Opening
Chairman Jerry Casburn opened proceedings and President David welcomed our guests.
Unley Rotary's Strategic Plan
President David had decided to 'thrill' the meeting with a Paul Harris introduction. [PH established Rotary in 1905 with 4 business associates]. It is unsure as to whether Paul intervened from the grave, that AI failed, or whether there was just a technological hiccup to jam the presentation.
Undaunted, David pressed on with the plan:
Our Mission
The Rotary Club of Unley is a dedicated group of volunteers, committed to undertaking meaningful projects in the service of our local and international communities, now and well into the future.
Our core values are Service, Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity, and Leadership.
We deliver service to the community through the Vocational, International, Community and Youth Committees and enable these projects through fundraising via BBQs, the Thrift Shop and special events. There is an aim to raise $50 - 60,000 per year.
Importantly the projects must be meaningful.......delivering impact, reach and engagement of members.
We have been operating effectively for 91 years and aim to continue for the next 90+ years. This requires the continual building and diversification of our membership base through efforts of existing members, a positive public image and a dynamic program. We plan to make it happen. Each of the component of projects, fundraising, publicity etc are vital. There needs to be a continuous flow of ideas from our members.
If each members commits to 2 activity shifts each month, we deliver a powerful 1000 volunteer shifts per year.
David asked everyone to take a turn at leadership. Currently the 2 unfilled positions are Chair of the Vocational Committee and President elect. Patsy needs help with Membership and John Peacham with Public Image. Participation in both a project committee and the delivery of a club service provides great balance....
The Prez was thanked for his presentation.
Behind the Badge - John Kikkert
Jerry emphasised the value of hearing about the lives and achievements of club members to get to know them better. He then introduced John who is a 1946 baby boomer from Holland.
John reflected that the war years and immediate aftermath were very tough on his parents. With determination his father built a successful building business but this collapsed with the economic downturn of 1961. In 1962 the family migrated to Australia, choosing Adelaide because friends had settled here. Paul's dad took a job with the SA Department of Public Buildings and his mother cleaned. John and his siblings did well at school, with very good Science and Maths results. He enrolled in a science degree at Adelaide and sustained himself with a range of part time jobs. Bridge, football and cricket were favourite pursuits. He gained a PhD [Topic - Optimisation of Rocket Fuel], and was recruited by Australian Mineral Development Laboratories where he worked for 7 years. Philips International then nabbed him to work on XRay development in The Netherlands. Travel, selling their products and know-how to many parts of the world, followed. He returned to Australia in 1986 with his 3 boys. His corporate activities thereon included software development in China, medical robots, a book company and 3 successful technological start-ups. He is back into competitive bridge, including national tournaments, and enjoys the volunteering and comradeship of Rotary. He and Karen have shared 25 years together.
Behind the Badge - Jason Booth
Jerry introduced Jason as the Professor of Optometry at Flinders Uni who has been conducting eye clinics in Nepal for 25 years.
Jason was born in Pampula, near Taree in NSW, one of 4 kids - his dad was a boilermaker. His HSC results were high and he enrolled with a scholarship in optometry at UNSW. However for financial reasons he joined the army and trained for the infantry at Singleton at the age of 19. A medical discharge fortuitously enabled him to take up his deferred optometry studies. A job as a security guard helped pay the bills. Laubman and Pank recruited him out of Uni for their Broken Hill office with clientele spread over 300 square kms. In his 4.5 years with L&P he rose to be a State Regional Manager.
His love interest, while studying in Sydney, declared that marriage was conditional on him becoming citified.....which he did. His wife proposed in 2002 that they provide optical aid to Nepal, which they did, with the assistance of a NSW optometrist and his Rotary club. From these modest beginnings, there are now 2 team visits each year involving about 20 Australians (mainly his students) and 20 Nepalese.....an estimated $5m of volunteers eye service has been delivered since inception. Rotarians from NSW and our Brendan (7th trip), Jerry and Janet have participated. Our club manages the funds. Knock on effects include investments in water supplies and school improvements and teacher payments. Jason would like to lead a team into Mongolia. Editors note- excellent Chingis Khan vodka to be had there.
Jason has spent 17 years in senior management and is now Head of Department at Flinders Uni.
For his humanitarian services, Jason was awarded the AM - Medal of the Order of Australia - in 2016.
JOHN AND JASON WERE ROUNDLY APPLAUDED.
Spots
Patsy Beckett and Valerie Bonython sought member interest in a special event akin to a Hills Treasure Hunt on the last Sunday in October (25th)
Marie Rothe had distributed the Quiz Night flyer - please organise a table of 10 for 22 August, 7pm at the Fullarton Park Community Centre. Prizes are being sought from Unley Road traders. Ross Smith is into building the wine wall with his mate Ross Burton.....donations needed.
Jerry Casburn is arranging a vocational visit to Alwyndor in October.
President David:
- announced that the Board would be meeting 7-9pm next Tuesday
- urged members to respond to Rob Freak's invitation to his 80th Birthday celebration at the Unley Town Hall on 8 August.
