President Nathan was lawyering; Ken Haines opened the meeting and introduced our guest speaker.
Guest Speaker: Rohan Watts - National Broadband Network
Rohan is an ambassador for NBN. He hails from an acting, singing, musical and concert production background......one audience of 45,000 people, which isonly slightly larger than tonight's attendance. His parents were committed Rotarians and he participated in a Rotary exchange.
Each State and Territory has NBN ambassadors and Rohan is responsible for metro Adelaide; his colleague covers the remainder of SA. Their job is to lift digital capability. NBN is owned by the Feds and is a wholesaler contracted by retail providers. Currently the NBN is available to12.4 million Australian households, with 8.4m connected ,,,,,,it is not compulsory. Of particular interest is that, on average, an Australian household is expected to have 30 smart devices within a decade. On the other hand it is highly questionable whether having 30 'smart' devices is actually all that smart. The most common applications are smart phones and smart TVs. But just about anything mechanical/electrical can be linked in. Many houses now have external cameras. Lighting systems can be activated externally as can cooling, heating and boiling of jugs. Streaming of news and radio programs is now common. Market pressure is being applied to bring down the cost of mobile phone usage.
Scams continue to hit the most vulnerable/gullible. The touch stone is often a government agency claimed to be chasing payment eg ATO, police, Nicole from NBN etc. Most scams emanate from overseas. Be reminded that NBN staff do not send demanding emails or make demanding calls. All staff when contacting households have to show IDs....and they never ask for payment. Help for those that have been caught in a scam can be obtained from a not-for-profit organisation called ID Care. The ACCC and Federal Police (who work with international agencies like Interpol) also need to be alerted.
NBN is proud of its record of restoring connection rapidly in 96% of cases. In flood affected areas in the eastern States all effort is now being made to restore services.
Rohan was applauded for his address. Below is a list of contacts he has provided to assist those impacted by scams:
There is also an Online Skills And Resource Check (OSCAR) tool available to help Australians Evaluate, Develop and Understand their Digital Capability. You can use this link to access the survey: https://bit.ly/3KoanZK
[On matters digital - someone needs to fix PC connectivity in our eating parlor...this is not the first time that presentations have been adversely affected]
SPOT
Chris Davis thanked those who had helped with the packaging of the Pride of Work materials for distribution this week. The key ingredients of each business visit include:
clear introduction....they have already been informed by Unley Road Association about this event
hanging of posters.....offer to put them up
a short explanation of the nomination process, most of which is on-line, and the time frame
collection of business cards from each
There will be a shindig on 3 May when the winners will be announced.
Finale
The female domination of the wheel has finally been broken with John Russell grabbing the money and Geoff Hill the fruchocs.
Stephen (cricket premiership) and Christina (under 12 running champ) were delighted with their respective grand-sons' performances. Trevor is still looking for his bottle top.
Nathan, splendidly attired, apologised for late arrival due to a client briefing and intimated similar circumstances again arising over the next 3 months. He asked that the Polio Ute Rally raffle books be returned asap with the 20 bucks.
Jerry Casburn will be away for 2 weeks on the drought outreach program +.
The meeting closed at 7.45pm.
Unley Red Shield Appeal Message
We need as many volunteers as can be secured for Red Shield Appeal fundraising / digital door-knocking throughout May and June 2022.
In particular we are seeking volunteers for money collection at the below location/s:
Mitcham Square Shopping Centre 26, 27 & 28th May
Unley Shopping Centre "Sorry We Missed You" week at Unley Shopping Centre starting from 30/05 - 05/06
Alternatively, you can help by registering as a fundraiser for us online via the link below for Unley Salvos.
If you want to create positive peace in the world, you do not need to go all the way to Afghanistan or Ukraine, you can, together with others, have an impact from your own backyard. Positive peace is not only the absence of violence, but also includes a state of collaboration and support between states, nations, or members of a society.
Rotary and The Rotary Foundation are invested in creating positive peace. But what can we do in our local area to contribute to positive peace?
Learn from missed opportunities
There are 57,000 residents in the State of Minnesota who are of Somali ancestry including 31,400 who were born in Somalia and migrated to Minnesota. Ethnic Somalis first immigrated to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in the 1980s and other Somalis arrived during the 1990s. Rotary failed to invite the Somali refugees into our clubs and missed an opportunity to serve them and better integrate them into the community.
