Tony Hyams AM. Tony was born in Melbourne and was educated at Melbourne Grammar. He graduated in 1969 from Melbourne University with degrees in Law and Commerce.  Tony is married to Ann and they have 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

After a short stint in the legal profession Tony turned to international banking and finance becoming head of Credit Suisse in Australia for most of his career.

In recent years he has been a professional director of many companies including the Melbourne Airport, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, New Zealand’s largest printing company, the Military Superannuation Fund and as Chairman of the Commonwealth Government’s now $40 billion employee superannuation fund. He was involved with the World Economic Forum as a member of the Long-Term Investment Council and of the Role of Business Council and at annual meetings in Davos.

All of these activities stopped abruptly when in 2009 he was diagnosed with a rare incurable lung disease.  In his terms “a science fiction health adventure”.

Chair: David Pisterman

Photo Credit: Wayne Taylor 

Emmanuel (Emma), was born and raised in the largest slum located in the capital of Uganda. His wife, Anne-Marie Reddan, is originally from Healesville.

Their story is amazing. This inspiring couple have established 3 programs:

• An agricultural and farming project aimed at Youth in the city of Jinja
• The 2nd program and the largest one being a 12-month vocational training course in Tailoring, Fashion and Design
• The 3rd program is conducted by Emma - a Music Mentorship program.

Emma is Uganda's most recognised Gospel singer, specializing in reggae and dancehall music and reputation presents as a positive role model for those interested in music.   He has gone on to win many prestigious awards and continues to do so. For example:

• Olive Awards Male Artist of the Year (2012)
• Viga Awards Male Artist of the year (2013, 2014, 2016)
• DanceHall Artist of the Year (2015)
• Hit Awards Male Artist of the Year (2016)
• VIga Song of the Year (2017 and 2018)
• Music Video of the year (2018)
• Hipipo Video Trail Blazer Award (2019)

The Music program provides selected students with:  Guidance to help them to develop their art, A platform to record their music, Opportunity to distribute their music,
Access to the Ugandan music industry, Audio production training, Performance management,  Learning musical instruments (Western and Traditional) and Revenue generating and job prospects within the industry.

AFL Football Fans. Listen to an African version of the Essendon Football Club theme:   here
(Emma is also known as Cooply Bly) 

Chair: Noel Halford

Photo Credit: mywedding.co.ug

Emmanuel (Emma) Sserwanga & Anne-Marie Reddan

This song that started as an accidental collaboration in outback Queensland in 1895 caused the death of a seven-year relationship and went on to inspire a nation during World War II, following Banjo Paterson’s death in 1941.

Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia’s Accidental Anthem written by a criminal barrister, is a forensic history of the events, the people and the places that led to the writing of Australia’s internationally famous song. This evidence-based approach dispels many of the myths and historical inaccuracies that have become folklore.

The facts about the swagman, the contribution of Christina Macpherson and Sarah Riley and the timing and the place of the composition are all revealed.

Chair: Noel McInnes

My introduction to Cambodia came with a family visit to Siem Reap in early 2015 to see the temples.  We were exposed to the plight of a people that have experienced so much tragedy in recent years and were literally re-building their country from scratch. The land mine victims were the obvious casualties, the less obvious were those in the villages in the rural areas.

We met a dynamic tour guide with a compassion for his people. He made us aware of the need of clean drinking water for families in the villages around Siem Reap. I was moved by the plight of these people, stayed to help and established the Cambodia Clean Water & Toilet Project

There is no need so basic as having clean water to drink, but over half the population of Cambodia does not have access to clean water.  In the countryside, most people rely on water from rivers, streams and ponds. This water is often polluted and is a major cause of health issues in children. 

The lack of sanitary toilets exacerbates the water problems. Nearly 70% of Cambodia’s rural population have no toilet.

I firmly believe that the future of Cambodia is dependent on educating the young people. The challenge is to have them finish high school but a prerequisite to school attendance is being healthy.  

Clean water and sanitary toilets are essential for health. It is in this area of health and hygiene with clean water and sanitary toilets that I believe we can make a significant change in the lives of village families. To date, we have installed 234 Septic Tank Toilets and 86 Clean Water Bores.

Chair: Katrina Flinn

Adjunct Associate Professor Rob Hess is an historian and a former staff member in the College of Sport and Exercise Science at Victoria University.  He has a long-standing interest in the social history of sport and his PhD was the first ever doctoral study of the history of Australian Rules football.  Rob is a past president of the Australian Society for Sports History and he currently serves as a regional academic editor for the International Journal of the History of Sport.  He is also a member of the Australian Football Heritage Group, an honorary heritage consultant with Netball Victoria and a Board member of the History Council of Victoria.  His most recent book (co-written with Brunette Lenkić) is Play On! The Hidden History of Women’s Australian Rules Football, published in 2016.

Chair: Geoff Wright

Photo: Newspapers Collection, State Library of Victoria

Leigh’s goal as a public speaker is to successfully inspire people to develop courage, strength and persistence, especially in times of adversity.

more details to follow

Chair: David Rush

This is a working bee for Hawthorn Rotary, in the Medical Aisle and selecting content for the Cambodian containers,  first Saturdays in November (2nd)

Melbourne Cup Day is Australia’s best known horse racing event. Since 1861 it has been held on the first Tuesday of November at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. It is an annual public holiday in the state of Victoria. This event, popularly dubbed as “the race that stops the nation”, is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over, is said to be the richest ‘two-mile’ handicap in the world and is one of the richest turf races.  More than 100,000 people usually attend Flemington Racecourse, and the race is televised live to an audience of about 650 million people worldwide'.

Did you know? The 1875 winner, Wollomai, came from Phillip Island?, (which is located around 135 kilometres south-east of Melbourne and is better known for its penguin colonies). In earlier days, prior to a ferry service between Phillip Island and San Remo, animals were swum across to the Narrows.

It was thought that Wollomai had very little chance of winning, but jockey Bob Batty rode the horse to success, in a time of three minutes and thirty eight seconds, before a crowd of 70,000 people.

The owner, John Cleeland, returned to Cape Woolomai  with £22,000 pounds, having given the jockey and trainer £500 each.

Ravi is CEO of a publicly listed company which he founded with a worldwide clientele in the tea packaging industry. He also serves on the board of several other companies and charitable trusts.

He is the founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association.

As his country’s national PolioPlus chair, Ravi headed a task force consisting of the government, UNICEF, and Rotary and worked closely with UNICEF to successfully negotiate a ceasefire with the northern militants during National Immunization Days.

A Rotarian since 1974, Ravi has served RI as treasurer; director; Foundation trustee; committee member, vice chair, and chair; task force member; RI training leader; and district governor.

He also chaired the Schools Reawakening project, sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts in Sri Lanka, to rebuild 25 tsunami-devastated schools to benefit 15,000 children. 

*See further details here

more detalis to come

?Scott Bolton

We are celebrating Christmas with Rotary Glenferrie.

At: Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

Stay tuned.

More details to come.

Photo Credit: Vincent Keiman