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From President David

from president david

An interesting meeting was had at Centra and thanks for those putting together the idea. Thanks to Robert and Ros for driving some of the details (property etc).  I was particularly pleased that the format allowed a little more feedback on announcements and indeed the Pier to Pub. A more casual approach to fellowship was also a benefit. Overall I think the format was positive and potentially (if the club wants) we should give the idea a little more development.  
 
Currently the program calls for a club meeting on the February the 11th and members within the committees need to consider the financial and program obligations through to the rest of the rotary year. This is obviously important for program planning and financial commitments. Please give this some thought, as we work through the rotary year
 
This week we will deal with a challenging topic. I hope as many people as possible can attend.
 
Please, and I have no doubt, continue to be a “gift to the world”
David Farnsworth
 
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That was the week that was.
 
 
 
 THE EXPERIMENT AT THE CENTRA
I won't comment on the good or not so good points - everyone will have their own opinion - but it was certainly great to try something different, and judging by the number of members present, the decision to experiment was a winner !!!!
 
President David started the meeting perched on a stool
Visitors at the meeting - Sheila Mansfield and Jennie Green
The Pier to Pub was great - thanks to Doug and Rod for their efforts
The District Conference is on 18th & 19th March. Have a look at the website and register now - it's in Geelong so we want a good showing !
 
Announcements
Colin will send out an email with the Australia Day arrangements (the meeting is on 28th and will be at the Minya Vineyard
Barb let us know that the Ballarat South Community Raffle will be drawn on 7th February. The main prize (a car) will be on display in the Highton Shopping Centre on 25th and 27th January
Ray gave us an update on the "Ride the Bellarine" event. It will be on 3rd April and will require lots of volunteers. There are 3 courses this year - A "family" 20km, "short course" 60km and "the real ride" 109km.
5 corporate sponsors have signed up but we could do with more, so if you know anyone, let Ray know.
Anne gave us the good news that we now have a RYLA participant, and that she would be presenting the Highton Rotary Award at the Geelong Summer Music Camp at the closing concert.
Brenton will be emailing the current programme to all members tonight - don't forget the items in yellow are confirmed, blue are tentative.
Doug gave us a report on the pier to pub - basically everyone was happy.
Ken told us that Peter Hall has gone to Nepal again, taking 15 computers with him as arranged by Eeon through DIK. That brings the total to 35. Great work Eeon. He also took babies clothes and other necessities. In terms of the global grant being sought, Portland will be the Host club and we have earmarked $10,000 (over 3 years was requested but we'll pay it in one go) as our contribution as soon as the global grant is confirmed.
Malcolm reminded us of the Annual Bowls Night against RC Belmont - he'll be collecting names next week.
Robert Johnson handed out awards to Doug and Rod for their pier to pub effort and Jacko for the catering at the same event. There was also a "lucky door prize" (well sort of) to Pam for sitting on the stool that she chose.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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This Week's Meeting
Helen Bolton and Brian Bull will be presenting on the issues of family violence and sexual assault in our communities. Helen is the CEO of Barwon Centre Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence and Brian is a survivor of sexual abuse as a child.
Helen and Brian will talk about the causes of violence against women and children, services available and give a personal account of a recovery journey. 
Members are advised that some of the discussion, while generalised, may cause distress for members of the audience. 
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Polio this week

Polio this week as of 13 January 2016

    

  •  This week India marks five years without reporting a single case of wild polio, a remarkable achievement. Today, lessons learned in India and Nigeria are being used to drive progress in the last two polio-endemic countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Read more here.

 

  • There are three months to go until the globally synchronized switch from the trivalent to bivalent oral polio vaccine. This will be an important milestone in achieving a polio-free world.
 
 

Wild poliovirus type 1 and Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus cases






 

Total cases

Year-to-date 2015

Year-to-date 2014

Total in 2014 

WPV

 cVDPV

 WPV

 cVDPV

 WPV

 cVDPV

Globally

71

27

349

51

359

56

- in endemic countries

71

3

330

49

340

 52

- in non-endemic countries

0

24

19

2

19

 4

  

 

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Rotary Conversations

news from the district and beyond

 
 
 
 
Responding to Drought
Regional Drought Coordinator
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Simone Dalton as the new Regional Drought Coordinator.  Simone started last week and is working with stakeholders to support the implementation of drought initiatives in the Victorian Government's $27 million Drought Support Package.   

Simone will be engaging with key stakeholders including the Commonwealth drought coordinators, local councils, State Government departments, water corporations, catchment management authorities, local health services, the Victorian Farmers Federation and the Rural Financial Counselling Service.   

