Welcome
President John welcomed the heat survivors and announced that Patsy is managing Community Service in the absence of Jerry.......who is slowly improving. There was a meeting of the Group presidents last Thursday and each club has been asked to suggest a pithy marketing logo/catchphrase reflective of their club....the editor's modest contribution is 'Actioneering'......no such word, but that's good!
Guest Speaker: Leanne Hill - Meeting workforce needs
Paul Duke introduced Leanne. As an Employment Facilitator for the Local Jobs Program Leanne Hill has substantial experience with supporting employers in workforce planning, and assisting individuals in how to best prepare for training, pathways and opportunities. Involved in numerous presentations and panel discussions about the current employment market, Leanne can provide knowledge to help businesses find local workplace solutions, and link you to various government supports to help your business with its workforce and training needs.
Highly qualified Leanne helps firms and individuals come together in the complex and chaotic local jobs market and link up with government programs. Earlier in her career she worked on labour force transitioning when major sections of the automotive industry in SA closed down. She is contracted by the Federal Department of Employment and Work Force Relations. The labour market of today is marked by low unemployment which makes it difficult for small and medium sized businesses to find employees. Recently Leanne made contact with the employees of Noni B in Unley to discuss options for new jobs. Leanne's Adelaide South Region stretches to KI and the Hills from Regency Rd. In this area Noarlunga contains many families who suffer from intergenerational unemployment (parents, grandparents and adult children who have never had a job)
Some of the interesting insights included:
- Many school leavers rely heavily on their mobile phones and Tik Tok, not the components of their formal education
- The national statistics collected by the ABS deem a person working 1 hour a week as being employed
- The three highest labour demand sectors well into the future are Health Care, Child Care and Aged Care
- Many women dropped out of the workforce during Covid and haven't returned
- Jobs and the nature of work changes continuously. It is now expected that a normal work force participant will have 15-20 jobs and 5 careers during their working life
- For the unemployed it is a tough to cope with low dole payments, rental and cost of living pressures
- Employers want more highly skilled workers but the issue is often not a skill gap but a training gap
- Labour shortages are most pronounced in sectors with the highest male/female imbalances and the poorest paid
- Early school leavers and those who do little to improve themselves after year 12 are virtually unemployable. Professional development and linking up in the market place are critical
- In the jobs market, social media is huge, particularly Linked In and Facebook. Only about 10% of job seekers approach employers directly
- Technical college learning and school based apprenticeshipd are gathering momentum
- Government still relies on a 1970s recruitment process while private enterprise has to be far more innovative to survive
Leanne reports weekly to Canberra. Much of her time is taken up with those people who have lost their jobs and new migrants looking for work.
Leanne was warmly applauded for her address
Spots
Rhonda Hoare reported that David Biggs of Rotary Youth Sailing Challenge vintage is seeking Rotarians to come on a twilight sail down the Port River and out into the Gulf on the One and All 6.30pm on 11 March. Former YSC participants will tell of their adventures, plus plenty of nourishment.
Rhonda is also keen to have a table of Unley Rotarians at the Women in Rotary Breakfast 7 - 9am Wednesday 5 March n the Arkaba top room with the renowned Miriam Silva as guest speaker.
See adverts below
Patsy Beckett announced that a special event was being organised - Volunteers Christmas at Calperum in July - commencing Friday 25 July. Those interested to contact Patsy.
Janet Rice volunteers each year for the Tour Down Under and this year's proceeds of $200 are being donated to Rotary.
Brenton Judge announced that only 50% of members had paid their subscriptions. We need to do far better than this!
Virginia Cossid reminded of the coffee chat/quaffing at Impressa this Friday
Finale
Remarkably justice prevailed and the editor won the filthy lucre while the Prez scored the chocolates.
JP also mentioned that he had been approached by David Lane, President of RC Propect [an RC Unley daughter club] to have a joint meeting.....which we used to do annually. Paul has scheduled 4 March as a potential date
The meeting closed almost on time.
Then the Prez slipped in a message about a fundraiser for Cows of Cambodia with a promise of us going to Paradise if we attended.
Rhonda's adverts
Women in Rotary
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Healing the wounds of war in Ukraine – visible and invisible
By Pat Merryweather-Arges —
Volunteers sort and label boxes of medical donations at a warehouse around O’Hare airport in February 2022 for airlift to Ukraine.
I met Dr. Olha Paliychuk shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As we both work in healthcare, I knew the priority needs for addressing the physical harm in emergency situations and we communicated frequently by e-mail and WhatsApp. At the same time, the Ukraine Medical Association of North America (UMANA) opened a warehouse around O’Hare airport and medical donations poured in from around the US, but with most in the Chicago and Wisconsin areas.
