This week’s guest speaker, Sophie Flynn, provided a very informative overview of UNICEF and their work with projects to support children’s wellbeing worldwide. She also referred to the amazing work Rotary and UNICEF do in the Pacific region to support vaccinations to eradicate childhood diseases. Sophie herself has a background in developing UNICEF programs for refugees and safeguarding children while she was working from offices in Brussels and New York before returning to Melbourne.

This Wednesday I have been invited to join Hawthorn Glen Combined Probus Club’s 30^th birthday celebrations.  Rotary Hawthorn was a supporting Club in the establishment of Hawthorn Glen and they requested we have a Club representative join in their celebrations.

The Rotary Hawthorn Footy Tipping competition is very close with the current number 1 position held by Purring (I’m assuming this is a Cat’s supporter), with number 2 your current President and number 3 Terry.  I guess my current position demonstrates a lack of knowledge in footy is no impediment to participating in the tipping competition, but a bit of luck does help.

Our annual ANZAC meeting is one of the major events in our Rotary calendar and this year we will have as guest speaker Dr Graham Pratt on Tuesday 23^rd April at Kooyong. He was commissioned as a lieutenant serving as a specialist officer, served in Vietnam and retired in 1987 as lieutenant colonel. His talk will cover From Gallipoli to Afghanistan - the continuing place of the Anzac legend in our nation. (Photo: Australian soldiers on "a shell-torn strip of beach" at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli.(Supplied: John Arthur Lovett, Australian War Memorial, P11232.003) )

Members should encourage friends and family to attend this special lunch meeting to share in Dr Pratt’s story.

Announcements:

Rotary District Conference is this weekend 12-14^th April in Bendigo.  A number of our members have registered including Terry and myself.  The Conference will have a display booth for Rotary SAFE Families, where Dorothy will be on hand to encourage other Clubs to join in and support. There will also be a tribute to our long standing member, David Rosback, in the Memorium section at the Conference.

Rotary Balwyn have organised an event “Role of Women in Parliament” on Tuesday 16^th April which Members and guests are invited to attend.  Details have been included in this week’s Bulletin and registration closes on Friday 12th April.

Bunnings Barbeque Saturday 20^th April at Bunnings Hawthorn.  We have a full roster of members for the day, which is appreciated but I would encourage members to visit and show their support.  I know many of you will probably drop into Bunnings on weekends as part of your odd jobs routine.

CWA Boroondara have invited our members to attend a Biggest Morning Tea event on Saturday 25^th May from 10:30-12.00 noon at Auburn Bowls Club.  Funds raised will be donated to the Cancer Council and additional details are in this week’s Bulletin. RSVP to suecrockett@gmail.com by 12^th May, including any dietary requirements.

DG Ron Payne has asked all Club Presidents to ask members to consider applying for the new Rotary Community Leader role.  This is an important role under the Regionalisation Project to work with Clubs across the wider District Community Group 2, which includes Hawthorn.  Details of the role can be found on the District website and I would be happy to assist in follow up discussions with Ron and his team.

Our next meeting is via Zoom on Tuesday 16^th April from 1pm with guest speaker Adam Courtenay, author of the book Three Sheets to the Wind, a rollicking account of a little-known event that changed the course of Australian history. How a motley crew of merchant seamen walked 600 miles to save 7,000 gallons of rum.

I have been told there was a Rum Rebellion in Sydney at some point in the Colonies’ early history so why am I not surprised there are a few other tall tales involving hard liquor.

Doug McLean

President 2023-2024