Finale
Bob Mills scored the filthy lucre BUT the chockies are still with the manufacturer
The Prez closed the unopened meeting at a stylish 7.50pm
Rotary Club of Mount Barker 60th Anniversary Celebration
5 - 9 pm Saturday 19 September 2026 Aston Hills Golf Club
Rotary International News
Rotary projects around the globe – June 2026
Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in the United States, Mexico, England, Hungary, and India.
by Brad Webber
2 Jul 2026
United States
The party starts early in Healdsburg, California. The Bay Area city’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities begin with a raucous, early morning procession that originated in the 1990s as a prank to rattle tourists out of bed. Since 2010, the Rotary Club of Healdsburg has gone green — with hair dye and wigs — to use the parade as a PolioPlus fundraiser. In March, two dozen Rotarians joined the crowd of about 2,000 partygoers at 7 a.m. to frolic around the town plaza, raising an expected $50,000, says club member Tim Mann. “The parade is more than just a spectacle; it’s an annual platform for our ongoing fight against polio,” Mann says. March 17, adds club member Devin Lee Drew, is “the one day of the year where we get up at dawn for our club meeting.”
Mexico
In February, the Rotary Club of Chapala Sunrise in the state of Jalisco hosted a five-day Friendship Conference with members of international partner clubs from Richmond, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Lincoln, California, as well as clubs from the Mexican cities of Guadalajara, Zapopan, and Chapala. Attendees toured projects they had supported, including a wastewater treatment facility, a plant that uses gravity to move water to wetland flower beds, and a health clinic planned to serve an Indigenous community in Jalisco. Delegation members also delivered presentations on projects of their home clubs. “Rotary connections we’re making together are going to continue for years,” says Nicci Beninger, club president and organizer of the gathering.
England
Rotary Club of Elthorne-Hillingdon member Sarah Gardner founded Serving Our Superheroes in 2020 during the pandemic to support caregivers, including staff of the National Health Service. The name “was inspired by the everyday heroes we serve,” Gardner writes in the Rotary regional magazine serving Great Britain and Ireland. “What began with sewing laundry bags for NHS staff quickly grew into a registered charity” that distributes donated wash kits, toiletries, clothing, products for newborns, and other items. Rotarians and other volunteers deliver the items to hospitals, nursing homes, and care centers. More recently Gardner formed Helping West London, a network of charities and organizations that share surplus supplies. “I like to say that I join the dots,” she says. “Rotary reflects that same spirit of connection.”
Hungary
Since 2007, the Rotary Club of Miskolc has organized an annual food distribution project during the Advent season. In 2025, the event attracted about 250 people to the town square, where Rotarians passed out bean goulash and jam-filled buns. The signature effort of the club “supports people in need by offering warm, freshly prepared meals at a time of the year when assistance is most appreciated,” says club member Márk Dobai. “Over 18 years, the program has provided roughly 5,000 meals, becoming a meaningful local tradition that brings comfort, dignity, and human connection.”
India
Nearly two dozen members of the Rotaract Club of Coimbatore Gaalaxy spent Valentine’s Day transforming a school. Guided by school staff, Rotaractors from the Tamil Nadu-based club “engaged in painting, restoring, and designing murals that brought color and life to the campus,” says Club President Srivarshan R.R. “The school caters to a diverse and often vulnerable group of students,” including orphaned youth, the children of prisoners, and families in poverty, Srivarshan says. The club also assists the institution by paying school fees for select children, providing handwashing stations, and offering career guidance for graduating students.
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the second Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is Friday 14 August 2026
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 4 August 2026 6 for 6.30pm
Living Choice Nature's Providore
Guest Speaker: Peter Schaeffer The Rotary Foundation
Welcoming team: Valerie Bonython & Jason Booth
Tuesday 18 August 2026 6 for 6.30pm Living Choice Nature's Providore
Guest Speakers: Unleyites behind the badge
Welcoming Team: Valerie Bonython & Jason Booth
Apologies and Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to secretary@unleyrotary.org.au
Venue Set-up Enquiries to: Bulletin Editor Stephen Baker on 0403 687 015
Saturday Thrift Shop Roster
Early Shift: 10.00am to 1.00pm Late Shift: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Week 1: 1 August 2026
Early:Haydn & Sue Baillie | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Leonie Kewen
Week 2: 8 August 2026
Early: Greg McLeod & xxxxxxx| Late: Vera-Ann Stacy & Reno Elms
Week 3: 15 August 2026
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 25 July 2026
Early: Haydn Baillie (Stephen Baker) & Sue Baillie (Judi Corcoran) | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5:
Early: Haydn & Sue Baillie | Late: Virginia Cossid & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: David Pisoni 0412 844 384; e-mail: hon.david.pisoni@gmail.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 scheduled is 1 August 2026
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Morning shift: 8.00am – 12.30pm | Afternoon shift: 12.30 – 5pm
We have been allocated the last Monday of each month. Our next one will be 27 July 2026
The Tale End.....always educational
Don't wash your hair in the shower
It's so good to finally get a health warning that is useful!!!
Shampoo Warning!
I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner!
I use shampoo in the shower!
When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very
clearly on the shampoo label is this warning, "FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME."
No wonder I have been gaining weight!
Well! I got rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn
dishwashing soap instead. Its label reads,
"DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."
Problem solved!
If I don't answer the phone I'll be in the shower!
Interesting Philosophical Gems“The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets.” – Al McGuire
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” – Albert Einstein
“War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” – Ambrose Bierce
“It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that money is desperately needed for political ads.” – Andy Borowitz
“The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.” – Bill Watterson
“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.” – Buddy Hackett