Be inclusive and ready to take action
There are approximately 1,000 refugees from Kabul, Afghanistan, who have recently moved to Minneapolis and St. Paul with another approximately 500 expected to arrive in the next few months. As a result of two Afghan interpreters being members of our Rotary Club of Minnesota Veterans, we were much more aware of the needs of this new community. In December 2021, we formed the Rotary Community Corps (RCC) for the Afghan Community in Minnesota, USA. We brought together members of five local Rotary clubs to work on this effort, and interest is still growing.
Identify needs and fill gaps
While immigrants receive basic support (for example, initial housing and funding for food), many necessary needs for integrating into US society are not provided. The Afghan interpreters have been invaluable in connecting these needs with Rotarians who can help people make this transition. The RCC has brought together Rotarians and the new arrivals from Afghanistan every other week to provide services and celebrate successes.
For instance, at a recent RCC meeting we learned about how difficult it is for Afghan refugees who do not speak English to pass a driver’s test (and secure a job) because the Minnesota driver’s manual has not yet been translated into the Dari or Pashto languages. Google Translate doesn’t cover these languages and hiring a translator would cost more than $20,000. From the conversation at the RCC, we were able to go back to our Rotary clubs and discuss this need. A local Rotarian’s company has a computer program that can translate text into these two languages; so, this club member translated the Minnesota Driver’s License Manual into both languages and the Afghan community contributed to the final edits.
At the next RCC meeting, we were able to celebrate five Afghan refugees receiving their driving permits.
The Rotary Community Corps for the Afghan Community in Minnesota.
Form an RCC
RCCs are excellent vehicles for engaging local Rotary members in service projects, while at the same time expanding Rotary’s reach into a community that is currently not being served by Rotary. Our new RCC is serving our Afghan community and will potentially grow Rotary in the future. When we submitted the paperwork for this group to RI a few months ago, we never thought it would grow as quickly as it has. We meet every other Saturday and typically have 60 individuals in attendance including Rotarians and Afghan families. Sometimes we share a traditional Afghan meal – usually chicken and rice – and sometimes pizza, balancing Afghan and American customs.
Our RCC’s impact and outcomes are growing daily. For example, we recently received a call from U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips’ office. The Congressman is selling his home and downsizing. He wants our RCC’s help to donate his furniture to Afghan refugees in Minnesota.
Refugees send resources home to family members in countries that have been devastated by political and economic upheaval. The work being done by Rotary clubs in Minnesota through our RCC contributes to positive peace in Afghanistan by providing stability and inclusion for the refugees that live here, and in so doing assisting them in supporting their families both here and across the world when they send funds home.
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix! Next one is Friday 1 April 2022
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 22 March 2022 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Guest Speakers: Janet WeirStroke Foundation
Set-up and Welcome...........John Kikkert & Dennis Liddle
Tuesday 29 March 2022 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Guest Speakers: Natsumi Oda A Japanese Lady in Australia
Set-up and Welcome...........Trevor McGuirk & Bob Mills
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera-Ann Stacy (Vera Holt) & Pam Trimmer
Week 4: 26 March 2022
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Rhonda Hoare
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Jerry Casburn & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Pam Trimmer (T) 8293 2612; (M) 0415 238 333; e-mail: pamela.trimmer@bigpond.com
Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques
The Mitre 10 BBQs are the first and third Saturdays of each month. Morning shift 8.30am - 12 noon; afternoon shift 12.00 - 3.30pm, then clean-up.....next one is Saturday 19 March 2022
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Scams continue to hit the most vulnerable/gullible. The touch stone is often a government agency claimed to be chasing payment eg ATO, police, Nicole from NBN etc. Most scams emanate from overseas. Be reminded that NBN staff do not send demanding emails or make demanding calls. All staff when contacting households have to show IDs....and they never ask for payment. Help for those that have been caught in a scam can be obtained from a not-for-profit organisation called ID Care. The ACCC and Federal Police (who work with international agencies like Interpol) also need to be alerted. 
We need as many volunteers as can be secured for Red Shield Appeal fundraising / digital door-knocking throughout May and June 2022.
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