NEXT WEEK WE ARE INTO CONSULTATIONS
Our Last Meeting
Venue: Damien on Fisher
Guest Speakers: Rikki Cooke
Guest: Suzanne Buder, Lucas Cooke, Joylene Koch, Aaron Thompson, Colleen Thorpe
Attendance: 24 Members 6 Guests
President Trevor's Announcements
President Trevor led the singing of happy birthday for Virginia Cossid......more practice is needed.
Trevor has been a member of Rotary since 2006. He reflected on the enormous good achieved by 1.2m world-wide Rotary members, the 1300 annual global grants and the endowment fund.
Guest Speaker - Rikki Cooke: Treasure Boxes
Rikki introduced herself as a mother of two sons aged 23 and 8.....Lucas accompanied her to the meeting. She has a psychology degree, and is a social worker employed in child protection and emergency care . She is the founder and chair of Treasure Boxes.
Treasure Boxes is a not-for-profit organisation, run by volunteers with a large warehouse in Beverley. Rikki in her work has dealt with many desperate cases requiring support for at risk mothers, children and families. What Treasure Boxes aims to do is provide the vital essentials for new born, empower the vulnerable, and help in an environmentally sustainable way. They do not deal with families directly but allocate boxes of goods to relief agencies on request.
Boxes of good quality used and new materials are stored at the warehouse and distributed as required to those agencies dealing with needy families. 12 months clothing, new and used, is boxed up with sufficient gear to last for a year and an estimated value of $805 per box. Nursery and related equipment such as high chairs, prams, bouncers, car seats, change tables, nappies, feeding bottles, breast pumps and toiletries is assembled as a package with a value of about $2000. And a mass of toys is provided for the newborn and siblings to a value of about $400. Most of the equipment and clothing is donated by the public.
Last year there were 16 volunteers and this has now grown to 29. Likewise there were 12 relief agencies being provided with boxes, while today there are 52. Donations last year were $345,000 and already have reached $220,000 this year. Facebook is used to attract volunteers and donations. This year dial up has increased from 1900 to 4950. Warehouse space is increasing from 220 to 700 sq metres.
Rikki expressed her thanks to Robyn Carnachan and the club for supplying storage equipment.....it has made sorting, storage and packaging much easier.
Rikki was thanked by acclamation.
Spots
Patsy Beckett informed that she would be sending 1.25 kg of stamps to Victoria, asked everyone to sell their books of Pink Ribbon tickets by October and canvassed help to sell these tickets at Bunnings.
Sorel Coward sought further donations for her walk with RC Glenelg through Kangaroo Island with proceeds to Shelter Box...….to date $890 has been raised with a target of $2000 for 2 boxes.
Jason Booth advised that he was utilising Survey Monkey for members to express their committee preferences for 2019/10.....those uncomfortable monkeying about should advise him directly.
Wendy Andrews thanked volunteers and raffle donors for the Bridge event next Sunday
Reno Elms explained that the Red Shield Appeal this year was again on track and had his machine poised for further member donations.
The Finale
With some of the lowest cards in the dodgy deck Pam Trimmer and Greg McLeod triumphed. Anniversaries......Wendy was inducted 10 years ago and Stephen will be having his 30th birthday shortly.
The meeting closed in a timely fashion with Trevor still lamenting the loss of his camera......must have been some great snaps on it!
Rotary News
Climate change and The Four-Way Test
By Rick Olson, Rotary Club of Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA
Rick Olson visits with children in Tanzania.
Climate change is an impersonal, ambiguous term, which denotes negative impact on people around the world. But on a recent trip to Tanzania in Africa I met some of the innocents who will be most affected by the increased droughts caused by carbon dioxide emissions.
On a 10-day biking safari to visit Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, we camped in a school yard in a Maasai village west of Arusha, Tanzania. Three boys came to visit, and after giving them some treats, I took their photo with my phone. I showed them the photo, and a boy about 8 or 9 years old gestured to me he would like to hold the phone.
Maasai children learn to take selfies with Olson’s smartphone.
So, I showed him how to take a photo with it and handed it to him. I also taught him how to take selfies and videos. Before long a group of about 15 children were gathered around us, looking at photos he had taken, enlarging the pictures of some of the kids, all to gales of laughter. It was so much fun. Seeing how quickly he learned to use the phone, without our knowing a word of each other’s language, was such a kick.
These Maasai children live in a very dry area. The March-May “rainy” season had not produced a drop of rain by the time I left on 23 March. These young ones and the rest of their tribe are the least capable of adapting to even drier conditions projected by the climate scientists than the desert they already live in, hanging on by a thread. Yet, we in the United States who are in the most wealthy of countries and have produced and continue to produce the most carbon dioxide can’t even agree that human-caused climate change is real, much less agree on what to do about it.
As a Prior Lake Rotarian, I join my club weekly in reciting The Four Way Test. The first two lines are: “Is it the truth?” and “Is it fair to all concerned?” A guest commentary I wrote for the Prior Lake American, Commentary: Acting on climate change can make difference, outlines why it is the truth that climate change is real and caused by humans burning fossil fuel. Is it fair that those least able to adapt to the negative changes bear the greatest impacts while we do nothing? I think not.
We are not helpless in mitigating the consequences of our past and present actions. We as Rotarians can support actions including government legislation that promote feasible measures to effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We can support Rotary projects that seek to alleviate or reduce the impact of climate change.
Join us in minimizing the damage to not only our economy and our lives, but that of the innocents in Africa and India who will be most affected.
Our Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 4 June 2019 6 for 6.30pm at Damien on Fisher
Occasion: Committee meetings and behind the badge
Chair: Bob Mills | Set-up, Welcome & Attendance: Heather Kilsby & Chad Leader
Tuesday 11 June 2019 6 for 6.30pm at Damien on Fisher
Guest Speakers: Graham Ey on defibrillator training and Rajat Nagpal on our public image
Chair: Bob Mills | Set-up, Welcome & Attendance: Dennis Liddle & Mavis Martin
Apologies to: Sorel Coward by e-mail sorel@sorelcoward.com.au or 0408 406 558
Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to unley.secretary@rotaryclub.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 June 2019
Early: Vera Holt & Wendy Andrews (Jerry Casburn) | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Rachel Harding
Week 2: 8 June 2019
Early: Greg Mcleod & Chad Leader | Late: Wendy Andrews & Heather Kilsby
Week 3: 15 June 2019
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Pam Trimmer & Ken Haines
Week 4: 22 June 2019
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Rhonda Hoare & Jason Booth
Week 5: 29 June 2019
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Robyn Carnachan (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 Barbeque
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Next Date: Monday 17 June.
Morning shift: 8.00am – 12.30pm | Afternoon shift: 12.30 – 5pm
The next Mitre 10 BBQ (now first Saturday of each month) will be on 1 June
The Tale End.……
The Very Best of Flu Injections
Helpful support
MORE TIPS FROM THE REDNECK BOOK OF MANNERS....for those of you who have bogan instincts
Dining out
If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the label.
Avoid throwing bones and food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs.
Entertaining in your home
A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist.
Do not allow the dog to eat at the table no matter how good his manners are.
