NEXT WEEK WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR BIRTHDAY IN STYLE
PARTNERS WELCOME
Last Meeting
Venue: Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Rose Le
Guests: Ging Tadiar
Attendance: 24 members 2 guests
Ken Haines, standing in for a sick President Nathan, opened the meeting.
Guest Speaker: Rose Le - Adelaide Refugee Support
Due to sickness (lot of that going around) Linda Bobrowski, was unable to attend as our guest speaker. Rose Le rose to the challenge with 15 minutes notice. Jerry introduced Rose, a friend of the family for many years, as an all round whiz kid. Rose was sponsored on a Group Study Exchange to Kansas City 3 years ago. She currently works for DFAT in Adelaide and was of considerable help with the launch of our Pride of Workmanship when working with the Unley Road Traders.
Rose's parents fled Vietnam to Australia in the 1970s. She works in the investment section of DFAT. Her volunteer activity with Adelaide Refugee Support involves identifying clothing and household equipment which are surplus to requirements at, for example, thrift shops like ours and the Salvos, and linking them in with the needs of refugees. As Rose explained, many of the refugees arrive with few possessions and very little money. They do not qualify for social security.
Linda Bobrowski established ARS to help refugees who would otherwise be destitute. Rose sung Linda's praise and gave the example of a family needing a refrigerator......Linda put out a call on Facebook and quickly received 8 offers to donate one. A pantry list is established for newly arrived needy families and donations pursued to fill it. Classes are run by community groups to help the children with their education and assimilation. Rose suggested that there may be an avenue for Rotary to assist by engaging people who are interested in volunteering for a really worthwhile cause. Another plus would be to expand the pool of potential future members of Rotary.
ARS has 5000 Facebook members. Effort is currently being made to achieve charity status.
Ken Haines was pleased to announce a donation from our club of $1500 and presented a 'cheque' to Rose
Rose was applauded for her contribution.
SPOTS
Jerry Casburn reported that the District Conference was a great success with a number of eminent speakers like Grant Stevens. But he was disappointed that he was the only delegate from the club....much more needs to be done to promote participation.
In 2023 the Rotary International Convention is being held in Melbourne from 27 - 31 May. The theme will be Proud of our Past - Confident of our Future. The last international conference in Australia was in Sydney which a number of our members attended and thoroughly enjoyed.....marvelous international speakers. This will be followed by our District Conference on the Yorke Peninsula which will culminate in a big event at Adelaide Oval. Transport and accommodation options are being prepared for what is hoped to be a large contingent form SA to Melbourne and then to our own conference. Bookings are available on The One and All.......with calm seas guaranteed or at least a sufficient supply of seas sick pills. Maybe an organised highlight could be an invasion of the MCG during an AFL match to give the Vics a big kick.
Trevor McGuirk provided $50 discount vouchers for Automasters, picked up during the Pride of Work deliveries. Trevor (aka Phineas Barnum the second) has promised an exciting....enjoyable.....unbelievable event next week. Please arrive early for the special $2 raffle. Cost of the finger food is $20. Expected finishing time of the frivolities is 8.30pm.
Stephen Baker announced and welcomed that Unley City Council had approved sponsorship of $9000 pa over the next 3 years for the Carols at the Rotunda
Valerie Bonython asked those volunteering next Sunday for the carp fishing competition at Mannum to wear their Rotary shirts.
Secretary Greg McLeod informed the club that the District Committee was seeking immediate advice from clubs as to their desire to resume the Youth Exchange Program which had been suspended due to Covid. The time frame under consideration was first inbound students arriving in July this year and first outbound leaving in January. 9 countries had expressed interest. The exchange normally lasts a year and hosting is shared by a number of members. Discussion followed. No members other than Rhonda volunteered to host a student. There would appear to be little appetite/capacity to proceed.
Finale
Jerry reported that Oleh continues to struggle with health issues.
Stephen had the perfect weekend of sport with Sturt and both the Crows sides winning.
John Peacham is concerned about his forthcoming paddle down the Port River with Linda ......we need a waterproof dashcam to record the boat turning over.