Rotary District 6450 started a fundraising effort to secure medical supplies and equipment that were in great need, identified by Rotary members in Ukraine. We purchased equipment and supplies and secured air transportation through UMANA. Many Rotary members and non-members donated for Ukraine through the district.
We also worked with Dr. Olha to identify needs when Rotary established Disaster Grants for Ukraine. In the first 18 months, the need for advanced surgical equipment for brain trauma, limb amputations, and internal organ damage from mortar attacks and shrapnel became a priority.
At the same time, the strain of war on children and family members of front-line military and health care workers became very apparent. There has been an increased emphasis on mental health support for children and family members, as well as military members, during the past two years. That has now expanded to include emergency and healthcare workers.
While the wounds of physical injuries may heal over time, the mental wounds of war are deep and harder to address without mental health support. Even those without physical wounds suffer from the mental wounds of war.
War is not natural. Children and adults are not trained to injure one another, they are trained to be kind and helpful. War takes a major mental toll on those involved in conflict.
Dr. Olha has incorporated the mental health needs as a priority in her Rotary humanitarian efforts as the needs are so great and at times, overwhelming. As a district governor-elect, Olha will be in the United States for Rotary’s annual training event in Orlando in early February. This provided an ideal opportunity to plan a conference and invite other panelists to discuss the ongoing mental health impact of the war.
Special event: Healing the wounds of war, visible and invisible
The conference will take place 4 February in Chicago at the Ukraine Cultural Center. It is an opportunity for Rotary clubs in the district and beyond, as well as the public, to get involved and learn how they can help. The free-event will include heavy appetizers and a cash bar.
Speakers include:
Dr. Olha Paliychuk, MD, Ph.D, MSc, MBA, is from Ukraine and is a certified gynecologist oncology physician. A member of the Rotary Club of Cherkasy, she has been instrumental in working with Rotary members and clubs to identify supplies, equipment, and services needed for Ukraine. She has been a constant source of support for Ukrainians and Rotary members throughout the war.
John Hewko is CEO and General Secretary of Rotary. Hewko’s Ukrainian parents came to the United States in 1949 after having spent four years in a refugee camp in southern Germany. Hewko grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, and he and his wife, Marga, lived in Ukraine from 1991 to 1996. In 1991-1992, he played a small role in preparing the initial draft of Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution and participating in the working groups that were developing the initial Ukrainian post-independence legislative initiatives. They still have a great deal of family, friends, and former colleagues in Ukraine and he has been a strong advocate for the people of Ukraine.
Chris Manson is the vice president of Government Affairs for OSF Healthcare based out of Peoria, Illinois. A former military officer and EMT, he consulted with UMANA and others to create Ambulances for Ukraine which has sent dozens of the emergency vehicles to Ukraine, sources from communities throughout the United States including Chicago and my home town of Naperville. Seven more ambulances are scheduled for delivery later this month.
Dr. Olga Maihutiak serves as the MedGlobal medical lead on Ukraine Medical needs working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and has trained over 260 frontline doctors in Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, and Dnipro in essential Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) techniques and Butterfly Network. She is on the board of UMANA, Ambulances for Ukraine, and Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
The conference will focus on the needs of Ukraine but also the need to promote peace and resolve conflicts. War is not natural. This is why peace is one of Rotary’s main causes. Every year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers. Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1,700 fellows who now work in over 140 countries.
Our hope for this conference is that we can increase an understanding of the growing physical and mental health needs of Ukraine as the war approaches three years; identify areas that Rotary can assist in the healing process; and strategize how Rotary Peace Centers and Rotary Peace Fellows can play a role in promoting peace.
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is this Friday 7 February 2025
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 11 February 2025 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Gerry Greenway The Longest Walk in Australia
Welcoming team: Patsy Beckett & Valerie Bonython
Tuesday 18 February 2025 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Colin Telfthtree Dental volunteering in Vietnam
Welcoming team: Ross Burton & Robyn Carnachan
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 March 2025
Early: Haydn Baillie & Wendy Andrews (Jerry Casburn) | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Leonie Kewen
Week 2: 8 February 2025
Early: Greg Mcleod & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 3: 15 February 2025
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 22 February 2025
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5:
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & Paul Duke
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Vivienne Wood 0408 819 630; e-mail: vwood@ozemail.com.au
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 Saturday 15 February 2025
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, the next being Monday 24 February 2025
The Tale End.....