For the last seven years Simone has been Regional Media and Communications Advisor, DEDJTR, Horsham. In 2014 Simone won the inaugural Wheat Research Foundation Award for Excellence as well as the Grampians Regional Collaboration Award. Please make her welcome in her new role. 

Simone will continue to work from our Horsham office and can be contacted on (03) 5362 0762; mobile 0408 349 532; simone.dalton@ecodev.vic.gov.au 


Seeking community input to drought funding
The Victorian Government believes that the communities affected by drought are best placed to inform how the $10 million Drought Response Fund should be allocated. Community input to the fund is being captured in a number of ways: 

A)        Public participation in an on-line forum at www.oursay.org/vicdrought has been strong with 39 ideas posted to date receiving 2,386 votes and 101 comments. The on-line forum remains open until 31 January. 
B)        People wanting to provide comment anonymously can go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/vicdrought
C)        A hard copy survey attached to this email can be filled in, scanned and emailed to drought.support@ecodev.vic.gov.au or folded and posted using the reply paid address on the reverse of the form. 

Mike Gooey
Executive Director | Primary Industries Policy   
Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources   
Level 26, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000
T: 03 8392 7184 | M: 0407 841 159 
mike.gooey@ecodev.vic.gov.au   
agriculture.vic.gov.au
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Rotary Moments

rotary moment

Teaching and touching the future

RI Director Julia Phelps, back left, visits a classroom in the Philippines during a trip to rekindle connections with teachers who benefited from a vocational training team.

RI Director Julia Phelps, back left, visits a classroom in the Philippines taught by one of the teachers who benefited from the 2013 vocational training team.

By Julia Phelps

In May 2013, four science teachers from the Philippines were preparing to return home after a visit to the United States as part of a vocational training team (VTT). They’d spent 30 days observing classrooms, visiting science museums, meeting with policymakers, and making presentations to Rotary clubs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

It was an emotional time for all of us, as we had learned much more than science instructional strategies. We had learned that, no matter what country we hail from, we all want the best for our students. We want them to succeed. And as teachers, we want to make a difference in their lives.

As hosts, we were very proud of what we had accomplished. The teachers returned to their schools in the Philippines and immediately made an impact. They won regional and national teaching competitions, they were promoted to master teacher, and the performance level of their students improved significantly. They were making a difference.

I was in the Philippines last month and made a point to reconnect with the members of this vocational training team. I was able to visit two schools and see the teachers implementing the hands-on techniques they had learned during their VTT experience. I saw young girls conduct an experiment and then explain why they thought the results had happened. I watched students work collaboratively to complete assigned tasks. Students were excited and engaged in learning science. It took me back to our original conversations, but this time, they were not abstract ideas or comments or thoughts.

Had the visit ended there, it would have been worth the time and effort. However, Manny Sy Peng, the governor of District 3770, had arranged for an intercity meeting where we got to hear from the team members about life after they returned home. They told us about the impact the VTT had on them professionally and personally. We heard the following:

  • “Thank you, (District Governor) Terri Kidder, you changed the life of a simple teacher.”
  • “I came out of myself, I became more self-confident. The VTT journey has never ended.”
  • “My dream is to create a teacher resource center in my school.”
  • “Julia, you told us to come back and make a difference in our schools and communities and we have.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to these and other comments. How many times have I called on Rotarians to “make a difference?” These teachers took my words to heart and did just that. I was bursting with pride, not only as an educator but as a Rotarian, at what we had collectively accomplished.

The impact was truly what Rotary leaders had envisioned when they designed the new grant model. We were asked for long-term impact. Here it was, right in front of me.

Teacher and U.S. astronaut Christa McAuliffe said, “I touch the future, I teach.” This sentiment was evident in the classrooms I visited and in the lives of the four teachers who were members of this vocational training team.

Learn how you can support vocational training teams through a Rotary Foundation global grant.

151215_phelpsAbout the author: Rotary International Director Julia Phelps served as associate commissioner for the Center for Curriculum and Instruction for the state of Massachusetts before retiring. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Malden.