Trevor and Jerry, who were away last week for the Drought Outreach presentation by Valerie, expressed pleasure for the amazing experience. Jerry towed the BBQ 1996kms, much of it on dirt roads of varying quality.
Heather is pleased to be back (as we are) but her grand-daughter in Tassie is already missing her. The Sydney International Convention in 2014 was brilliant. .Go go go Melbourne.
Vera-Ann won the filthy lucre and Valerie the fruchocs.....the ladies continue their stranglehold
The meeting closed at 7.43 pm.
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.
By Ademar Bechtold and Quentin Wodon, Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration
The number of refugees globally has been steadily rising. The ongoing war in Ukraine has created an even larger humanitarian crisis with millions of displaced people. There is much that Rotary clubs are doing, and can be doing, to help the resettlement of refugees.
About a month ago, Ademar and I joined a combined board meeting of our Rotary Action Group and the Rotary Fellowship for Global Development, discussing what could be done to help the resettlement of Afghan refugees in the United States. Ademar, a professor of economics at Notre Dame of Maryland University, suggested his university might be able to provide one or two scholarships for Afghan youth. We all thought this would be a brilliant idea.
As many as 100,000 Afghans may eventually resettle in the U.S. The government-funded Afghan Parolee Assistance program provides support to Afghan refugees for a minimum of 90 days, including for housing and food, enrolling children in school, and finding employment. But the program does not include support for Afghan youth to further their education. There is a need for colleges and universities to support the resettlement effort by providing scholarships and other types of assistance to qualified young Afghan women and men.
A week later, Ademar and I met with Dr. Marylou Yam, president of the university, to share the idea. Dr. Yam was enthusiastic about educating refugees because it resonated with the mission of the university. Founded in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland was the first Catholic college for women in the United States to award the baccalaureate degree. It has been leading the way in women’s education ever since.
Helping Afghan refugees is a great fit for the university’s mission “to educate leaders to transform the world.” The university challenges its students to build inclusive communities, engage in service to others, and promote social responsibility. While the university’s traditional undergraduate Women’s College serves those interested in a single-sex education, it also meets the needs of adult women and men through career-focused undergraduate and graduate programs designed around their real-life schedules.
The University generously committed to provide two full tuition scholarships for young Afghan women. As Rotarians, we will make sure that Afghan youth in the Baltimore area and elsewhere are aware of this new opportunity by sharing information and contacting specific groups working with the refugees.
Both Ademar and I benefited from Rotary in our youth. We both joined Rotaract (Ademar in Brazil, me in Belgium). Ademar received an Ambassadorial scholarship from Rotary to study in the US, and I visited British Columbia for a summer through a Rotary exchange program. We are both very happy that in a small way, our engagement with Rotary has helped make these scholarships available.
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 this Friday 6 May 2022
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 12 April 2022 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Event: Club's Birthday entertainment night
Set-up and Welcome...........Bob Mills & John Peacham
Tuesday 19 April 2022 6 for 6.30pm Damien on Fisher
Guest Speaker: Rosh Amrein On things important
Set-up and Welcome...........Bob Mills & John Peacham
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Pam Trimmer
Week 4: 23 April 2022
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Rhonda Hoare
Week 5: 30 April 2022
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 16 April 2022
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Linda Bobrowski established ARS to help refugees who would otherwise be destitute. Rose sung Linda's praise and gave the example of a family needing a refrigerator......Linda put out a call on Facebook and quickly received 8 offers to donate one. A pantry list is established for newly arrived needy families and donations pursued to fill it. Classes are run by community groups to help the children with their education and assimilation. Rose suggested that there may be an avenue for Rotary to assist by engaging people who are interested in volunteering for a really worthwhile cause. Another plus would be to expand the pool of potential future members of Rotary.
We need as many volunteers as can be secured for Red Shield Appeal fundraising / digital door-knocking throughout May and June 2022.
The number of refugees globally has been steadily rising. The ongoing war in Ukraine has created an even larger humanitarian crisis with millions of displaced people. There is much that Rotary clubs are doing, and can be doing, to help the resettlement of refugees.
