Highton News 15th February 2015 (Feb 14, 2015)

Stories

From President Ian

Posted by Ian Campbell

Thursdays meeting was an opportunity to review our strategic plan with the club.

I would like to thank all members for their frank comments and observations on the plan.

The plans and comments will now be reviewed by the Development Committee and actions arising discussed again with the club.

From my study of the strategic plan, I see that a high priority is to attract and retain members.

Next week we hear from Jonathan Clarke and the Geelong Food Bank, and the following week we have a Barwon Water BBQ and we visit Karingal in Douro Street.

Regards,
Ian C

That was the week that was.

Posted by Paul Brewster

President Ian reminded us of quite a few events.

The charity Golf day arranged by the Rotary Club of Lara District - see later in this bulletin

Ride the Bellarine - Fund Raiser - All Geelong Rotary Clubs are participating. We need contacts for posisble corporate sponsors, bunting, club banners, hi-vis vests - and of course lots of riders and/or volunteer marshalls.

Barb invited us all - not only girls - to the Days for Girls fundraising breakfast. All the details are on the flyer later in this bulletin. Our normal meeting on 12th has been cancelled to allow everyone to come to the breakfast on 13th. Please register (and pay) through our website.

Barry Stokes gave details of the Lara Golf Day. 7.30am registration for an 8.00am tee-off. Cost is $70 per person including lunch. If you need more incentive, there's a $10,000 hole-in-one prize. See Barry for more details or to join the RC Highton team.

Ian informed us that the District has some surplus funds - accumulated over a number of years - and is looking for projects to reduce the amount. Somewhat similar to our own situation. See Ian with any ideas.

He also let us know that 7th May will be a combined meeting with RC Corio Bay with Robert Doyle as the guest speaker. He's hoping that our Mayor may also come along. That duet would be quite something !!!!!

Judging by the comments and questions following our strategic plan review, we're gradually understanding what this investigation process is all about. You'll find my comments in the Editor's turn part of this bulletin.

Editor's turn

Posted by Paul Brewster

Before I start, let me emphasise that these comments are mine only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of our club or any other member.

The Club meeting last week was interesting.

If you were expecting a strategic plan all nicely set out and packaged which you could simply vote to adopt then you were probably disappointed. I heard the comments - "we've been talking about this for a long time - isn't it time for a bit of action ?" and "Good process but we've ended up with the same old same old"

The truth is, we're taking a long time because we are trying to solve the insoluble. We are trying to predict the future - and we simply can't do that. All we can do - and this is what the strategic plan is really all about - is to map out a course of action which will be a satisfactory way forward FOR THE TIME BEING. The strategic plan emphasises that we should look for new opportunities. We keep on coming back to membership - and that's only right and proper. New members, younger members, more diverse members will all lead to new plans, new projects and a varying of the strategic plan to meet the needs of those new directions. If we think we need to be in a "holding pattern" waiting for those new members to come along and give us new ideas, that's the wrong approach. If we aren't tackling membership directly (and history seems to indicate we're not good at that) we surely have the experience to come up with new ideas ourselves which will attract new members. We even have some new(ish) younger members who are already influencing the direction of the club - or hadn't you noticed ?

One of the things mentioned in the Youth Committee was having the youth directors of all group 9 & 10 clubs get together, discover what each club is doing, and come up with a new broad-reaching project in which we can all participate. It was even suggested that we go out on the streets and find out what would attract young members and what the youth out there actually need. Surely this is the approach we take with our overseas projects, why aren't we doing it closer to home ?

Sadly, the parents of children today seem to be intent on bulldozing a smooth path for their children. They are becoming more and more demanding and in some cases just plain arrogant. They know what's best for their children and they can quote chapter and verse from their research on the internet to back up their point of view. The fact that there is an equal amount of opposite opinion doesn't seem to enter into their calculations. This plus the fact that the children have picked up on the fact that everything "should be easy" so having to work hard at something to correct it if it goes wrong doesn't come naturally. This leads to unhappiness and in some cases depression. The children of today seem to need a lot of encouragement and constant endorsement of their actions. If they don't get 500 "likes" on facebook every day, then there's something wrong.

It seems to me that our wide-reaching youth project should be aiming to improve self-esteem, encourage teamwork, set visions for the future and above all emphasise problem solving. Sort of sounds like RYLA and NYSF doesn't it ? The most common comment I've heard from those who participate in these programmes is that it's changed their lives. So maybe a starting point is to make these programmes available to more candidates. In the longer term, Lighting up Rotary so that more of these candidates are attracted to membership and hence bring their new ideas with them will bring the results we are aiming for.