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Phar Lap and the Geelong Connection

PHAR LAP AND THE GEELONG CONNECTION

I was very surprised by the interest my talk on the Melbourne Cup generated. Many members asked me questions for a long time after. Therefore I have decided to write a few lines about the great horse Phar Lap.  Together with the cricket legend Don Bradman, Phar Lap ranks as a stand out icon in Australian sport.
Next time you head out through Breakwater to Wombat Gully Nursery to get plants or shrubs take a few minutes and head south on Wilson’s Road which intersects with the road going to your destination. Not far down Wilson Road is an old dwelling on land that was once a famous horse stud. This area is known as St Albans Park. It was here in November 1930 that Phar Lap spent the night before he won his historic Melbourne Cup. Why he was secretly housed at St Albans Stud is as follows.
Following a very successful campaign in Sydney in the spring of 1930 Phar Lap came back to Melbourne and won the prestigious W.S.Cox Plate (the Weight for Age Championship of Australasia). After this his next race was scheduled for Derby Day (the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup). On the morning of Derby Day he was taken to Caulfield racecourse for work and as he was being led back to his stables outside the course, a car approached and the men in the car tried hard to frighten the horse by continuously blowing the car horn and one occupant even fired a gun before the vehicle sped off.
The trainer Harry Telford on hearing of this from the horse’s handler asked for police protection for his champion’s journey to Flemington for his race that afternoon. Unaffected by what had happened Phar Lap won the race with ease. Whilst at Flemington Harry Telford quietly asked the owner of the St Albans Park Stud in Geelong for permission to house Phar Lap there in secret before Tuesday’s Cup. The request was granted so in the early hours of the Sunday morning Phar Lap was transported to St Albans Park Stud with very few knowing of the horse’s whereabouts. The racing world was a buzz with ‘where was Phar Lap’. During the next couple of days Phar Lap exercised around the Stud and on isolated roads nearby. Remember in those days St Albans Park would have been a quite area with very few inhabitants.
On the morning of the Melbourne Cup, Phar Lap was taken to the Geelong racecourse and given a serious gallop to prepare him for the big race that afternoon. About midday the great horse was loaded into a float for the journey to Flemington but the truck would not start. An hour and half later the attendants managed to get the engine started. The rest is history how Phar Lap easily won the Melbourne Cup in 1930 and gave joy and hope to lots of people in the early years of the Great Depression.
Jim 
Reference: The Melbourne Cup, 1861-2000 by Maurice Cavanough et al    
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The next 4 weeks

THE NEXT 4 WEEKS

21st January 2016 - Helen Bolton - CEO of Centre Against Sexual Assault
Lyndon Grove
Chair - Someone from Community Services
Welcome, Badges  and Property -  Someone
 
28th January 2016 - No Meeting at Lyndon Grove
Australia Day Activity
Refer Colin's email to all members
 
4th February 2016 - No Meeting at Lyndon Grove
Annual Bowls night against RC Belmont on Monday 1st February
 
11th February 2016 - Lyndon Grove
Club Night (Committees)
Chair - David Farnsworth
Welcome, Badges  and Property -  Anyone
 
 
 
 
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Celebrations 15th to 21st January 2016

Celebrations 15th to 21st January 2016

Guess what - none this week

 

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Leave of Absence

leave of absence

Colin Bayliss will be away from 18th March to 15th April

Ian Campbell will be away from 20th March to 30th April

 

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inspirational quotes

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

 

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. - James Allen

If you put a small value upon youself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price. - Unknown

Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back.-Unknown

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Humour ?

Humour ?

A doctor, an architect and a politician were arguing over the oldest profession in the world.
The doctor said it was his job because Eve was created from Adam's rib, a surgical procedure.
The architect said it was his job because before that there was chaos and the world was made from this chaos with an architect.
Then the poli
tician said "And who do you think caused all this chaos?"

 

Bumper stickers

I SOUPORT PUBLIK EDEKASION.
HONK, IF YOU LOVE PEACE AND QUIET.
IF YOU CAN READ THIS, I CAN SLAM ON MY BRAKES AND SUE YOU.
I LOVE ANIMALS – THEY TASTE GREAT..

 

Teacher Jokes

As a 7th grade biology teacher, I was teaching my class about the flow of blood in the body. After my lecture I asked the class the following: “Why is it that if I would turn upside down, my face would turn red since the blood would flow to my head, but when I stand upright my feet don’t turn red?” I was taken aback when a boy blurted out, “that’s cuz your feet aint empty!”.

PUPIL – “Would you punish me for something I didn’t do?”

TEACHER – “Of course not.”

PUPIL – “Good, because I haven`t done my homework.”
 

A man walked into the office in a school.
“Excuse me,” he said to the secretary “I would like to come to school, I want to learn to read and write.”
“OK,” the secretary responded in a bored voice, “just fill out this form.”

 

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Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage