A survey of club members will be conducted shortly.....please provide detail. through the Monkey.
Our next BBQ is at Mitre10 this Saturday 1 May.
Australian Rotary Health is awarding a scholarship to Liam Ryan for development of a better bowel screening process.
Book into the ROMAC luncheon on 29 August
Thursday week, existing and incoming Board members will cohabitate/meet.
Guest Speaker: Judith Lowe - Ageing initiatives at Unley City Council
David Middleton introduced Judith who is working as the Active Ageing manager with Unley City Council to promote projects supporting healthy ageing. Starting her work life as a physiotherapist in the UK she moved to Oz in 2003 and has held a number of roles across the health and aged care sector with a variety of organisations including Life Care, UniSA, Adelaide University, SA Health and Arthritis SA. In life as in work she believes that age should be celebrated and not be perceived as a barrier.....so this year she signed up for the SA Athletics over 50 competitions!
Its all about the City of Unley promoting and assisting a healthy lifestyle for its esteemed ageing citizenry. Unley has a population of 37,721 (+ or - one or two since the last Census.) and 19% are over the age of 65 (among the highest percentage in Australia); on average this cohort will live to 89. The Active Ageing Strategy of the City is about developing the infrastructure and means to make this journey as good as it can be.
An Active Ageing Alliance has been established through 20 chosen individuals who meet every 3 months to advise Council. The components of the strategy are:
Employment and economic participation. When Government pensions were first introduced only 4% of the population were recipients.....now most make it. To assist older people develop meaningful work options a partnership has been formed with UniSA to deliver entrepreneurial workshops.
Intergenerational opportunities. Forget-me-not has been a long established system of interaction between school goers and aged care residents. The Youth Reference Group and Active Ageing Alliance are meeting to push this relationship.
Outdoor Spaces. Currently they are under review with a view to improvement.
Social Connection. Loneliness is common for many elderly (but even more of a problem for 18-24yos). Initiative like having 'happy to chat' volunteers will help. Vouchers for local businesses are being pursued. 1200-1400 people use Unley's home care services. Problems emerged with Covid when parts of this service could not be provided.
Co-housing. More flexible housing designs are being researched with UniSA architects to allow new style dwellings to augment existing dwellings on suburban blocks....better result than granny flats which are banned in some areas.
Tackling Ageism. This involves a proactive approach to volunteer recognition. The film 'Duty Free', celebrating old age, is being shown at the Capri on May 11.
Judith was thanked by acclamation
Spots
Patsy Beckett reminded those who had yet to pay for the TAFE dinner to cough up ASAP.
Heather Kilsby was pleased to report that the fortnightly coffee chat at Impressa had made the Adelaide Eastern Herald. Next chat will be 14 May and thereafter monthly on the first Friday of the month.
Jerry Casburn announced that at the District Conference our club had was given the bronze award by the Rotary Foundation for donation generosity....achieved in SA by 12 clubs, although RC Adelaide did make it to silver. Maybe we should go for gold!
John Peacham revealed that the Solomons container had been transported from DIK to the Melbourne docks.
Rhonda Hoare announced that
the Fish Tank entrepreneurial competition was climaxing 5.45 for 6pm at the Unley Town Hall on May 6.. ..we need strong support as the club is sponsoring this with a $1000 prize. It just so happens that the next Board meeting is scheduled that night. The editor suggests pizzas in between each event should be easy to manage.
the Gala Youth Music Concert on May 29 at Concordia College deserves a full house. Bookings can be done through Eventbrite......details to follow.
Finale
Virginia again won the big bucks (we need a forensic audit of the marbles) and Chris snaffled the fruchocs. President Graham is keen about Humanity in Action, a book covering highlights of 100 years of Rotary in Australia. He was clapped for his offer to provide a synopsis of its contents to members. He also felt that bringing our grand-children (for those that have them) to the music concert would be a great initiative.
The meeting closed opportunely before we had time to debate the merits of the editor's'tone-deaf grandchildren attending.
ROTARY NEWS
Going upstream to reverse the effects of river pollution
By Joe Otin, past district governor of Rotary District 9212 (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan)
It’s no wonder that rivers have a special place in art, music, and legend. The founders of mighty cities secured foundations mostly where the life blood of mother nature offered a continuous supply of refreshment. Primitive societies worshiped rivers for the same reason – they brought a pure supply of the mountain’s offering and booked unwanted waste on a free ride out of town.
Civilization however comes with unavoidable side effects including the incredible burden society places on the very environment that it relies on for survival. With population increase comes thriving agriculture and expansive industry, all of which have traditionally found in rivers an outlet for their waste.
There is a new set of ideas intended to reverse the negative effects of river pollution in the Horn of Africa dubbed Adopt A River Initiative for Sustainable Development. They have been developed by a vibrant network of Rotary clubs in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a worldwide authority on nature. The dynamic duo is keenly aware that previous attempts to restore fresh water sources in this part of the continent have failed miserably.