Special Announcement

Posted by Anne Cox

Our NYSF students Brayden Partridge and Renee Meaney will be coming to this weeks (19 Feb) meeting.

Preserve Planet Earth

Posted by Eeon Macaulay

Preserve Planet Earth

Two items of interest which are certainly worth following up-

The Sustainable Living Festival 7 Feb to 1^st of March – The Geelong series of events are

certainly worth a look especially “the big weekend” 21^st and 22^nd Feb at GPAC

Full details www.slf.org.au/events/geelong-festival/

Sustainable Family Communities – This month’s DG newsletter has a free book on

“Learning to create Sustainable Communities” by Rotarian Robert Millar

This fits in well with our International Objectives

Full details: www.ofoc.org/free

Guest Speaker on 5th March

Posted by Ros Horne

THIS IS A PRESENTATION NOT TO BE MISSED. BRING YOURSELF, YOUR SPOUSE, OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, OTHER INTERESTED PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY. THIS ENORMOUS PROBLEM DEMANDS OUR ATTENTION - IT'S A WHOLE-OF-COMMUNITY RESPONSE WHICH IS REQUIRED.

LET ROSS KNOW BY 12.00 NOON WEDNESDAY HOW MANY GUESTS YOU'LL BE BRINGING

Our Town's ICE Fight- A community's response.

Senior Sergeant Tony Francis will talk about the ICE issue from a police perspective and what we as a community are doing, and can do about it. Some information packs will be provided. Senior Sergeant Tony has been an operation police officer for 25 years and over the last 2 years has seen firsthand the impact ICE is having on our community.

Please bring guests, partners, spouses - we need to understand more about what the ICE fight is all about.

Days for Girls

Posted by pauline

Shelterbox news

The current report from Shelterbox indicates the number of countries where assistance is required - some I didn't even know about !!!!

Malaysia - Floods
Extreme monsoon rains led to severe flooding in Malaysia, displacing over 200,000 people.This is ShelterBox’s first deployment to Malaysia, yet within days of the first team’s arrival, they were welcomed by Najib Razak, Malaysia’s Prime Minister. Successive Response Teams have worked with local Rotary and the National Security Council to set up camps and help those in need. So far the teams have distributed: 767 Midi Tents; 183 ShelterBoxes; 9 Relief Tents and 89 water filters.

Malawi - Floods
A ShelterBox Response Team is currently in the landlocked African country of Malawi, following severe flooding. The country, along with neighbouring Mozambique, is experiencing some of the worst flooding for more than 40 years. In Malawi, an estimated 200,000 people have been left homeless and much infrastructure, including roads, bridges and power cables, has been washed away.The rain has stopped for now, but as the water recedes the real picture of the scale of the damage to homes and farmland will become clear. More rain is forecast.

Pakistan - Floods:

Areas of southern Punjab have suffered severe flooding throughout the last few months and a request was made to ShelterBox to help people through the winter. 1,000 shelter repair kits and 224 ShelterBoxes have been shipped to Pakistan to assist people affected by the floods, to be distributed by aid organisation, Plan Pakistan.

Madagascar - Floods:

After being battered by tropical storms and heavy rains for weeks, Madagascar is now experiencing heavy flooding, and the risk of epidemics is high. Reports suggest that more than 200,000 people have been affected, mainly in the south central provinces of Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa. A ShelterBox Response Team is currently conducting a needs assessment in the country

ShelterBox continues to work in Niger, Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, Gaza, Democratic People's Republic of Korea & Sierra Leone. The Operations Team is motoring events in Cameroon, Somalia and South Sudan.

Polio this week

Posted by Paul Brewster

Polio this week as of 11 February 2015
Nearly 230 000 children are to be vaccinated against polio during a 2-week campaign in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which launched on 8 February. Health teams will visit homes, health centers, shopping malls, airports, seaports and other places where people gather to reach every child. More

In January, the Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Immunization (ERC) met in Nigeria to review progress and challenges. Whilst 6 months have passed since the most recent case of wild poliovirus was confirmed, the ERC concluded that Nigeria has a long way to go before this tentative progress can be taken as evidence that transmission of the virus has stopped. The ERC emphasized the importance of guarding against complacency in Nigeria, maintaining political commitment to increasing immunity levels in all areas, coordinating across borders with neighbouring countries, and strengthening planning for the potential of new wild poliovirus cases.

