SA Police Officer of the Year 2021 is soon to be launched.
Bunnings is returning to a 7 day schedule of sausage sizzles and we have retained our monthly Monday slot.
Our District 9510 is developing an alumni of our youth leaders and scholars.
Guest Speaker: Paul Duke - It's all about the tooth fairy
David Middleton introduced Paul who was born in Adelaide, went to Marion High and graduated in dentistry at Adelaide Uni. He did a post graduate degree in the UK in 1972 and went to Papua New Guinea from 1972-75. Returning to Adelaide, he studied and graduated in medicine at Flinders Uni. In 1983 he went into part time Oral and Maxillofacial surgical practice in Adelaide and was also a visiting specialist at the RAH. He has been volunteering in PNG annually since 2001, been to Tanzania and volunteered in Cambodia numerous times. He retired in 2016 but has had more comebacks than Johnny Farnham. His wife persuaded him to join Rotary in September 2020 to get him out of her hair.
We were promised the tooth fairy but this was more like a trip down gruesome lane. Paul started off with a small snippet of surgery in Australia of the maxillofacial variety and then launched into his volunteer stint on the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania where he taught tooth extraction to bare foot doctors as part of a Bridge2Aid group. The photos of perfect teeth set the scene but this was quickly shattered with all sorts of decay (coca cola and biscuits being the main culprits), abscesses, and deformities on display. Conditions were rudimentary with no electricity or running water - a gas burner was used to sterilize the instruments..
Paul taught in Cambodia 6 times. There was a photo of a smashed up motor cyclist with a displaced face, which Paul repaired with 32 titanium plates. It really is grass roots surgery. His students in Cambodia had a strong desire to learn, were always punctual and attentive.....in contrast to PNG which operates on Pacific island time and outlook.
Paul has been on mission to PNG 20 times (and would probably still be going if it were not for covid). Among the gory bits and pieces shown we saw gum abscesses which had penetrated the skin, broken jaws which needed to be fixed without anaesthetics or pain killers, a holy mouth from gunshot wound, cancerous mouths from betel nut, and a range of other dire teeth, mouth and face conditions. There is a state of the art hospital in Moresby built from Australian aid funds which was never occupied through an unwillingness to furbish it. He showed a photo of a patient with a vascular malfunction brought to Australia by ROMAC for corrective surgery. Paul urged everyone to support the ROMAC fundraiser scheduled for 29 August (see advert below).
Paul was applauded for his stomach churning contribution.
Spots
Brendan Kenny followed up Paul's comments about the need for our club to fill tables at the ROMAC event and reminded of the Unley has Talent competition. The initial judging will be held early May and 3 finalists will be selected from each of the 5 categories, to perform and be judged at Concordia College on 29 May. A suggestion was made by Trevor that for events like ROMAC and this one we should cancel our normal meeting and make the event our meeting.....great idea!
President Graham waxed lyrical about the District Conference commencing with a favoured story of the Rotary Club of Invercargill which decided to manufacture cotton underwear with the Rotary logo and annual theme.....the first theme was Sew the Seeds of Love ... a few followed which were likewise inappropriate for Rotarians to wear.....or maybe not.
The main thrust at the conference was that clubs needed to be much more inclusive and attract those people offering service. Across the globe women make up 25% of membership (29% in Australia0....there is still a long way to go. Other items of interest included:
formation of non-traditional satellite, e, corporate and common interest Rotary clubs
environmental improvement to play a stronger role in projects
assist in dispensing covid vaccines in developing countries
NYSF 2022 will become State based with more on-line dialogue/learning and specific Rotary input.
projects discussed included Cambodian initiatives, sanitation in developing countries, Shelterbox for disasters in Pacific countries with greater toolkit provision, home made tampons for girls etc
next year the conference will be held in April at the Lutheran College in the Barossa Valley
the Rotary Foundation is a great investment and we should be giving more
rapid changes to our lives through dramatic technological innovation
Finale
Paul Duke won the big bucks and Fay Reid the chocolates before we all assembled, after closure at 7.53pm, for the group photo taken expertly by Jeevika Nagpal.
The editor would like it known that the IT connections in the big room need to be fixed.....simply not good enough to have our members high on chairs trying to get the system working!
By Usha Reddi, president, Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking
As a teacher, I have heard about children in my school as young as six years old being sexually exploited for money, and I felt powerless to do anything about it. This was happening within families as a business and to support drug habits. Children would be removed from a household for a couple of days but would be placed back again with the same family.
I’ve also talked to college students who shared their experience of being recruited to “model” or “dance” under the guise of modeling agency or dance studios. Most of the students regardless of age felt ashamed and scared to tell anyone, especially law enforcement.
Cause-based e-club
Human trafficking is a real issue and it is closer to you than you probably think. In the summer of 2019, Patti Mellard called a meeting of Rotary members from several clubs to meet in Topeka to discuss the social injustice of human trafficking and what we could do about it. Two years later, Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking (CAAHT) was created and officially chartered on 27 January 2021 as the first cause-based E-club in Kansas and one of the first in the world focused on eradicating human trafficking.
I am honored to be the first president of the club. The issue is personal to me. A few years ago, as a member on Law Board for the Riley County Police Department (RCPD), I attended a conference on Human Trafficking and was astonished at how prevalent sex trafficking was in our community and how little was being done about it.
“Human trafficking is a real issue and it is closer to you than you probably think”
In 2019, as city commissioner, I collaborated with our former mayor, Linda Morse, to work with massage therapists, city staff, district attorney, and RCPD to pass an ordinance called Massage Therapy License to prevent human trafficking. This was unregulated business and some sex traffickers were using this industry for human trafficking. District Attorney Barry Wilkerson wrote a letter about sex trafficking in our community and supporting city legislation to work toward putting an end to it in our community. It is one piece of the solution, but it gave me hope and inspired me to work diligently with individuals and organizations to eradicate human trafficking and sexual exploitation at all levels.
Sex trafficking can target anyone
Human trafficking is a complex issue and is often underreported. Anyone can become a victim regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, education or age. Our cause, our mission, is to put an end to human trafficking.
Our club is currently a partner on a global grant application for Reintegrating Survivors of Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking. Patti Mellard from the Rotary Club of Topeka South and Lynette Stassen from the E-Club of Cape town in collaboration with Governor Faron Barr of District 5710, and the Rotary clubs of Leawood, Lenexa, and Melkos plan to provide services, training, resources, mentoring and support to assist survivors at Rended Heart.
I am thrilled to be part of this new journey. Rotarians are People of Action and I know this club will act to end human trafficking.
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
Twice monthly, 10.30 am on a Friday, is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix! Next one this Friday 23 April
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 27 April - 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Judith Lowe Unley City Council New Ageing Initiatives
Set-up and Welcome.......Jason Booth and Robyn Carnachan
Tuesday 4 May - 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Sharon BroerMeals on Wheels
Set-up and Welcome.......Jason Booth and Robyn Carnachan
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Pam Trimmer & Vera Holt
Week 4: 24 April 2021
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Jerry Casburn & Reno Elms
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
Bunnings Mile End (back with monthly) and Mitre 10 Barbeques
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
The Mitre 10 BBQs are first and third Saturdays of each month.....next one 24 April (rescheduled)
The Tale End
Thoughtful grandchild observations
1. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 72. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"
2. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.
3. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.
"What's it about?" he asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."
4. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what colour it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I really think you should try to figure out some of these colours yourself!"
The evils of alcohol - episode 4......you should all be teetotalers by now
Paul has been on mission to PNG 20 times (and would probably still be going if it were not for covid). Among the gory bits and pieces shown we saw gum abscesses which had penetrated the skin, broken jaws which needed to be fixed without anaesthetics or pain killers, a holy mouth from gunshot wound, cancerous mouths from betel nut, and a range of other dire teeth, mouth and face conditions. There is a state of the art hospital in Moresby built from Australian aid funds which was never occupied through an unwillingness to furbish it. He showed a photo of a patient with a vascular malfunction brought to Australia by ROMAC for corrective surgery. Paul urged everyone to support the ROMAC fundraiser scheduled for 29 August (see advert below).
As a teacher, I have heard about children in my school as young as six years old being sexually exploited for money, and I felt powerless to do anything about it. This was happening within families as a business and to support drug habits. Children would be removed from a household for a couple of days but would be placed back again with the same family.
