Tuesday 6th May: A “First” for Hawthorn Rotary Club
Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, Noel Halford and Robert Ball brought former Ambassadorial Scholar Chinatsu Endo to address our meeting, all the way from Nepal via Skype. In return, Chinatsu was able to see and hear our members at Kooyong.
Interested attendees were her former Counsellor, Richard Groom, now a member of Mont Albert Surrey Hills Rotary Club, and Victoria Hammond who will be taking up a Clarendon Scholarship to study Refugee and Forced Migration at Oxford on September.
Chinatsu’s description of her career following her two years at Melbourne University as an Ambassadorial Scholar reinforced our high opinion of Rotary Foundation Scholarships in promoting Peace and World Understanding.
Noel Halford introduced his guest, Dr Tilak Dissanayake, who practised Medicine for nearly 12 yrs at Coolah, NSW, and now consults in Camberwell, and at John Fawkner Hospital.
Our speaker next week is current Ambassadorial Scholar Dr Pyae Phyo Aung, who will speak on: ‘The Dream Comes True, The Journey Begins’. Chairman of the day is PDG Dennis Shore.
In honour of our Ambassadorial Scholars, I closed the meeting with a Yiddish proverb: “A nation's treasure is its scholars.”
Chinatsu Endo from Japan was an Ambassadorial Scholar in 2006. Supported by our club, Chinatsu was then hosted by Richard and Jill Groom.
In a first for the club, a meeting chaired by Noel Halford and his behind the scenes techo Robert Ball, had Chinatsu as the guest speaker from Nepal! Modern technology prevailed as she took us through her journey after leaving Australia in 2009 complete with a just gained Master's degree in International Development from Melbourne University. Alas the photo capture process needs refinement but that's Chinatsu in the top corner of each the maps outlining the marvellous travels and work since.
In a highly entertaining and interesting presentation she impressed the audience with her poise, sincerity and selfless enthusiasm for supporting underdeveloped nations and the communities and people in them. Consider her past few years of international experiences.
First , there was a short time three months in Cambodia as a Masters student.
Then, with the Japanese Embassy in Zambia for two years as an officer in support of the economic unit in delivering Foreign Policy objectives in humanitarian support. Independent for over 50 years and wonderfully devoid of any real internal conflict, she noted that Zambia still had two major problems, HIV and poverty. She was involved in various community projects which sought to alleviate both of these.
Within 12 months she was back in Africa. Sudan was her next appointment as a grant manager for local NGO programs, she spent time in Khartoum.
A new Japanese embassy in 2013 in the recently created South Sudan saw her in that country too. We heard of the unique role of this country, with 8 million inhabitants , as a meeting point for African and Arab cultures and the troubles that brings and post independence coming to grips with the ownership of oil revenues, residual land mines, and sparse infrastructure. She described her time in Juba, the capital city. Sporadically and frequently without electricity or water and with limited education prospects, its people are in need of help.
With lasting memories of gun fire, and a first ever (for her) concern for her own safety ,she was evacuated following the coup d'etat in late 2013. Those troubles remain today as we hear of refugee issues.
In early 2014 , she joined the UN development programs in Nepal as a junior officer based in Katmandu in managing NGO/Government grants on projects aimed at Disaster/Risk management within Nepal. In her view not as undeveloped as those African countries in which she previously worked there were still many opportunities to foster support.
One wondered how she got the time to maintain ongoing personal relationships , and the relevance of a large ring which occasionally flashed onto the screen, as she lead us through a slide presentation of the many international projects in which she participated in underdeveloped world post her Ambassadorial Scholarship. The mystery was dispelled when we learnt of a forthcoming marriage. We wish her long term success in both that and her ongoing humanitarian pursuits as an international aid worker.
The District Assembly of 18th May is an opportunity for new members and club office bearers to learn of the District programs.
This year's titled – Rotary Illuminated is on 18th May 2014at Tabcorp Park, Melton. All Rotarians are welcome to attend the Assembly but club office bearers and new members, in particular, will find the day very interesting and useful. Potentially a full day event with lunch available.
Contact Chris Hanson. The morning will commence with an opening plenary session which will be followed by forums on the five Avenues of Service, on our Rotary Foundation, on Membership Development and on Public Image.
