The report from Heather Kilsby about the health of Pam Trimmer and Leone Kewen is that both are on the improve and Pam is off to Tasmania (grandchild visiting).
At the Board meeting last Thursday:
- Planning and finance committees are being established to progress the Music Sensory Garden.
- Rajat Nagpal is developing a letterhead/brand for the project and also looking to improve our website.
- Ongoing problems with phone bills for the Thrift Shop are being sorted.
- The club is donating $2000 to Purple House for a further dialysis unit in Alice Springs
Bob Mullins was asked to sing happy birthday to the club 86 times in readiness for Saturday........
Guest Speaker: Colonel (Ret) Steve Larkins OAM, MBA, FAICD - The Virtual War Memorial
David Middleton introduced Steve who first came to Adelaide in the late 1970s as a newly commissioned army officer at Woodside. He returned in 1994 with his family to commence a new career 'post army'. Since 1996 he has held a variety of senior business roles in Adelaide including the Institute of Company Directors, Clements Recruitment and for 14 years as head of a Construction Training agency. He also served in senior leadership roles with the Army Reserve. Before and following retirement he has been involved in Operation Flinders, Rotary, RSL and National Trust. Steve is the founder of the much acclaimed Virtual War Memorial Australia. He is married to Gwenda and his son David is a school teacher at Seymour College.
Steve made the vital point that We Shall Remember Them is the prevailing theme for Anzac Day, but how do you ensure that the sacrifices and deeds of the past continue to live in our memories? The answer was to build an internet site which assembles all the available information on arenas of conflict in which Australians have participated - the Virtual War Memorial Australia. To date, information about the soldiers and clashes of the Boer War, Boxer Rebellion, and World War 1 have been extensively documented, digitised and linked; work has begun on WW2. Details relating to 660,000 people have been inserted onto the VWMA to date. 1 million more will be added. There are 27,000 registered users.
It is all about joining the dots from the various data sources. Prime information repositories here and overseas include the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Memorials (5000), Cemeteries (670), Honour Rolls, RSLs, State Library archives,WW1 embarkation rolls (300,000), Veterans Affairs' Nominal Roll and memorial listings. As well as the official details of each person's service, further information has been added through army records and now through families. By dialing-up a soldiers' file it is possible to glean a wealth of information and photos (eg battlefields, fellow soldiers, memorials) from across the broad spectrum of data sources. For example, accessing details of a soldier who is also listed on the Tarlee War Memorial enables a photo of that memorial, and the names of others who are listed there with their particular details.
Our troops toll from WW1 was horrendous with 20% dying in Europe, while 50% of those who returned home died within 20 years.
South Australia is rich in military history. Examples close to Unley on the site include:
- the Roll of Honour in the Unley Town Hall and the arch at the Memorial Gardens.
- Unley Mayor Walter Dollman commanded Unley's Own 27th battalion.
- the 3 Choat brothers, Archibald, Ray and Lesley who enlisted together but only Lesley survived the battle of Fromelles where 2000 from the 32nd battalion died in 24 hours
- Miles Beevor, a sharpshooter, wrote about the landing at Gallipoli by the 10th battalion.
There are outstanding photos throughout the site including Gallipoli where one third of of our troops died. Dernancourt in SA shares its name with a village in France where the 4th Division fought in 1918.
Steve was thankful for the support of the Federal Government and the many hundreds of volunteers who had brought this ambitious project (a world first) to reality.
He was roundly applauded for his contribution
Spots
Trevor McGuirk explained that this month a number of vacancies had occurred at the Thrift Shop due to ill-health and absence. Some had already been filled but more had arisen recently. Thanks to those who previously volunteered and those (Jerry, Vera-Ann, Sunny, Virginia Paul, Fay, Chris and Stephen) who helped fill the most recent slots.
Jerry Casburn mentioned that there would be a group photo taken next week (thongs are banned), and he would no longer be following up those had failed to respond to meeting invitations.
Chris Davis is still awaiting the return of materials and data sheets from some members who delivered the Pride of Work material.
Finale
As an incoming district governor, my training at Rotary’s annual leadership event in January 2020 in San Diego, California, included information on forming new clubs and new club models. Words that then-President-elect Holger Knaack had shared with us resonated in my mind, words like innovation, adaptation, change, being different. Then I thought about Toastmasters, and wrestled with how those thoughts fit together.
