Our club has just celebrated Earth Day, on April 22nd. Thanks to Ros for initiating this, and for the PR/Membership committee for taking this opportunity to contact and then work with another local community group – St Luke’s Environment Group. Thanks to our PPE Chair Eeon also, who helped co-ordinate the day once Ros could not be there. Pam, Pauline, Eeon and myself went with others to Clifton Springs to help collect litter in specific areas as part of a data collection and analysis program in the bay. The good news was we found little in the area specified, so then did a general beach clean as well. Brenton and Robert came and cooked a BBQ lunch for everyone, which was much appreciated. With the strength of Rotary , and by joining with other environmental groups such as this, we can really make a difference to the future of our planet.
The good thing about committee meetings in separate groups is we achieve a lot more as a committee. The down side is we don’t meet all together as often, and it becomes a little more difficult to fit everyone and everything into dinner meetings – the fun and the formal. I have had quite a bit of feedback from members about the number of announcements at meetings, the main concern being the time they take. It is very important to have announcements, so we all know what is happening within the club, and can appreciate and applaud as appropriate. l ask everyone to be considerate and keep announcements to one or two minutes only. If you have a lot of information to share, perhaps the details can be put in the Bulletin instead, or you could advise me in advance, and l can allocate you a separate time on the running sheet.
Again, l encourage everyone to use the Bulletin each week. Send your information, photos and news to Pauline . She is doing a fantastic job of presenting all this info – it looks terrific, and is the best way to keep up with what’s happening in our club.
My apologies to David Sinclair for not realizing that he also Rode The Bellarine - well done David! The club has now paid the pledged sponsorship money to RI, so to those members who have not yet paid up – please pay now by EFT or cash on Thursday. If you have forgotten how much you pledged, please message me and l will let you know.
As it is Anzac Day this week, our guest speaker on Thursday is from the Vietnam Veterans Association – Riemy Nieuwenhof. It will be a busy meeting with our former exchange student Sanjay Setty and his family with us too.
Congratulations to Dave F, David S, Ian and Ken for braving the arctic wind and rain to Ride the Bellarine last Sunday. Thank you to all Club members who volunteered their time to help make the Ride a success. Please remember to forward your sponsorship money to David S as soon as posssible. The account details were published in last weeks bulletin
District Training Assembly is being held on May 7, 2017 in Ararat. This is an annual training/information day for all Rotarians in our District and there are usually 250 - 300 Rotarians in attendance from the 59 Clubs across D9780.
Assembly is open for all Rotarians to attend and though there is a specific focus on incoming Board Members, Presidents etc. there will be sessions covering a wide range of topics including Foundation and Grants, President elect, Secretary and Treasurer responsibilities, Membership, Social Media, plus sessions for Youth, Community, Vocational and International Directors, and a newer members session too.
Here is the link to register and pay online - cost is $25 per person to cover food. coffee etc.
I would encourage you to consider attending and either making new Rotary friends or catching with old friends. I am sure car pooling can be arranged. If you would like more information about Assembly, or would like to attend, please let me know
As announced at our last meeting, here are the details for the Club’s Earth Day project (announced by Eeon standing in for Ros).
We would like as many members to attend as possible. Ocean Grove Rotary is undertaking this project on the same day
When : 22 April 10am
What : Earth Day Activity and BBQ
Where : The Dell, Clifton Springs
Who : Highton Rotary, St Luke’s Environment Group, Clifton Springs, Curlewis Coastcare ,
How to get there – drive the length of Jetty Rd., Clifton Springs, turn right at the end of Jetty Rd., drive on until you see the sign pointing left to THE DELL. Parking at the top of The Dell and walk down the ramp.
What to bring– gloves, sunhat and sunscreen, warm top (just in case), bag or bucket, $2.50 for BBQ water bottle.
What we are doing – we will take a survey of the litter we find at The Dell and send our findings to the Port Phillip Eco Centre who will add this to their data base from all around Port Phillip Bay. A proactive approach will be taken by finding out where the rubbish comes from and taking action
How are we going to do this – 1. 10 am - we will divide into 3 teams
2. measure and mark 3 areas on the beach
3. we will then pick up all the rubbish in the 3 areas
4. time for a break and have a BBQ supplied by Highton.
5. now we will lay out all our rubbish on 3 separate tarps
6. lastly we will count all the different types of rubbish and record it on the survey sheet and send the results to the Eco Centre.
Because of the holidays please email Eeon re your attendance and any queries eeondm@gmail.com
We’re so close to eradicating polio. Here’s why we need $1.5 billion more to finish the job.
By Ryan Hyland and Erin Biba
When was polio last in Europe? If you guessed 2002, the year the region was certified polio-free, you’re wrong.
The last time polio affected a child in Europe was 2015. Two Ukrainian children were diagnosed with paralytic polio, and that likely means that many more were infected and didn’t show symptoms. At least one Western news outlet deemed the outbreak “crazy” — but the reality is that no place on Earth is safe from polio until the disease is eradicated everywhere. Ukraine had fully vaccinated only 50 percent of its children against polio, and low immunization rates are a recipe for an outbreak. In this case, a rare mutation in the weakened strain used in the oral polio vaccine was able to spread because so many children had not been vaccinated. To stop it from progressing, the country needed to administer 6 million vaccines through an emergency program.
“Rotary was there at the beginning of the global effort to eradicate polio,” says International PolioPlus Committee Chair Michael K. McGovern. “It would be unfortunate if Rotary isn’t there at the finish line. We’ve done too much; we’ve made too much progress to walk away before we finish.”
Finding poliovirus outside Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, the only countries that have yet to eradicate it, is not unusual. In 2014, just before the World Cup brought travelers from all over the planet to Brazil, poliovirus was detected in the sewage system at São Paulo’s Viracopos International Airport. Using genetic testing, officials traced its origin to Equatorial Guinea. Brazil’s regular vaccination efforts kept the disease from showing up beyond the airport doors.
Those are frustrating examples for the thousands of people around the world working to eradicate polio. The fight has come a long way, but it is far from over. And while many involved in the effort say we may detect the final naturally occurring case of polio this year, getting to that point — and ensuring that the disease remains gone — will continue to require money, hard work, and the support of Rotarians around the world.
The 2017 - 2018 Entertainment Books have arrived and you can get yours from Colin B. Colin has circulated an email providing his bank account details for payment.