In the afternoon, there will be separate sessions for the current Club Presidents, the Presidents Elect, the Presidents Nominees and club executives such as Secretaries, Treasurers and Protection Officers. If any of your members are waiting for a lift home but don’t hold a club executive position they will be most welcome to sit in on the Protection workshop.
At the Assembly there will be workshops specifically designed for each of the groups listed. There is a new form check list for clubs to ensure that they have a representative from your club at each session. It also will help the organizing committee. Knowing the numbers at each session will ensure that we have adequate room capacity and that we have enough handouts for all participants. New members, or members without a defined club role, are welcome to attend one or more sessions that interest them.
A Special Request for attendees at the District Assembly - The LITERACY PROJECT
Please help us implement our 2nd District 9800 Basic Education and Literacy Project by purchasing, donating and collecting materials and goods related to learning how to write and the teaching of writing.
We need pens, pencils, texters, crayons, rulers, sharpeners, erasers, exercise books, scrap books, packets of lined writing paper, note pads, photocopying paper, pencil cases etc.
Bring them along to the Basic Education and Literacy Stall in the Tabcorp Rotary Illuminated District Assembly Market Place – 1st Floor (beside the Registration Desk) on May 18th.
Last year we collected around 1,200 books and this year our goal is to collect over 1,500 writing related items. It would be a wonderful show of our commitment to “Literacy for All” if every club made a contribution of 209 items; and it would certainly help to address the problems faced by the hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world who have never learnt to write and are therefore unable to record their ideas, thoughts, understandings and feelings for others to read.
Bronwen Scarffe – District 9800 Basic Education and Literacy Chair. 2013 2014
Peter Allen at Boroondara Cares provided this acknowledgement of Rotary's support and especially the recent efforts at the Romana Home.
The multi Rotary club support to the homeless of Boroondara via the (magnificent) Servants organisation long pre-dates the Romana Centre.
Boroondara Cares involvement began when we were introduced to the Servants by Councillor Phillip Healey. Soon thereafter several clubs and community groups participated in the refurbishment of Hamer Court in High Street, Kew. Along the way we were infected by the enthusiasm and commitment of the late Terry Gretton – then President of the RC of North Balwyn – for the Servants cause. The vision became “to double the size of the Servants”. This remains the Boroondara Cares aim and it is the work of a long established multi-club committee to bring home that result.
Rotary Club support for Romana has been much greater than most participants would know. The furnishings of the centre were arranged by PP Mark Caldwell of RC of Balwyn from an emergency centre. Much of it was new as I understand it. Then with the help of PE Richard Stewart of RC of Camberwell, a director of the Good Guys organisation, a long shopping list of new electrical goods was provided gratis. We will recognise the Good Guys at the launch function on May 17th. That event – BBQ etc – is being funded largely by RC of Camberwell.
Then we come to the “hands on” at Romana “Rotarians at Work” project. The hands –on work done by Rotarians, partners and friends has been conservatively valued by manager Brian Hall at “more than ten thousand dollars”. During that time we have seen significant financial donations from Hawthorn and Camberwell. And these are merely the one that I know about. There are no doubt others…
Perhaps it’s enough for us to know that the “Rotary” contribution is valued at some “tens of thousands of dollars”, and that support for the Servants is ongoing. More importantly, early in May about twenty-five formerly homeless members of our community will gain a caring home at the Romana Centre.
Then all of the clubs can share in the well-deserved satisfaction.
The Donations in Kind program with its warehouse of collected goods for use as donations to needy organizations both overseas and here is always on the look out for manual support from District 9800 Rotary Clubs.
Folks,
In the last minutes and at our meeting I undertook to advice particular tasks where we need to have additional assistance as a matter of urgency.
The list is attached.
These jobs are very straight forward and I have had some expressions of interest following the meeting in a couple of them.
But can I ask that you talk to your Club members to see if there is a body or bodies who could be a candidate to take some responsibility for these tasks.
Your assistance in this regard is greatly appreciated.
We still have heaps of desks to collect and some of the schools have been waiting quite a while so some activity there will be greatly appreciated.
Laurie has the list of those schools where we need to do something rather swiftly.