Problems downstream
The stories are on resident’s lips; those who, at some point, cleared plastic waste at the river cleanup, dug deep into their pockets at the national fundraiser, bought the T-shirt and even watched the movie. They did what they were told would save the rivers. But still the stench concentrated over time and the water turned black and opaque from poisonous levels of nitrogen compounds and fecal matter. What they did down stream, where the pollution was evident, would never really have an impact on the unacceptable dumping occurring upstream.
The second generation farmer aiming to drive up their yield pumps the ground with fertilizers that end up seeping into the river. The property developer seeking to provide housing for workers, builds low cost boarding in an area with inexistent sewage infrastructure; and the effluence from the estate finds its way into the creek. Illegal dumping sites are created by informal businesses and kept out of site in the river valley where the solid waste is carried away during the rainy season.
From Adopt a River projects in the Horn of Africa to restoring mangroves in East Nassau (pictured), Rotary is committed to protecting the environment.
It is incomprehensible to expect that the happy band of volunteer environmentalists who gather downstream every year or so will do more than a little space in the Weekend Edition. There is absolutely no impact whatsoever without comprehensive data that underscores the magnitude of the problem, estimates the extent of the pollution in any given water body, uncovers the sources of waste matter, and identifies the relevant stakeholders.
Adopt A River’s grand plan incorporates Rotary’s ability to mobilize communities and their undeniable experience in joining forces with the corporate world to tackle diverse issues facing society. It also encompasses the incredible knowledge base of the international environmental agency UNEP and its network of development and governmental bodies working together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mobilizing communities
The initiative intends to elevate science because tangible improvements require more than rudimentary measures. This includes empowering residents with practical citizen science and encouraging them to conduct community research to shed light on all options that have impact. It is also clear that solving the pollution problem requires a broad base of stakeholders and it is necessary to combine the efforts of many players over an extended duration of time to bring real change.
Within the name of the initiative the word adopt is very deliberate. It signifies an unyielding commitment and parent-like protection of a river that might be abandoned and decrepit. The Rotary clubs that are dotted around the region are selecting portions of the rivers and making these long-term commitments. They have pledged to work diligently with the local communities, private companies and donors to restore the health of their river.
The partnership with UNEP recognizes the need to engage influential leaders who are determined to motivate their peers to engineer a turnaround in environmental degradation. This initiative fits in directly with UNEP’s Freshwater Strategy which is firmly embedded in their mandate to help countries achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. It also encompasses the need to establish within all demographic segments a personal responsibility to support nature.
The journey upstream demands vigor and conviction to take positive steps to restore the everlasting sources of fresh water. Going upstream denotes the use of modern science to tackle the problem. The initiative is going upstream by climbing to the summit of regional and global community, development, and corporate networks. And finally going upstream simply means addressing the root cause of river pollution and tackling it at the source.
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Pam Trimmer & (Vera Holt)
Week 4: 22 May 2021
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5: 29 May 2021
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 (now Monthly) and Mitre 10 Barbeques (twice Monthly)
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 1 May ?
The Tale End
Time for some old-time humour
They tell a story in Yorkshire of a farmer who was expecting a parcel by rail. As the station was 5 miles away he was glad to hear that a neighbour was going there.
'And while you're there at t' station in t' morn, just ask 'em if there's a parcel waiting for me' he said.
'Aye' was the reply.
So the neighbour set out in his trap. Late in the afternoon he pulled up alongside his friend's house.
'About your parcel' he called 'It's waiting for you at t' the station all right"
Jane aged four had been naughty. So when she was put to bed early Mum asked her to ask God for forgiveness. 'And you must ask God to make you a good girl tomorrow,' Mum added.
'Oh' said Jane innocently, 'And what's on tomorrow?'
Mum wondered whatever could be going on. 'Johnny what's all that noise about in the larder?' she called.
'Oh, no!' came the reply, 'I'm fighting temptation, and its a dreadful struggle"
The evils of alcohol - episode 5 and the very last. I hope you have all learnt many lessons about the benefits of sobriety
David Middleton introduced Judith who is working as the Active Ageing manager with Unley City Council to promote projects supporting healthy ageing. Starting her work life as a physiotherapist in the UK she moved to Oz in 2003 and has held a number of roles across the health and aged care sector with a variety of organisations including Life Care, UniSA, Adelaide University, SA Health and Arthritis SA. In life as in work she believes that age should be celebrated and not be perceived as a barrier.....so this year she signed up for the SA Athletics over 50 competitions!
It’s no wonder that rivers have a special place in art, music, and legend. The founders of mighty cities secured foundations mostly where the life blood of mother nature offered a continuous supply of refreshment. Primitive societies worshiped rivers for the same reason – they brought a pure supply of the mountain’s offering and booked unwanted waste on a free ride out of town.
The stories are on resident’s lips; those who, at some point, cleared plastic waste at the river cleanup, dug deep into their pockets at the national fundraiser, bought the T-shirt and even watched the movie. They did what they were told would save the rivers. But still the stench concentrated over time and the water turned black and opaque from poisonous levels of nitrogen compounds and fecal matter. What they did down stream, where the pollution was evident, would never really have an impact on the unacceptable dumping occurring upstream.