Wild poliovirus type 1 and Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus cases

Total cases	Year-to-date 2015		Year-to-date 2014		Total in 2014
Total cases	WPV	cVDPV	WPV	cVDPV	WPV	cVDPV
Globally	7	0	11	3	359	54
- in endemic countries	7	0	11	3	340	51
- in non-endemic countries	0	0	0	0	19	3

Bits of History

Posted by Don Allen

"South Barwon Council"
"The Highton Progress Association stated that the wandering stock nuisance had become very prevalent of late, more especially to the south of Roslyn road. In
several instances cattle had found their way into gardens doing much damage. Referred to the inspector."
............The Geelong Advertiser September 5 1914.

"Footpath Signs"
"City business people who inscribe chalk signs on the pavement in front of their premises are transgressing against by-law number 79 which sets out that the throwing
of orange or banana peels, refuse etc. on the pavement, or the painting of advertisement signs theron is punishable by penalty up to two pounds. Steps were taken yesterday to stop the practice."
...........The Geelong Advertiser September 23 1914.

The next 4 weeks

Posted by Paul Brewster

19th February Jonathon Clarke ...... Food Bank

Chair Brenton Rudd

Welcome and Property Paul Brewster & Pam Carroll

26th February Lisa Couper..........Karingal - Duoro Street - Visit and Meeting

Chair Mark Seller

Welcome and Property Anne Cox & Ray Dunn

5th March Senior Sergeant Tony Francis - the ICE fight
Chair Ros Horne

Welcome and Property David Farnsworth & Doug Green

12th March NO LYNDON GROVE MEETING

Days for Girls - Yacht Club Breakfast on Friday 13th

Inspirational Quotes

Posted by Paul Brewster

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. - Mother Teresa, 1910-1997

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. - Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900

Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. - Franklin P. Jones, 1908-1980

Humour ?

Posted by Paul Brewster

The day I started my construction job, I was in the office filling out an employee form when I came to the section that asked: Single____, Married____, Divorced____.

I marked single. Glancing at the man next to me, who was also filling out his form, I noticed he hadn't marked any of the blanks. Instead he had written, 'Yes, in that order.'

************************************************************************************************

After a tiring day, a commuter settled down in his seat and closed his eyes. As the train rolled out of the station, a woman sitting next to him pulled out her cell phone.

She started talking in a loud voice: "Hi sweetheart. It's Sue. I'm on the train". "Yes, I know it's the six thirty and not the four thirty, but I had a long meeting". "No, honey, not with that Kevin from the accounting office. It was with the boss". "No sweetheart, you're the only one in my life". "Yes, I'm sure, cross my heart!"

Fifteen minutes later, she was still talking loudly. When the man sitting next to her had enough, he leaned over and said into the phone, "Sue, hang up the phone and come back to bed."

Sue doesn't use her cell phone in public any longer.

****************************************************************************************************

A farmer had a a motor vehicle accident. He was hit by a truck owned by the Eversweet Company .

In court, the Eversweet Company's hot-shot solicitor was questioning the farmer.

'Didn't you say to the police at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine?' asked the solicitor. The farmer responded: 'Well, I'll tell you what happened.

I'd just loaded my fav'rit cow, Bessie, into the..........

'I didn't ask for any details', the solicitor interrupted. 'Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?'

The farmer said, 'Well, I'd just got Bessie into the trailer and I was drivin' down the road.... '

The solicitor interrupted again and said, 'Your Honour, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the police that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to answer the question!

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in the farmer's answer and said to the solicitor: 'I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favourite cow, Bessie'.

The farmer thanked the Judge and proceeded. 'Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my fav'rit cow, into the trailer and was drivin' her down the road when this huge Eversweet truck and trailer came thundering through a stop sign and hit my trailer right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other.

I was hurt, very bad like, and didn't want to move. However, I could hear old Bessie moanin' and groanin'. I knew she was in terrible pain just by her groans.

Shortly after the accident, a policeman on a motorbike turned up. He could hear Bessie moanin' and groanin' too, so he went over to her. After he looked at her, and saw her condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.

Then the policeman came across the road, gun still in hand, looked at me, and said, 'How are you feelin'?'

Now what the devil would you say?