on local business and create jobs.

Rotarians Supporting Victoria

Rotary world-wide, is dedicated to making the world a better place for all.

Through its 32,000 clubs, the organisation and its 1.2 million members work in their local communities, internationally, through youth and professions to do those things that will lead to a more peaceful world.

The illustration below shows Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus. Working to improve five, will help the world move toward the sixth, Peace.

Rotarians - People of Action

Rotary projects around the globe August 2021

Learn more about the projects that Rotarians and Rotaractors are bringing to life in their communities.

Meet Rotarians who are finding fresh ways to connect

Learn more about the projects that Rotarians and Rotaractors are bringing to life in their communities

Africa’s Agents of Change

The arrival of the first peace fellows at the new peace center in Kampala, Uganda, heralds the beginning of a new era for Rotary and the continent.

Rotary 2022 International Convention to be held in Houston

Rotary 2022 International Convention to be held in HoustonThe event will bring more than 20,000 participants from around the world and deliver $30 million in local economic