Vol: 37 No: 17

Theme: Economic and Community Development Month

Lookout Reserve roster:

14/10/18 – 20/10/18 Gary O’Donnell, 21/10/18 – 27/10/18 John Paton,

28/10/18 – 3/11/18 Dick Clay

Rotary Meeting 16 October 2018

President’s Report

This is a joint meeting with the Lions Club of Ocean Grove – Barwon Heads. We are privileged to have 14 members attending our meeting. The speaker from Rotary will be John Wynn who was a charter member of our Club, along with remaining members Wal Kelly and John Calnin. The speaker from Lions will be John Claringbold, past President and Zone Chairman.

As Noel Emselle reported last week, there will be a clean up day at Ocean Grove main beach on 28^thOctober. A sign-up sheet is being circulated. Please indicate if you can help. The Movie Night for Bohemian Rhapsodywill go ahead. You can sign up when we know the date. Graeme will be going to Narromine next week to present the drought relief cheque to their Rotary Club.

Chair: Alan Keyse

Reports

Adrian Schmidt, Market – Adrian will be away for a few weeks. A roster for the November 4^thMarket is being passed around, please make any necessary amendments. (While Adrian is away, see John Paton if any issues arise)

Nicole Vinken-Powell, Family Violence Working Group. The group met last week with Heidi Waterson from the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre. It was decided to work in conjunction with the Centre to conduct several activities during the year, including fundraising. Heidi will provide data on reported family violence incidents on the Bellarine from their annual report. A free BBQ will be held on Sunday 25^thNovember from 9 to 11 am, at Main Street, Ocean Grove. Participants can make donations to help produce care packs for children and women fleeing their homes. This will be the first day of a 16-day activism against gender-based violence running until 10^thDecember. Rod Bush is helping to develop a flyer for local distribution and promotion of the event. An article will be placed in theVoice. Rotary volunteers will be required for the BBQ. Hopefully, a team member from the Centre will attend to support any community questions. Resources will be available and Orange Ribbons promoting the theme ‘Orange the World– Leave no one behind: End Violence against Women and Girls’ will be sold.

Peter Hawthorne drew attention to the article in the current issue of Rotary Down Under on women in Rotary.

Geoff Chandler, Youth – They are currently completing the Graham Bath Junior Community Awards Program at three local primary schools. There are over 50 participants completing this year. Next week presentations will be held in each school to their Year 6 and Grade 5 students. Four students from each school will then come to present to Rotary. They are also visiting Bellarine Secondary College on Friday night for the Year 9 community involvement program.

Speakers

John Claringbold, Lions Club of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads 

John Claringbold

Lions Clubs have been operating for 63 years with the theme ‘We serve’. This year’s theme is ‘ It’s the Little Things’. The Barwon Heads Club was chartered in 1959 with 12 members. It now has 35 members and covers Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove. John’s daughter attended the RYLA camp and it made a positive difference to her life. The Club started the Food Bank service, which it ran for 5 years in conjunction with local churches and community groups. They collected food throughout the district and Melbourne, involving 30 boxes per week. Other organisations have now taken over this role.

They hold an Elderly Citizens Community Lunch in Barwon Heads on the third Monday of each month with 50 to 60 people attending. They also run a seniors’ Christmas Dinner. These meals provide elderly people with an opportunity to socialise. The Club has also installed 22 Care Alert buttons free of charge to give elderly folk peace of mind in case of emergencies. They support students for three Primary Schools to attend the Licola Camp in East Gippsland at $310 each sponsorship, taking them there and back. They also run a wheelbarrow raffle through the campgrounds in summer.

Lions support Mental Health Week by cooking a breakfast for students at the Drysdale Campus in conjunction with Headspace. Members go to schools to support individual students and act as role models. Their major project has been the Retired Living Project. It started with building two units in the Kingston Estate on donated land. These were sold, further land bought, and more units built. In total they have raised over $700,000 to help people in accommodation crises.

John Wynn, History of the Rotary Club of Ocean Grove 

John Wynn

In 2013, a 30^thAnniversary publication was produced and is now on the website. John had an early involvement with Lions when the Bendigo Lions Club arranged hospitality on his flying trip to Europe. The Ocean Grove Club was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Drysdale and originally had 25 members. Wal Kelly was the first provisional President. The Club has a Dinner Meeting each Tuesday, is part of District 9780 and participates in all the Rotary International goals. It admitted its first female member, Coral Barker, in 1997 and she was the first female President. 

Projects have included:

·      Construction of the Community Service Club shed in the industrial area;

·      Construction of the Grubb Road walking track;

·      Construction of access tracks along the foreshore;

·      Painting houses, including the Queenscliff railway station and rotunda;

·      Weed pulls;

·      Graham Bath Junior Citizenship Awards at three Primary schools, 25 years;

·      Formed 11 Probus Clubs;

·      Lighting the Christmas Tree at Queenscliff, now taken over by Queenscliff Rotary;

·      Ocean Grove Cup, horse race on the beach;

·      Roy Rose Citizenship Scholarships at Bellarine Secondary College, 25 years;

·      Lookout Reserve Maintenance, 25 years;

·      Attempts to develop the Tuckfield Road Reserve, no success;

·      Developing the Surfside Primary School kitchen garden;

·      Participation in Rotary Youth Leadership and Exchange Programs;

·      Organised installation of 21 defibrillators in the local area;

·      Contributions to Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus each year;

·      Annual Seniors’ Christmas Dinner;

·      Financial support to local organisations;

·      Donations to national emergencies and Shelter Box program.

The number of practical ‘hands on’ projects has fallen lately due to organisational and bureaucratic problems and we have become more of a ‘fundraising’ body for other organisations.

Alan Keyse and Graeme Chamberlain thanked the Lions members for their attendance and talk. It is possible another joint meeting will be held in Barwon Heads in the near future.

Next week Richard Grimmett will talk about Community Radio and a Melbourne Cup Raffle will be held at $1 ticket.

Thanks, Anne Hodgkinson